Rising utilization of stable isotopes in tree rings for climate change and forest ecology

Analyses of stable isotopes(C,O,H)in tree rings are increasingly important cross-disciplinary programs.The rapid development in this field documented in an increasing number of publications requires a comprehensive review.This study includes a bibliometric analysis-based review to better understand research trends in tree ring stable isotope research.Overall,1475 publications were selected from the Web of Science Core Collection for 1974-2023.The findings are that:(1)numbers of annual publications and citations increased since 1974.From 1974 to 1980,there were around two relevant publications per year.However,from 2020 to 2022,this rose sharply to 109 publications per year.Likewise,average article citations were less than four per year before 1990,but were around four per article per year after 2000;(2)the major subjects using tree ring stable isotopes include forestry,geosciences,and environmental sciences,contributing to 42.5%of the total during 1974-2023;(3)the top three most productive institutions are the Chinese Academy of Sciences(423),the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest,Snow and Landscape Research(227),and the University of Arizona(204).These achievements result from strong collaborations;(4)review papers,for example,(Dawson et al.,Annu Rev Ecol Syst 33:507-559,2002)and(McCarroll and Loader,Quat Sci Rev 23:771-801,2004),are among the most cited,with more than 1000 citations;(5)tree ring stable isotope studies mainly focus on climatology and ecology,with atmospheric CO_(2) one of the most popular topics.Since 2010,precipitation and drought have received increasing attention.Based on this analysis,the research stages,key findings,debated issues,limitations and direc-tions for future research are summarized.This study serves as an important attempt to understand the progress on the use of stable isotopes in tree rings,providing scientific guid-ance for young researchers in this field.

Stability assessment of tree ring growth of Pinus armandii Franch in response to climate change based on slope directions at the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains,China

Global warming will affect growth strategies and how trees will adapt.To compare the response of tree radial growth to climate warming in different slope directions,samples of Pinus armandii Franch were collected and tree-ring chronologies developed on northern and western slopes from the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains.Correlation analyses showed that two chronologies were mainly limited by temperatures in the previous June-August and the com-bination of temperatures and moisture in the current May-July.The difference of the climate response to slopes was small but not negligible.Radial growth of the LBLO1 site on the northern slope was affected by the combined maximum and minimum temperatures,while that of the LBLO2 site was affected by maximum temperatures.With regards to moisture,radial growth of the trees on the north slope was influenced by the relative humidity in the current May-July,while on the western slope,it was affected by the relative humidity in the previous June-August,the current May-July and the precipitation in the current May-July.With the change in climate,the effects of the main limiting factors on growth on different slopes were visible to a certain extent,but the differences in response of trees on different slopes gradually decreased,which might be caused by factors such as different slope directions and the change in diurnal temperature range.These results may provide information for forest protection and ecological construction in this region,and a scientific reference for future climate reconstruction.

Stability assessment of tree ring growth of Pinus armandii Franch in response to climate change based on slope directions at the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains,China

Global warming will affect growth strategies and how trees will adapt.To compare the response of tree radial growth to climate warming in different slope directions,samples of Pinus armandii Franch were collected and treering chronologies developed on northern and western slopes from the Lubanling in the Funiu Mountains.Correlation analyses showed that two chronologies were mainly limited by temperatures in the previous June–August and the combination of temperatures and moisture in the current May–July.The difference of the climate response to slopes was small but not negligible.Radial growth of the LBL01 site on the northern slope was affected by the combined maximum and minimum temperatures,while that of the LBL02 site was affected by maximum temperatures.With regards to moisture,radial growth of the trees on the north slope was influenced by the relative humidity in the current May–July,while on the western slope,it was affected by the relative humidity in the previous June–August,the current May–July and the precipitation in the current May–July.With the change in climate,the effects of the main limiting factors on growth on different slopes were visible to a certain extent,but the differences in response of trees on different slopes gradually decreased,which might be caused by factors such as different slope directions and the change in diurnal temperature range.These results may provide information for forest protection and ecological construction in this region,and a scientific reference for future climate reconstruction.

Correlation Between Chemical Element Contents in Tree Rings and Soils

The annual growth rings of ten trees and the soils near the tree roots were sampled from the mining area of lead-and zinc-dominant metals in the Xixia Mountain, Nanjing, for the determination of chemical element contents. The study results showed that the elemental contents in the tree rings were correlated with those in the soils, i. e., the elemental contents in the tree rings increased with those in the soils, even in the cases of different environments and different tree species. Therefore, a time-concentration sequence could be set up on the basis of determining the elemental contents in the successive annual growth rings of trees to qualitatively reflect the annual variations of relevant elements in the soils, and a time-concentration sequence of elemental contents in soils could also be established in terms of related model to reproduce the dynamic changes of the surroundings.

Chrono-Sequences of Elemental Contents in Tree Ringsand Soils

There exists a logarithmic linear correlation, i. e., In C'(Z, t) = a(Z) + b(Z) ln(Z, t) where Z is the atomicnumber of element and t the year when tree ring grows between the chemical element contents in tree ringsC(Z, t) and those in the soils near the tree roots C'(Z, t).By determining the elemental contents of the annual growth rings of trees, we could establish the chrono-sequences of elemental contents in the tree rings, thus calculating that of the soil, that is, reproducing thedynamic changes of contents of elements in the soil C'(Z, t). The background values of elements in the soilunder site conditions of the tree could be estimated from the minimum C(Z, t_0) in the chrono-sequences ofelemental contents in the tree rings.

Using a Tree Ring δ^(13)C Annual Series to Reconstruct Atmospheric CO_2 Concentration over the Past 300 Years

The annual series of δ13C were measured in tree rings of three Cryptomeria fortunei disks （OF-1, OF-2, and OF- 3） collected from West Tianmu Mountain, Zhejiang Province, China, according to cross-dating tree ring ages. There was no obvious decreasing trend of the δ13C annual time series of CF-2 before 1835. However, from 1835 to 1982 the three tree ring δ13C annual series exhibited similar decreasing trends that were significantly （P ≤ 0.001） correlated. The distribution characteristics of a scatter diagram between estimated δ13C series of CF-2 from modeling and the atmospheric CO2 concentration extracted from the Law Dome ice core from 1840 to 1978 were analyzed and a curvilinear regression equation for reconstructing atmospheric CO2 concentration was established with R2 = 0.98. Also, a test of independent samples indicated that between 1685 and 1839 the reconstructed atmospheric CO2 concentration .using the δ13C series of CF-2 had a close relationship with the Law Dome and Siple ice cores, with a standard deviation of 1.98. The general increasing trend of the reconstructed atmospheric CO2 concentration closely reflected the 10ng-term variation of atmospheric CO2 concentration recorded both before and after the Industrial Revolution. Between 1685 and 1840 the evaluated atmospheric CO2 concentration was stable, but after 1840 it exhibited a rapid increase. Given a longer δ13C annual time series of tree rings, it was feasible to rebuild a representative time series to describe the atmospheric CO2 concentration for an earlier period and for years that were not in the ice core record.

Tree ring based drought variability in Northwest Tajikistan since 1895 AD

Determining the mechanisms controlling the changes of wet and dry conditions will improve our understanding of climate change over the past hundred years,which is of great significance to the study of climate and environmental changes in the arid regions of Central Asia.Forest trees are ecologically significant in the local environment,and therefore the tree ring analysis can provide a clear record of regional historical climate.This study analyzed the correlation between the tree ring width chronology of Juniperus turkestanica Komarov and the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index(SPEI)in Northwest Tajikistan,based on 56 tree ring samples collected from Shahristan in the Pamir region.Climate data including precipitation,temperature and the SPEI were downloaded from the Climate Research Unit(CRU)TS 4.00.The COFECHA program was used for cross-dating,and the ARSTAN program was used to remove the growth trend of the tree itself and the influence of non-climatic factors on the growth of the trees.A significant correlation was found between the radial growth of J.turkestanica trees and the monthly mean SPEI of February–April.The monthly mean SPEI sequence of February–April during the period of 1895–2016 was reconstructed,and the reconstruction equation explained 42.5%of the variance.During the past 122 a(1895–2016),the study area has experienced three wetter periods(precipitation above average):1901–1919,1945–1983 and 1995–2010,and four drier periods(precipitation below average):1895–1900,1920–1944,1984–1994 and 2011–2016.The spatial correlation analysis revealed that the monthly mean SPEI reconstruction sequence of February–April could be used to characterize the large-scale dry-wet variations in Northwest Tajikistan during the period of 1895–2016.This study could provide comparative data for validating the projections of climate models and scientific basis for managing water resources in Tajikistan in the context of climate change.

Angular Distribution of Element Contents in Tree Rings and the Environmental Information

Element contents of tree rings and soils near tree roots collected from Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don) and Masson pine (Picks massoniana lamb.) were determined to study the relationship between the angular distribution of element contents in tree rings and the environmental information. The chemical composition and properties of soils are very much complicated, which leads to the non-uniform distribution of the element contents in tree rings. The statistical multi-variable regression method was used to got the information of the tree-centered distribution of element contents in the environment (soil) (C’), C’(z, θj ), from the distribution of element contents in tree rings (C), C(Z, θi), which depends on the plane azimuth angle (θi), i. e., C=C(Z,θi), where Z is the atomic number of the element, with a satisfactory result,though this study is only a primary one.

August–September Runoff Variation in the Kara Darya River Determined from Juniper(Juniperus turkestanica) Tree Rings in the Pamirs-Alai Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, Back to 1411 CE

A 606 year runoff reconstruction of the Kara Darya River was developed, based on the tree-ring width chronology of Turkestan juniper(Juniperus turkestanica) from the Pamir-Alai Mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Preliminary comparison between the snow cover variation and these climate/runoff reconstructions found that Central Asian snow cover may have strong associations with large-scale ocean-atmosphere-land circulations. The runoff reconstruction demonstrated that instrumental runoff was not representative of runoff over the past 606 years. The drought of the 1960 s-1990 s resulted in low runoff levels during the past 50 years;however, this probably does not represent a worst-case scenario for the Kara Darya because the runoff reconstruction showed additional extremely low runoff prior to the 20 th century. The reconstruction will provide a long-term perspective on runoff variation in the Kara Darya River basin, aid sustainable water resource management and be useful in guiding expectations of future variations and water resource planning.

Application and verification of simultaneous determination of cellulose δ^(13)C and δ^(18)O in Picea shrenkiana tree rings from northwestern China using the high-temperature pyrolysis method

Stable isotopes in tree-ring cellulose provide important data in ecological,archaeological,and paleoenvironmental researches,thereby,the demand for stable isotope analyses is increasing rapidly.Simultaneous measurement of cellulose δC and δO values from tree rings would reduce the cost of isotopic commodities and improve the analytical efficiency compared with conventional separate measurement.In this study,we compared the δC and δO values of tree-ringα-cellulose from Tianshan spruce(Picea schrenkiana)in an arid site in the drainage basin of the Urumqi River in Xinjiang of northwestern China based on separate and simultaneous measurements,using the combustion method(at1050°C)and the high-temperature pyrolysis method(at 1350°C and 1400°C).We verified the results of simultaneous measurement using the outputs from separate measurement and found that both methods(separate and simultaneous)produced similar δC values.The two-point calibrated method improved the results(range and variation)of δC and δO values.The mean values,standard deviations,and trends of the tree-ring δC obtained by the combustion method were similar to those by the pyrolysis method followed by two-point calibration.The simultaneously measured δO from the pyrolysis method at 1400°C had a nearly constant offset with that the pyrolysis method at 1350°C due to isotopic-dependence on the reaction temperature.However,they showed similar variations in the time series.The climate responses inferred from simultaneously and separately measured δC and δO did not differ between the two methods.The tree-ring δC and δO values were negatively correlated with standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index from May to August.In addition,the δO was significantly correlated with temperature(positive),precipitation(negative),and relative humidity(negative)from May to August.The tree-ring δC and δO values determined simultaneously through the high-temperature pyrolysis method could produce acceptable and reliable stable isotope series.The simultaneous isotopic measurement can greatly reduce the cost and time requirement compared with the separate isotopic measurement.These results are consistent with the previous studies at humid sites,suggesting that the simultaneous determination of δC and δO in tree-ringα-cellulose can be used in wide regions.

Low net primary productivity of dominant tree species in a karst forest, southwestern China： first evidences from tree ring width and girth increment

Aboveground net primary productivity(ANPP)of two dominant species, one deciduous tree(Platycarya strobilacea) and one evergreen tree(Machilus cavaleriei),was estimated based on the tree-ring width and the girth increment as well as allometric functions in a karst evergreen and deciduous broadleaved mixed forest in central Guizhou Province, southwestern China. Results showed that the ANPP increased from 1961 to 2015, especially during the last 20–30 years, but with strong variations. The deciduous tree had higher ANPP than the evergreen tree according to two kinds of estimates by the tree ring and girth increment. The averaged ANPP for these two mature trees was 2.27 kg/individual/year, ca. 8 t/ha/year considering the normal stand density. Such karst forest productivity was lower than the natural subtropical forests in China and in the world.

Reconstruction of October Mean Temperature since 1796 in Wuying Based on Tree Ring Data

The monthly mean temperature for October in the Fenglin National Natural Reserve of Wuying, in Heilongjiang province, was reconstructed for the period running from 1796 to 2004 using RES tree ring chronology. The explained variance of the reconstruction is 34.8%. In the past 209 years, there are 4 colder and 4 warmer periods according to the reconstructed series. A period of 3.33-year is found significant based on the power spectrum method. Abrupt changes are also detected in the reconstructed series with 30-year time scale based on the smoothing t-test, smoothing F-test and Le Page test methods. Significant abrupt changes in mean value are observed for around 1871 and 1900, and a significant abrupt change in standard deviation is observed for around 1851.

Application and Verification of Logarithmic LinearCorrelation Model of Element Contents Between Tree Ringsand Soils near the Tree Roots

Nine Platanus acerifolia (Ait.) Willd. trees growing in the Nanjing Children Teacher’s School, Nanjing,China, were selected to determine the contents of 13 chemical elements both in the 1994’s growth rings,C(Z, t), and in the soils near the roots, C’(Z, t), of the trees. The results showed that the relationship between C(Z, t) and C’(Z, t) followed the logarithmic linear correlation model, lgC’(Z, t)=a(Z)+b(Z) ig C (Z, t).Based on this model the chrono-sequences of chemical element contents in the soils were reproduced from those in the tree rings; i.e., the dynamic variations in the chemical element contents of the soils at the sites were traced. In this study the chrono-sequences of the chemical elements including Cd, Ph, Mn, Co and Zn in the soils near the roots of a Platanus acerifolia tree from 1957 to 1994 were established, and the background values of Cd, Pb, Mn, Co and Zn in the soil were calculated by taking the lowest values of the chrono-sequences of the element contents as upper limits of the background values.

ORPOM model for optimum distribution of tree ring sampling based on the climate observation network

Tree ring dating plays an important role in obtaining past climate information.The fundamental study of obtaining tree ring samples in typical climate regions is particularly essential.The optimum distribution of tree ring sampling sites based on climate information from the Climate Observation Network(ORPOM model) is presented in this article.In this setup,the tree rings in a typical region are used for surface representation,by applying excellent correlation with the climate information as the main principle.Taking the Horqin Sandy Land in the cold and arid region of China as an example,the optimum distribution range of the tree ring sampling sites was obtained through the application of the ORPOM model,which is considered a reasonably practical scheme.

Changes in Ecological Environment of the Tarim River Confirmed by Tree Rings

The tree ring is an important carrier of the evolution of climate in the study of global change.It enjoys advantages of accurate dating,strong continuity,high resolution ratio and high reconstruction precision.This paper tested the changes of Populus euphratica tree ring and the runoff in the upper and middle reaches of the Tarim River through the monotonic trend and analyzed the response of the tree ring in the lower reaches of the Tarim River to the water supply through the combined tree ring data and the historical literature,so as to confirm the accuracy of the response of Populus euphratica tree ring to river diversion.The results were included as follows.(1)From 1957 to 2010,the radial growth of Populus euphratica in the upper and middle reaches of the Tarim River decreased gradually in the time series,which was the same as the runoff.The downtrend was significant,and|Zc|was more than 0.96.(2)From1913 to 2000,the radial growth of Populus euphratica as a whole in the lower reaches of the Tarim River decreased.The downtrend was significant between 1973 and 2001,reaching the lowest level in the past 100years.The formation and diversion of the Layi River was as described in the historical literature.(3)The development of the ecological water delivery project has improved the ecological environment of the lower reaches,which has been verified from the Populus euphratica tree ring in the lower reaches.However,despite the ecological water delivery project in recent years,the growth of Populus euphratica tree ring has not reached to the level before 1920,indicating that the existing ecological water delivery is of limited value in recovering desert riparian forest.(4)In the analysis of the response of the Populus euphratica to the water resources,the wavelet analysis method and the historical literature review method have drawn the same conclusion.

Long-Term H2O and CO2 Trends in Conifer Disc Tree Rings and Meteorological Parameters

Results of investigations into the CO2 content in tree disc rings by the method proposed here have shown that a considerable part of CO2 generated under cell respiration is found in tree stems. Besides, annual CO2 distribution in tree rings exhibits a well-defined cyclicity. Results obtained from investigations into long-term CO2 and H2O variations in tree discs performed by different methods are presented. Wavelet and spectral analyses of the relationship between CO2 and H2O variations in a Siberian stone pine disc and meteorological parameters were made. The CO2 annual distributions of seven spruce tree discs were examined by the Caterpiller-SSA method. Wood samples of Siberian stone pine and spruce trees were taken from the same site in Tomsk region （Siberia, Russia） that characterized by an optimum growth habitat. Conclusions are made regarding the response of the annual CO2 and H2O conifer disc tree ring distributions to different climatic factors.

Information About Low Cloud Amount Recorded in δ^(13)C Series of Tree Ring Cellulose of Pinus Koraiensis in Antu Area, Jilin

Relationship between the δ 13C of tree ring cellulose from Pinus Koraiensis and climate parameters was investigated. A significantly negative correlation between δ 13C and mean low-cloud amount from May to July was discovered, which contributes to reconstructing the mean low-cloud amount from May to July at Antu in recent 200 years. Periodicals of quasi-8-year, quasi-4-year and quasi-2-year were detected both in δ 13C series and in the reconstructed low cloud amount series with 95% confidence level. Quasi-8-year period may reflect the integrated influence of solar activity, monsoon activity and local regional factors. Quasi-4-year and quasi-2-year periods indicate the influences of ENSO and Quasi Biennial Oscillation (QBO) of East Asian monsoon, respectively.

Responses of Pinus tabulaeformis tree rings to climatic metrics in Hasi Mountain

A tree-ring width chronology developed from Pinus tabulaeformis tree-rings of Hasi Mountain was employed to analyze responses of tree-ring to different climatic metrics.Correlation analyses between tree-ring chronology and precipitation and temperature suggest that tree growth is both limited by precipitation and temperature,and moisture is the principal limiting factor of tree-ring width.To find a suitable moisture index to be reconstructed,three moisture indices considering precipitation and evaporation even water balance are chosen to be analyzed.The results suggest that the PDSI is an appropriate index as predictor of tree-ring width and can be used to reconstruct in this area.

RECONSTRUCTION OF THE PAST CLIMATE FROM TREE RINGS OVER WESTERN HIMALAYA, INDIA

Climate variability over the Himalayan region has been attracting the attention of palaeoclimatologists on a wide range of time scales. In the context of slow changes in the contemporary time frame, it is of great relevance to understand the nature of decadal to century scale variations of the climate. In view of the sparse network of instrumental records, out of which only a handful extend to about 100 years, we have to depend on natural archives such as tree rings to reconstruct the past climatic variations over the region. Fortunately, large parts of the Himalayas are covered by extensive conifer forests, which have great potential for high\|resolution (interannual) dendroclimatic reconstructions, at least over the past 5 to 6 centuries. These conifers include genera such as Abies, Picea, Cedrus, Pinus etc., which have displayed great age, distinct annual growth rings and high sensitivity to atmospheric environment. Properly cross\|matched variations in the tree\|ring characteristics like width, density etc. can be used to reconstruct major climatic events during the last few centuries.