Earth is covered by 31% of forests that effectively maintain biodiversity and regulate the climate. According to a study, forests have around 73,300 tree species in the world. Due to this, the climate change impact varies for different tree species within the same habitat varies.
A research team from the Institute of Earth Environment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) started investigating changes in different trees. Their study included Tsuga chinensis Pritz. (Chinese hemlock) and Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. (Chinese red pine) from the southern slopes of the Qinling Mountains (SSQM).
With increasing scenarios of extreme droughts due to global warming, there is a pressing need for in-depth research into the climate adaptability of various tree species. This will further help in protecting forest ecosystems and fighting global warming.
The research team is led by CAS Profs. Cai Qiufang and Liu Yu highlighted the following points in the published report.
Highlights
- Climate response pattern in P. tabulaeformis and T. chinensis on the SSQM shows qualitative changes with global warming.
- P. tabulaeformis showed decreased sensitivity towards precipitation and temperature.
- T. chinensis. showed high dependency on hydrological conditions.
- Extreme drought conditions show P. tabulaeformis has stronger drought resistance, implying a greater ability to adapt to warming and drying climate trends.
- T. chinensis. have less drought resistance, making them less adaptable to changing climatic conditions.
Get to know and follow top 30 notable voices on climate change.
Conclusion
The study clearly shows that different tree species even in the same habitat show significant differences in their growth pattern in response to climate. Thus, forest conservation and management efforts should be tailored according to the species for maximum results.
Source: The Impact of Climate Change on Different Tree Species within the Same Habitat Varies
