TY  - JOUR
AU  - Rabbel, Inken
AU  - Neuwirth, Burkhard
AU  - Bogena, Heye
AU  - Diekkrüger, Bernd
TI  - Exploring the growth response of Norway spruce (Picea abies) along a small-scale gradient of soil water supply
JO  - Dendrochronologia
VL  - 52
SN  - 1125-7865
CY  - Jena
PB  - Urban & Fischer
M1  - FZJ-2019-00417
SP  - 123 - 130
PY  - 2018
AB  - The climate-growth response of specific sites and species is one of the main research subjects in classic tree ring studies. Traditional sampling approaches therefore aim at maximizing the climate signal of the analyzed tree ring series, which is typically achieved by focusing on dominant trees or on sites located in particularly temperature or moisture limited environments. However, there is increasing evidence that these selective sampling strategies cannot yield chronologies that are representative for entire populations. One promising approach to gain a deeper understanding of forest dynamics and climate-growth responsiveness is the analysis of climate signal ranges among trees. This individualistic approach requires random sampling and the integration of information on small-scale heterogeneities in site and tree characteristics. Here, we analyze the climate-growth response of 144 Norway spruce trees (Picea abies Karst.) on difference levels of data aggregation. The aim of our study is to investigate the relevance of small-scale heterogeneities in site conditions, particularly in soil water supply, for the detected climate-growth signal. We identify soil water supply and site characteristics, which indirectly modify the water availability for trees, as dominating growth factors across scales. The driest sites show the strongest climate-growth reaction, while the growth response of wetter sites is weak or even insignificant. Therefore, we conclude that integrating small-scale information on site characteristics, particularly on soil water supply, can help to gain a deeper understanding of species specific growth limitations.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000451071500014
DO  - DOI:10.1016/j.dendro.2018.10.007
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/859565
ER  -