Mechanisms of species range shift: germination and early survival of Great Basin bristlecone pine and limber pine

Aims To examine the potential mechanistic predictors of germination and first-year survival in two species of Great Basin sub-alpine trees along an elevation gradient on three soil types. Methods Using a network of experimental gardens, we sowed limber pine and Great Basin bristlecone pine along ele...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant and soil Vol. 457; no. 1-2; pp. 167 - 183
Main Authors: Smithers, Brian V., North, Malcolm P.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.12.2020
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
altitude
Analysis
basins
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Bristlecone pine
Climatic changes
Ecology
Environmental aspects
Germination
Growth
Life Sciences
Moisture content
Pinus flexilis
Pinus longaeva
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
Precipitation
Precipitation (Meteorology)
rain
Regular Article
Snowpack
Soil moisture
Soil Science & Conservation
Soil temperature
Soil types
Soil water
soil water content
Soils
Species
Substrates
Survival
temperature
Temperature measurement
Trees
Water availability
Water content
California
Great Basin
Treeline
Sub-alpine forest
Great Basin
Recruitment
ISSN:0032-079X, 1573-5036
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Aims To examine the potential mechanistic predictors of germination and first-year survival in two species of Great Basin sub-alpine trees along an elevation gradient on three soil types. Methods Using a network of experimental gardens, we sowed limber pine and Great Basin bristlecone pine along elevational gradients at three sites on three different soil types. We collected germination and first-year survival data of each species while measuring temperature, soil water content, and other environmental variables to examine the potential predictors of first-year survival in these two species. Results Thanks to consecutive anomalously wet and dry years, we found germination and first-year survival to be largely limited by soil type, soil water content, and precipitation timing. Limber pine germination and survival showed weak negative responses while bristlecone pine germination and survival showed stronger negative responses to temperature. Conclusions Young trees are more sensitive to water limitation than to temperature and soil type has a strong moderating effect on water availability. Precipitation timing affected this availability with winter snowpack being less important in establishment than summer monsoonal rain. These results point to the importance of substrate and understanding limitations on all life stages when attempting to predict species range shifts.
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ISSN:0032-079X
1573-5036
DOI:10.1007/s11104-020-04732-9