Vessels in a Rhododendron ferrugineum (L.) population do not trace temperature anymore at the alpine shrubline

Article Article scientifique Article Vessels in a Rhododendron ferrugineum (L.) population do not trace temperature anymore at the alpine shrubline eng 2023-01-12 2023-01-12 author Piccinelli Silvia 960283 author Francon Loïc 932400 author Corona Christophe 947557 author Stoffel Markus 131626 author Slamova Lenka 935160 author Cannone Nicoletta 1023384 10.3389/fpls.2022.1023384 36714740 1664-462X PMC9879627 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.1023384/full Introduction Mean xylem vessel or tracheid area have been demonstrated to represent powerful proxies to better understand the response of woody plants to changing climatic conditions. Yet, to date, this approach has rarely been applied to shrubs. Methods Here, we developed a multidecadal, annually-resolved chronology of vessel sizes for Rhododendron ferrugineum shrubs sampled at the upper shrubline (2,550 m asl) on a north-facing, inactive rock glacier in the Italian Alps. Results and Discussion Over the 1960-1989 period, the vessel size chronology shares 64% of common variability with summer temperatures, thus confirming the potential of wood anatomical analyses on shrubs to track past climate variability in alpine environments above treeline. The strong winter precipitation signal recorded in the chronology also confirms the negative effect of long-lasting snow cover on shrub growth. By contrast, the loss of a climate-growth relation signal since the 1990s for both temperature and precipitation, significantly stronger than the one found in radial growth, contrasts with findings in other QWA studies according to which stable correlations between series of anatomical features and climatic parameters have been reported. In a context of global warming, we hypothesize that this signal loss might be induced by winter droughts, late frost, or complex relations between increasing air temperatures, permafrost degradation, and its impacts on shrub growth. We recommend future studies to validate these hypotheses on monitored rock glaciers. Alpine shrub Climate-growth relations Climatic signal loss Dendroecology Wood anatomy Dewey 550 Dewey 333.7-333.9 41 Département F.-A. Forel des sciences de l'environnement et de l'eau 153 42 Département des sciences de la Terre 154 18 Institut des sciences de l'environnement 0DB false 1394 C-CIA Climate Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene Frontiers in plant science 13 bf0ede15-a6aa-4885-b902-95efed912fbe Article (Published version) Public Article-scientifique-from-unpaywall.pdf 5794191 application/pdf CC BY openAccess Faculté des sciences / Section des sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement / Département F.-A. Forel des sciences de l'environnement et de l'eau Faculté des sciences / Section des sciences de la Terre et de l'Environnement / Département des sciences de la Terre Centres et instituts / Institut des sciences de l'environnement

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Vessels in a Rhododendron ferrugineum (L.) population do not trace temperature anymore at the alpine shrubline	Frontiers in plant science			2023	278	239

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Piccinelli, Silvia