Dalmonech et al. (2026) “Decadal climate-driven decoupling between gross primary productivity and tree growth in Mediterranean forests”

⚠️ Warning: This summary was generated from the abstract only, as the full text was not available.

Identification

• Journal: bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-02-24
• Authors: Daniela Dalmonech, Elia Vangi, Dannell Quesada Chacon, Alessio Collalti
• DOI: 10.64898/2026.02.23.707372

Research Groups

Not specified in the provided text.

Short Summary

This study utilizes a process-based forest ecosystem model to demonstrate that summer photosynthesis (GPP) and radial tree growth can diverge in Mediterranean forests, suggesting that canopy greening may mask underlying structural vulnerability.

Objective

• To investigate the long-term relationship between gross primary productivity (GPP) and radial tree growth at a regional scale in Mediterranean forests to identify early warning signs of forest vulnerability.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Approximately 2,400 km² of Mediterranean forests in southern Italy.
• Temporal Scale: The last two decades.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Mechanistic, process-based forest ecosystem model (tracing carbon fluxes from GPP through allocation to growth).
• Data sources: Remote sensing and climate variability data.

Main Results

• Identified an emergent spatial pattern of divergence between summer GPP and radial tree growth.
• This divergence is amplified by climate variability over the last 20 years and is influenced by forest legacy.
• Canopy-level greening can mask structural vulnerability and "previsual decline" in Mediterranean forests.
• Long-term declines in summer photosynthesis do not necessarily translate to a corresponding decline in tree growth.

Contributions

• Highlights the limitation of using remote sensing vegetation activity as a sole proxy for forest health, revealing that photosynthetic activity can decouple from actual biomass growth, which is critical for anticipating tipping points in forest resilience.

Funding

Not specified in the provided text.

Citation

@article{Dalmonech2026Decadal,
  author = {Dalmonech, Daniela and Vangi, Elia and Chacon, Dannell Quesada and Collalti, Alessio},
  title = {“Decadal climate-driven decoupling between gross primary productivity and tree growth in Mediterranean forests”},
  journal = {bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.64898/2026.02.23.707372},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.23.707372}
}