Prof. Hao Guangyou and doctoral student Ning Qiurui from the Plant Physiology and Ecology Group of the Institute of Applied Ecology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently carried out a study to explore physiological mechanisms mediating the radial growth of temperate trees in the context of climate warming. 

The researchers extracted tree-ring information and quantified xylem hydraulics characteristics of Larix olgensis and Pinus koraiensis, two major tree species in Northeast China, along an altitude gradient ranging from 780 m to 1300 m on the North slope of Changbai Mountain.

They found that the radial growth rates of both species had accelerated due to the rapid warming since the 1990s, and that the increase in radial growth was most significant at mid-altitude. They found that regardless of altitude, temperature was the key factor limiting the radial growth of the two conifer species. According to the study, the growth rate of larches was generally higher than that of Korean pines, and this difference was related to the higher xylem hydraulic efficiency of larches.

These results are helpful for predicting the changes in tree growth and carbon sink function of standing trees in Changbai Mountain Area.

The study entitled "Differences in growth pattern and response to climate warming between Larix olgensis and Pinus koraiensis in Northeast China are related to their distinctions in xylem hydraulics" has been published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, and it was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the "large team program" of the Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.