Differential responses to changes in growth temperature between trees from different functional groups and biomes: a review and synthesis of data

The response of tree growth to a change in temperature may differ in predictable ways. Trees with conservative growth strategies may have little ability to respond to a changing climate. In addition, high latitude and altitude tree growth may be temperature-limited and thus benefit from some degree of warming, as opposed to warm-adapted species. Using data from 63 studies, we examined whether trees from different functional groups and thermal niches differed in their growth response to a change in growth temperature. We also investigated whether responses predicted for a change in growth temperature (both reduced and elevated) were similar for increased temperatures by repeating the analysis on the subset of…