近日，美国加州大学 Robert Heilmayr 及其课题组成员的研究认为中生森林的干旱敏感性加剧了它们对气候变化响应的脆弱性。2023年12月8日出版的《科学》发表了这项成果。

研究分析了 122 个种的 660 万个树木年轮，以评估树木对水和能源可用性的敏感性。研究发现生长在湿润地区的树木对干旱最敏感。为了测试这些干旱敏感性模式如何影响气候变化的脆弱性，研究预测了到 2100 年的树木生长情况。

研究结果表明，干旱地区的干旱适应将部分缓冲树木对气候变化的影响。相比之下，生长在气候范围内更潮湿、更热地区的树木，在气候变化的影响下可能会受到意想不到巨大的不利影响。

据了解，气候变化正在改变全球森林的结构和功能，因此迫切需要预测哪些森林最容易受到未来更炎热、更干燥的影响。

附：英文原文

Title: Drought sensitivity in mesic forests heightens their vulnerability to climate change

Author: Robert Heilmayr, Joan Dudney, Frances C. Moore

Issue&Volume: 2023-12-08

Abstract: Climate change is shifting the structure and function of global forests, underscoring the critical need to predict which forests are most vulnerable to a hotter and drier future. We analyzed 6.6 million tree rings from 122 species to assess trees’ sensitivity to water and energy availability. We found that trees growing in wetter portions of their range exhibit the greatest drought sensitivity. To test how these patterns of drought sensitivity influence vulnerability to climate change, we predicted tree growth through 2100. Our results suggest that drought adaptations in arid regions will partially buffer trees against climate change. By contrast, trees growing in the wetter, hotter portions of their climatic range may experience unexpectedly large adverse impacts under climate change.

DOI: adi1071

Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi1071