Peking University-led study reveals water traits determine mountain tree shifts
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A new study from Peking University and an international team shows that hydraulic traits, not just temperature, drive some mountain trees upslope and others downslope. The analysis, based on 121,000 tree-ring records from 3,057 forest sites, upends the long-held assumption that all species shift upward with global warming.
Contrasting Water Strategies
Species with highly efficient water transport systems are more sensitive to warming and shift upslope more rapidly. In contrast, species with traits conferring stronger drought protection often expand downslope. These opposing patterns emerged from integration of tree-ring records of 45 species, climate-growth data, and global elevational range shifts for 102 mountain species.
Limited Role of Warming Rate
Local warming rate alone failed to explain the speed or direction of range shifts. Instead, differences in species' hydraulic characteristics were far stronger predictors. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, suggest that physiological traits must be central to forest response models.
Shrinking High-Elevation Refuges
As climate-sensitive species move upslope, available mountain habitat shrinks, potentially concentrating them in crowded summit refuges. This dynamic could intensify competition and elevate extinction risks, researchers warn. The study underscores that mountain forests are reorganizing in complex, non-uniform ways.
What's Next
The research team plans to incorporate hydraulic traits into dynamic vegetation models to improve future forest distribution forecasts. It remains unclear whether conservation strategies can adapt fast enough to protect biodiversity in shrinking high-elevation habitats.
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Peking University-led study reveals water traits determine mountain tree shifts
