文摘
We investigated the physiological responses of Tibetan juniper (Sabina tibetica) to changes in the atmospheric CO2 concentration (C a) and climate on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau based on annual tree-ring δ13C values since 1850. Intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) increased, and the internal to ambient CO2 ratio (C i /C a) showed no significant trend from 1895 to 1974 in the study region, indicating an active response to changing C a. The long-term trends in iWUE in the naturally occurring trees were mainly caused by the anthropogenic increase in C a. However, from 1975 to 2002, iWUE increased rapidly at the study site (by 12.4?% compared with the overall mean from 1850 to 2002), which is greater than the expected increase due only to an active response to C a. Our analysis showed that decreased water availability caused by greater evaporation due to decreased precipitation and a warming growth environment from 1975 to 2002 may have reduced stomatal conductance, leading to a higher iWUE. The warming climate and increased C a accounted for 83.6?% of the variance in iWUE of Tibetan juniper on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau from 1975 to 2002.