Climatic sensitivity of Quercus robur L. in floodplain near Kyiv under river regulation

Climate change has a significant impact on natural ecosystems, particularly on floodplain forests that are among the most transformed ecosystems in the world. The climate sensitivity of dominant species is likely to play a key role in determining the susceptibility of flooded forests to climate changes. Here, we use dendrochronological approaches and local climate records from 1880 to 2015 to assess the response in pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) trees growing in a floodplain of the Dnipro River near Kyiv to climatic variables. Correlation analysis reveals the strongest positive association of the Q. robur tree-ring width chronology with May–June precipitation, May–June temperature, and May self-calibrating Palmers drought severity indices (scPDSI). The moving-window correlation analysis points to positive association with the scPDSI after the 1950s, when local river regulation was implemented. The positive correlation with current March precipitation is the least expected change in the oak growth-to-climate relationship that occurred in the aftermath of human alterations in the local river and regional climate changes. This study discusses the probable ecological consequences and ecophysiological mechanisms of observable climate-to-growth relationships and their temporal stability