<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:contributor>Gregory T. Pederson</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Sharon M. Hood</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Richard G. Everett</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>David B. McWethy</dc:contributor>
  <dc:creator>Nicholas E. Kichas</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2023</dc:date>
  <dc:description>&lt;p class="mb15"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Introduction:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Tree defense characteristics play a crucial role in modulating conifer bark beetle interactions, and there is a growing body of literature investigating factors mediating tree growth and resin-based defenses in conifers. A subset of studies have looked at relationships between tree growth, resin duct morphology and climate; however, these studies are almost exclusively from lower-elevation, moisture-limited systems. The relationship between resin ducts and climate in higher-elevation, energy-limited ecosystems is currently poorly understood.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="mb15"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;In this study, we: (1) evaluated the relationship between biological trends in tree growth, resin duct anatomy, and climatic variability and (2) determined if tree growth and resin duct morphology of whitebark pine, a high-elevation conifer of management concern, is constrained by climate and/or regional drought conditions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="mb15"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;We found that high-elevation whitebark pine trees growing in an energy-limited system experienced increased growth and defense under warmer and regionally drier conditions, with climate variables explaining a substantive proportion of variation (∼20–31%) in tree diameter growth and resin duct anatomy.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="mb0"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Discussion:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;span&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/span&gt;Our results suggest that whitebark pine growth and defense was historically limited by short growing seasons in high-elevation environments; however, this relationship may change in the future with prolonged warming conditions.&lt;/p&gt;</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:identifier>10.3389/ffgc.2023.1089138</dc:identifier>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
  <dc:publisher>Frontiers</dc:publisher>
  <dc:title>Increased whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) growth and defense under a warmer and regionally drier climate</dc:title>
  <dc:type>article</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>