Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Predicting boreal forest growth is hindered by limited experimental tests on the compounding effects of climate change and atmospheric CO 2 . We integrated regional tree‐ring data with a peatland warming and CO 2 manipulation experiment, including 45 trait measurements, to assess growth responses of two widespread boreal conifers, Larix laricina and Picea mariana , to temperature, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), soil moisture, and elevated CO 2 . L. laricina growth was consistently more climate‐sensitive than P. mariana , increasing strongly with soil moisture and declining slightly with VPD at the regional scale, but responding positively to VPD and temperature—not soil moisture or CO 2 —at the experimental peatland. L. laricina 's acquisitive strategy enhanced water and nutrient uptake, sustaining growth but reducing hydraulic safety. By contrast, P. mariana 's conservative strategy maintained water‐use efficiency and hydraulic resilience without compromising growth. Our results challenge projections of widespread CO 2 fertilization in boreal forests and highlight conservative conifers as potential winners under warming and drying, sustaining growth while maintaining low mortality risk. This dynamic could reshape projections of the boreal carbon sink and its role in global climate feedback.
Source: Global Change Biology
DOI: 10.1111/gcb.71157
Authors: Yanjun Song, Alexandria Pivovaroff, Mahmuda Islam, Martin P. Girardin, Alana Chin, Hervé Cochard, José M. Torres‐Ruiz, José A. Medina‐Vega, Sylvain Delzon, Xiaohan Yin, Xiao Jing Guo, Mirindi E. Dusenge, Jeffrey M. Warren, Paul J. Hanson, Peter B. Reich, Andrew D. Richardson, Lingcheng Li, Avni Malhotra, Verity G. Salmon, Nate G. McDowell
Institutions: Washington State University, Occidental College, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Canadian Forest Service, Natural Resources Canada, Cal Poly Humboldt, Université Clermont Auvergne, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Physique et Physiologie Intégratives de l'Arbre en Environnement Fluctuant, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla, ForestGEO, Université de Bordeaux, UMR BIOdiversity, GEnes & Communities, Umeå University, Australian National University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Minnesota, University of Michigan, Western Sydney University, Northern Arizona University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDGs: Climate action, Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,550
OpenAlex ID: W7223457189