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Interannual NPP variation and trend of Picea schrenkiana forests under changing climate conditions in the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, China
Author(s) -
Sang Weiguo,
Su Hongxin
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/s11284-008-0521-1
Subject(s) - primary production , environmental science , precipitation , biome , climate change , atmospheric sciences , climatology , taiga , context (archaeology) , ecosystem , physical geography , ecology , forestry , geography , meteorology , archaeology , geology , biology
The interannual net primary production variation and trends of a Picea schrenkiana forest were investigated in the context of historical changes in climate and increased atmospheric CO 2 concentration at four sites in the Tianshan Mountain range, China. Historical changes in climate and atmospheric CO 2 concentration were used as Biome–BGC model drivers to evaluate the spatial patterns and temporal trends of net primary production (NPP). The temporal dynamics of NPP of P. schrenkiana forests were different in the western, middle and eastern sites of Tianshan, which showed substantial interannual variation. Climate changes would result in increased NPP at all study sites, but only the change in NPP in the western forest (3.186 gC m −2 year −1 , P < 0.05) was statistically significant. Our study also showed a higher increase in the air temperature, precipitation and NPP during 1987–2000 than 1961–1986. Statistical analysis indicates that changes in NPP are positively correlated with annual precipitation ( R = 0.77–0.92) but that NPP was less sensitive to changes in air temperature. According to the simulation, increases in atmospheric CO 2 increased NPP by improving the water use efficiency. The results of this study show that the Tianshan Mount boreal forest ecosystem is sensitive to historical changes in climate and increasing atmospheric CO 2 . The relative impacts of these variations on NPP interact in complex ways and are spatially variable, depending on local conditions and climate gradients.