Spatiotemporal patterns of net primary productivity of subtropical forests in China and its response to drought

Shiyan Yin; Huaqiang Du; Fangjie Mao; Xuejian Li; Guomo Zhou; Cenhen Xu; Jiaqian Sun

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169439

Spatiotemporal patterns of net primary productivity of subtropical forests in China and its response to drought

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Feb 25:913:169439. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169439. Epub 2023 Dec 20.

Authors

Shiyan Yin¹, Huaqiang Du¹, Fangjie Mao², Xuejian Li¹, Guomo Zhou¹, Cenhen Xu¹, Jiaqian Sun¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an 311300, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an 311300, Zhejiang, China; School of Environmental and Resources Science, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an 311300, Zhejiang, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an 311300, Zhejiang, China; Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an 311300, Zhejiang, China; School of Environmental and Resources Science, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin'an 311300, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: mfangjie@gmail.com.

PMID: 38135074
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169439

Abstract

Net primary productivity (NPP) is an important indicator used to evaluate the carbon sequestration capacity of forest ecosystems. Subtropical forest ecosystems play an indispensable role in maintaining the global carbon balance, while frequently occurring drought events in recent years have seriously damaged their productivity. However, the spatiotemporal patterns of NPP, as well as its response to drought, remain uncertain. In this study, the multiscale drought characteristics in subtropical China during 1981-2015 were analyzed based on the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index. Then, simulated and analyzed the spatiotemporal NPP of subtropical forests by the boreal ecosystem productivity simulator model. Finally, the response of NPP to drought was analyzed based on multiple statistical indices. The results show that most regions in subtropical China experienced mild and moderate drought during 1981-2015. In particular, the extent of drought severity has shown a noticeable increasing trend after 2000. The forest NPP ranged from 622.64 to 1323.82 gC·m^-2·a^-1, with an overall increase rate of 16.15 gC·m^-2·a^-1; in particular, the contribution of the western forest NPP became increasingly important. Drought stress has limited the growth of subtropical forest NPP in China, with summer and wet season time scales of drought having the greatest impact on forest NPP anomalies, followed by autumn time scales. The limitation is mostly because the drought duration continually increased, leading to differences in the impact of drought on forest NPP before and after 2000, with declines of 59.55 % and 82.45 %, respectively, mainly concentrated in southwestern regions, such as Yunnan, Guangxi, and Sichuan provinces. This study quantitatively analyzed the impact of drought on subtropical forest NPP, and provides scientific basis for subtropical forest response and adaptation to climate change.

Keywords: BEPS; Drought; NPP; SPEI; Spatiotemporal patterns; Subtropical forests.

MeSH terms

China
Climate Change
Droughts*
Ecosystem*
Forests
Uncertainty