Effects of Water Deficit on the Growth of Appalachian Tree Species

Lydia R. Nicolai*, Ethan R. Cade*, Megan A. Ponczek, and Brenden E. McNeil
Department of Geology and Geography, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26505

Presentation No.: 33

Assigned Category (Presentation Format): Agricultural & Environmental Sciences (Poster Presentations)

Student’s Major: Environmental Geoscience

As climate change intensifies, it is causing species loss and declining biodiversity in Appalachian forests. Certain tree species are more susceptible to reduced growth, and even mortality as increasing temperatures and more variable precipitation cause larger water deficits. But, the relatively short time span of climate change makes it difficult to know which tree species are being most affected by altered water deficits. Therefore, we hypothesized that microclimates within ridges and valleys may produce variability in water deficits that are analogous to climate changing through time. We mapped and analyzed over 10,000 trees in the Summit Bechtel Reserve Smithsonian ForestGEO megaplot in southern West Virginia in order to test how the growth of 16 different tree species differed by modeled water deficits. In this even-aged stand, we used measurements of diameter at breast height (DBH) as a proxy for tree growth. By using geospatial software to model water deficits at each measured tree, we identified which tree species are growing faster in the wetter environments expected in the new Appalachian climate.

Funding: National Science Foundation DEB#2106080

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: Other