Responses of Growth to Climate and Drought in Two Sympatric Mexican Pine Species

Climate change and its ecological consequences are a highly topical concern, particularly considering the effects on forests and their capacity for growth and ability to uptake and fix carbon as wood. Exploring the influence of climate on the radial growth of sympatric tree species is important to the understanding of the impacts of climate warming on forest composition and productivity. In this study, we used dendrochronology to investigate how the growth of two sympatric pine species, Pinus leiophylla and Pinus teocote, growing in northern Mexico respond to climatic variables at inter-annual scales. In general, the response of the two species to the climatic conditions was similar. Prior humid and cold winter and current summer conditions enhanced growth, whereas warm conditions in the prior summer and late winter, related to high evapotranspiration rates, constrained growth. It is therefore necessary to focus on the response of these species to the forecasted temperature increase. Further studies could also investigate if other sympatric tree species also show similar growth responses to climate and drought.