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<Emphasis Type="BoldItalic">Key message</Emphasis> <p><b>Divergent shrub growth-temperature relationships were observed in adjacent shrubline sites under similar climates, demonstrating that site-specific factors such as topographic conditions modulate shrub growth sensitivity to climate warming.</b></p> Abstract <p>Alpine shrubs are expected to show enhanced growth and upslope shifts as climate keeps warming. However, climate-growth relationships are often contingent on site conditions. Herein, the climate–growth relationships of alpine <i>R. aganniphum</i> shrubs were investigated at a dry (LZ45) and a wet (GB45) site located at an elevation of above&#xa0;4500&#xa0;m on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Ring-width data were collected from 50 <i>Rhododendron</i> shrubs, and two standardized ring-width chronologies spanning 143 and 178 years were developed for LZ45 and GB45 sites, respectively. Minimum winter temperature was identified as the most significant climatic constraint of shrub radial growth at the dry site, whereas warmer summer conditions enhanced growth at the wet site. Results of linear mixed-effects models demonstrated that combining climatic and topographic factors improved the explained variance of shrub growth at both sites. A lower value of soil moisture and topographic wetness index in the dry site resulted in a lower growth confirming the importance of water shortage in that site. By synthesizing findings on alpine <i>Rhododendron</i> shrubs across several regions, this study highlights the topographical modulation of growth responses of alpine shrubs to climate change. Alpine <i>Rhododendron</i> shrubs in dry sites may be at an increasing risk of growth decline under warmer and drier future climate conditions, with negative implications for alpine ecosystems. Our study illustrates how regional climate and site conditions should be carefully accounted when studying alpine woody communities.</p>

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Contrasting growth responses of alpine Rhododendron shrubs are mediated by topography on the Tibetan Plateau

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月24日

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  • Ruixuan Li,
  • Xiang Chen,
  • Ping Ren,
  • Yafeng Wang,
  • J. Julio Camarero

摘要

Key message

Divergent shrub growth-temperature relationships were observed in adjacent shrubline sites under similar climates, demonstrating that site-specific factors such as topographic conditions modulate shrub growth sensitivity to climate warming.

Abstract

Alpine shrubs are expected to show enhanced growth and upslope shifts as climate keeps warming. However, climate-growth relationships are often contingent on site conditions. Herein, the climate–growth relationships of alpine R. aganniphum shrubs were investigated at a dry (LZ45) and a wet (GB45) site located at an elevation of above 4500 m on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Ring-width data were collected from 50 Rhododendron shrubs, and two standardized ring-width chronologies spanning 143 and 178 years were developed for LZ45 and GB45 sites, respectively. Minimum winter temperature was identified as the most significant climatic constraint of shrub radial growth at the dry site, whereas warmer summer conditions enhanced growth at the wet site. Results of linear mixed-effects models demonstrated that combining climatic and topographic factors improved the explained variance of shrub growth at both sites. A lower value of soil moisture and topographic wetness index in the dry site resulted in a lower growth confirming the importance of water shortage in that site. By synthesizing findings on alpine Rhododendron shrubs across several regions, this study highlights the topographical modulation of growth responses of alpine shrubs to climate change. Alpine Rhododendron shrubs in dry sites may be at an increasing risk of growth decline under warmer and drier future climate conditions, with negative implications for alpine ecosystems. Our study illustrates how regional climate and site conditions should be carefully accounted when studying alpine woody communities.