articleGlobal Change BiologyOct 19, 2016BRONZE OA

A synthesis of radial growth patterns preceding tree mortality

MCMaxime CailleretSJSteven JansenEMElisabeth M. R. RobertLDLucía DeSotoTATuomas Aakala

ETH Zurich · Universität Ulm · +65 more institutions

PubMed
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Abstract

Tree mortality is a key factor influencing forest functions and dynamics, but our understanding of the mechanisms leading to mortality and the associated changes in tree growth rates are still limited. We compiled a new pan-continental tree-ring width database from sites where both dead and living trees were sampled (2970 dead and 4224 living trees from 190 sites, including 36 species), and compared early and recent growth rates between trees that died and those that survived a given mortality event. We observed a decrease in radial growth before death in ca. 84% of the mortality events. The extent and duration of these reductions were highly variable (1-100 years in 96% of events) due to the complex…

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Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Interspecific competition
  • Biology
  • Bark (sound)
  • Competition (biology)
  • Ecology
  • Dead tree
  • Longevity
  • Mortality rate
UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Good health and well-being
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