Site-specific growth responses to climate drivers of Pinus pinea L. tree rings in Italian coastal stands

Context

Six Pinus pinea stands growing under the Mediterranean type climate in Italy along the Tyrrhenian and Sardinian coasts.

Aims

To identify the main climatic factors driving variability in growth responses to contrasting climate conditions at local and regional scales using tree-ring analysis.

Methods

Common growth patterns in tree rings were explored with clustering techniques. Local and regional growth responses to climate were examined using a dendroclimatic analysis. To remove the age-dependent trend we decomposed the tree ring width data into age-bands, thereafter standardised and recombined into a single mean site chronology.

Results

The main grouping of tree ring series reflected climate-driven growth patterns, with a clear separation between stands from wetter and drier sites. The most interesting results were found at a seasonal scale and showed i) a shift of the main precipitation inputs from previous autumn-winter to current early-spring period, and ii) a bimodal pattern of sensitivity to water availability, when increasing drought conditions.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that water deficit limits P. pinea growth also during late summer months in drier sites. In view of the projected increases in the frequency and duration of summer droughts in the Mediterranean basin, detecting differences in growth responses to site-specific climate patterns may allow selection of more appropriate mitigation and conservation strategies across most of its present range.