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Biology
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Dendrochronology in Arid and Semiarid Regions
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Dendrochronology in Arid and Semiarid Regions

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2024 | Viewed by 3554

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Zongshan Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China
Interests: dendroclimatology; dendroecology; the arid to semiarid lands in China
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Drylands are home to more than 38% of the total global population and are one of the most sensitive areas to climate change and human activities. In addition, the IPCC expects a considerable increase in the dryland expansion rate, resulting in drylands covering half of the global land surface by the end of this century. Such an expansion of drylands would lead to reduced carbon sequestration and enhanced regional warming, which will exacerbate the risk of land degradation and desertification in the near future. Tree rings have long been recognized as a useful proxy for past climate variations because of their special characteristics, such as precise dating, annual resolution, long time series, and climate sensitivity. Because forest vegetation is particularly sensitive to changes in the moisture availability in drylands, tree-ring materials have been frequently used to resolve climatic and ecological questions in drylands.

For this Special Issue, we encourage the submission of manuscripts on any aspects of tree-ring studies in drylands, including tree-ring materials of forest (tree species) and non-forest (shrub and perennial herb species) vegetation and forests. We accept reviews, short and full-size research papers that cover the aforementioned subjects, such as climatic, ecological, wood anatomical or tree physiological issues based on tree rings in drylands.

Dr. Zongshan Li
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • tree rings
  • growth–climate response
  • dendrochronology
  • dendroecology
  • dryland regions

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 10529 KiB  
Article
Drought Stress Might Induce Sexual Spatial Segregation in Dioecious Populus euphratica—Insights from Long-Term Water Use Efficiency and Growth Rates
by Honghua Zhou, Zhaoxia Ye, Yuhai Yang and Chenggang Zhu
Biology 2024, 13(5), 318; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13050318 - 2 May 2024
Viewed by 649
Abstract
P. euphratica stands as the pioneering and dominant tree within desert riparian forests in arid and semi-arid regions. The aim of our work was to reveal why dioecious P. euphratica in natural desert riparian forests in the lower Tarim River exhibits sexual spatial [...] Read more.
P. euphratica stands as the pioneering and dominant tree within desert riparian forests in arid and semi-arid regions. The aim of our work was to reveal why dioecious P. euphratica in natural desert riparian forests in the lower Tarim River exhibits sexual spatial distribution differences combined with field investigation, tree ring techniques, isotope analysis techniques, and statistical analyses. The results showed that P. euphratica was a male-biased population, with the operational sex ratio (OSR) exhibiting spatial distribution differences to variations in drought stress resulting from groundwater depth change. The highest OSR was observed under mild drought stress (groundwater depth of 6–7 m), and it was reduced under non-drought stress (groundwater depth below 6 m) or severe drought stress (groundwater depth exceeding 7 m). As drought stress escalated, the degradation and aging of the P. euphratica forest became more pronounced. Males exhibited significantly higher growth rates and WUEi than females under mild drought stress. However, under severe drought stress, males’ growth rates significantly slowed down, accompanied by significantly lower WUEi than in females. This divergence determined the sexual spatial segregation of P. euphratica in the natural desert riparian forests of the lower Tarim River. Furthermore, the current ecological water conveyance project (EWCP) in the lower Tarim River was hard to fundamentally reverse the degradation and aging of the P. euphratica forest due to inadequate population regeneration. Consequently, we advocated for an optimized ecological water conveyance mode to restore, conserve, and rejuvenate natural P. euphratica forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology in Arid and Semiarid Regions)
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27 pages, 11912 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Urbanization on Tree Growth and Xylem Anatomical Characteristics
by Xiaohui Gao, Binqing Zhao, Zecheng Chen, Wenqi Song, Zongshan Li and Xiaochun Wang
Biology 2023, 12(11), 1373; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12111373 - 27 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1445
Abstract
In the context of the intensification of global urbanization, how urbanization (urban heat island effect and air pollution) affects urban tree growth is not fully understood. In this paper, the radial growth and xylem anatomical characteristics of three different tree species (Quercus [...] Read more.
In the context of the intensification of global urbanization, how urbanization (urban heat island effect and air pollution) affects urban tree growth is not fully understood. In this paper, the radial growth and xylem anatomical characteristics of three different tree species (Quercus mongolica, Fraxinus mandshurica, and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) in urban and rural areas of Harbin were compared by means of tree-ring anatomy. The results showed that there were significant differences in the growth of both broadleaf trees and conifers between urban and rural areas. The vessel number, cumulative area of vessels, and theoretical hydraulic conductivity of all tree species in rural areas were higher than those in urban areas, indicating that urbanization may have the effect of slowing down growth. However, broadleaf trees in urban areas had higher vessel density and a greater percentage of a conductive area within xylem and theoretical xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity. The thickness of cell walls and cell wall reinforcement index of P. sylvestris var. mongolica were strongly reduced by air pollution, implying that it may be more sensitive to urbanization. Compared to Q. mongolica, F. mandshurica showed less sensitivity to urbanization. Warming and drying climate in Harbin may be an important factor affecting tree growth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology in Arid and Semiarid Regions)
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14 pages, 2831 KiB  
Article
Climatic Warming-Induced Drought Stress Has Resulted in the Transition of Tree Growth Sensitivity from Temperature to Precipitation in the Loess Plateau of China
by Qindi Zhang, Shaomin Fu, Hui Guo, Shaoteng Chen and Zongshan Li
Biology 2023, 12(10), 1275; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12101275 - 25 Sep 2023
Viewed by 1026
Abstract
Ongoing climate warming poses significant threats to forest ecosystems, particularly in drylands. Here, we assess the intricate responses of tree growth to climate change across two warming phases (1910–1940 and 1970–2000) of the 20th century in the Loess Plateau of China. To achieve [...] Read more.
Ongoing climate warming poses significant threats to forest ecosystems, particularly in drylands. Here, we assess the intricate responses of tree growth to climate change across two warming phases (1910–1940 and 1970–2000) of the 20th century in the Loess Plateau of China. To achieve this, we analyzed a dataset encompassing 53 ring-width chronologies extracted from 13 diverse tree species, enabling us to discern and characterize the prevailing trends in tree growth over these warming phases. The difference in the primary contributors over two warming phases was compared to investigate the association of tree growth with climatic drivers. We found that the first warming phase exerted a stimulating effect on tree growth, with climate warming correlating to heightened growth rates. However, a contrasting pattern emerged in the second phase as accelerated drought conditions emerged as a predominant limiting factor, dampening tree growth rates. The response of tree growth to climate changed markedly during the two warming phases. Initially, temperature assumed a dominant role in driving the tree growth of growth season during the first warming phase. Instead, precipitation and drought stress became the main factors affecting tree growth in the second phase. This drought stress manifested predominantly during the early and late growing seasons. Our findings confirm the discernible transition of warming-induced tree growth in water-limited regions and highlight the vulnerability of dryland forests to the escalating dual challenges of heightened warming and drying. If the warming trend continues unabated in the Loess Plateau, further deterioration in tree growth and heightened mortality rates are foreseeable outcomes. Some adaptive forest managements should be encouraged to sustain the integrity and resilience of these vital ecosystems in the Loess Plateau and similar regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dendrochronology in Arid and Semiarid Regions)
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