A shift in circadian stem increment patterns in a Pyrenean alpine treeline precedes spring growth after snow melting

Abstract

Changing snow regimes and warmer growing seasons are some climate factors influencing the productivity and growth of high-elevation forests and alpine treelines. In low-latitude mountain regions with seasonal snow and drought regimes such as the Pyrenees, these climate factors could negatively impact forest productivity. To address this issue, we assessed the relationships between climate, snow, and inter- and intra-annual radial growth and stem increment data in an alpine Pinus uncinata treeline ecotone located in the central Spanish Pyrenees. First, we developed tree-ring-width chronologies of the study site to quantify climate-growth relationships. Second, radial growth, tree water deficit, and shrinking-swelling cycles were quantified and identified at monthly to daily scales using fine-resolution dendrometer data. These variables were extracted for three climatically different years, including one of the hottest summers on record in Spain (2022), and they were related to soil water content, soil and air temperature, and the dates of snow duration across the treeline ecotone. Warmer February and May temperatures enhanced tree radial growth, probably because of an earlier snow meltout, the start of the growing season, and the higher growth rates in spring, respectively. The characteristic circadian cycle of stem increment, defined by night swelling and day shrinking, was detected in summer and fall. However, this pattern was inverted during the snow season from November through April, suggesting a transition phase characterized by wet soils and swollen stems preceding the spring onset of growth. Air temperature, soil temperature and moisture, and the presence of snow are strong indicators of how much and for how long mountain trees can grow. Shifts in daily stem increment patterns reveal changes in early growth phenology linked to snow melting.