Recent decadal drought reverts warming‐triggered growth enhancement in contrasting climates in the southern Andes tree line

Abstract

AIMS: Rising temperature and declining summer precipitation due to the 1970s‐climate shift in southern South America have reduced forest productivity at dry sites. Here, we worked with the most widespread Southern Hemisphere tree line species, Nothofagus pumilio, across contrasting climatic conditions and determined whether rising atmospheric CO₂ concentrations as well as warmer and drier climatic conditions provoked by the 70s‐climatic shift have been causing systematic changes in tree line growth rates and intrinsic water‐use efficiency (iWUE). LOCATION: 36–54°S, southern Andes. TIME PERIOD: 1950–2010. MAJOR TAXA STUDIED: Nothofagus pumilio. METHODS: We worked at five disparate climatic tree line locations, spanning 18 degrees of latitude; at each location, we sampled trees at four different elevations, including tree line elevation. We quantified the variation in annual tree‐ring width (TRW) as a function of climate, elevation, tree age, size, annual CO₂ concentrations and location, using linear mixed‐effects models and interpreted TRW trends in relation to iWUE and isotope (δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O) signalling. RESULTS: Across locations, the patterns of tree line growth occurring in the 1980–2010 period exhibited a clear and significant negative trend, in contrast to the previous 1950–1980 period. We found an increase in iWUE and δ¹⁸O across time and locations. Given that an increase in δ¹⁸O indicates a decrease in stomatal conductance, we assert that drought‐induced stomatal closure appears to be causing the reduction in growth. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: We show unequivocal evidence that warmer and drier summer conditions translated into a decrease in growth rates along the elevational tree line of the southern Andes, reverting previous growth improvements linked to climate warming. An improvement in iWUE at all locations is most likely explained by decreased stomatal conductance given the rising δ¹⁸O signal. An iWUE–growth decoupling may act as an ecological strategy to respond to drought.