ABSTRACT
Predicting the effects of global change on vegetation is an important aspect of climate change research. Here the response of soils and vegetation in the Ozark Mountains to atmospheric change is evaluated through the window of tree-ring chemistry. Three examples utilizing tree-ring chemistry will be used to predict the chemical sensitivity of soils and vegetation in mountain environments, that is:
drought-induced calcium deficiency;
the serial variance of element concentrations in xylem growth increments;
and soil pH change.
The objectives of this paper are to examine the chemical sensitivity of soils and examine why soils in mountain areas may be particularly sensitive to atmospheric change. Element concentrations in radial growth increments of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) will be used to illustrate changes in the chemistry of soils and trees. The work presented here is a dendrochemical perspective based on methods and data from several related studies (Guyette and McGinnes, 1987; Guyette et al., 1989, 1991, 1992a, 1992b; Guyette and Cutter, 1994; Cutter and Guyette, 1994).