caa a22 4500 467885575 CHVBK 20180406152733.0 cr unu---uuuuu 170328e20060401xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s10021-005-0126-2 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s10021-005-0126-2 Drought as an Inciting Mortality Factor in Scots Pine Stands of the Valais, Switzerland [Elektronische Daten] [Christof Bigler, Otto Bräker, Harald Bugmann, Matthias Dobbertin, Andreas Rigling] During the 20th century, high mortality rates of Scots pine (Pinus silvestris L.) have been observed over large areas in the Rhône valley (Valais, Switzerland) and in other dry valleys of the European Alps. In this study, we evaluated drought as a possible inciting factor of Scots pine decline in the Valais. Averaged tree-ring widths, standardized tree-ring series, and estimated annual mortality risks were related to a drought index. Correlations between drought indices and standardized tree-ring series from 11 sites showed a moderate association. Several drought years and drought periods could be detected since 1864 that coincided with decreased growth. Although single, extreme drought years had generally a short-term, reversible effect on tree growth, multi-year drought initiated prolonged growth decreases that increased a tree's long-term risk of death. Tree death occurred generally several years or even decades after the drought. In conclusion, drought has a limiting effect on tree growth and acts as a bottleneck event in triggering Scots pine decline in the Valais. Springer Science+Business Media, Inc., 2006 drought nationallicence tree mortality nationallicence Scots pine ( Pinus silvestris L.) nationallicence air pollution nationallicence mortality risk nationallicence statistical models nationallicence tree rings nationallicence climate nationallicence competition nationallicence Bigler Christof Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), ETH-Zentrum, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland aut Bräker Otto Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland aut Bugmann Harald Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), ETH-Zentrum, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland aut Dobbertin Matthias Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland aut Rigling Andreas Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland aut Ecosystems Springer-Verlag; www.springer-ny.com 9/3(2006-04-01), 330-343 1432-9840 9:3<330 2006 9 10021 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-005-0126-2 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-005-0126-2 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Bigler Christof Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), ETH-Zentrum, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Bräker Otto Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Bugmann Harald Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), ETH-Zentrum, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Dobbertin Matthias Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Rigling Andreas Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Ecosystems Springer-Verlag; www.springer-ny.com 9/3(2006-04-01), 330-343 1432-9840 9:3<330 2006 9 10021 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer