Climate as a Driver of Aboveground Biomass Density Variation: A Study of Ten Pine Species in Mexico

Abstract

The native pine species of Mexico, constituting 55% of all pine species, play a crucial economic role for local populations. Climatic factors affected by climate change, such as temperature and precipitation, influence tree physiology and distribution. Our study focused on the aboveground biomass density (AGBd) distribution of ten Mexican pine species and its correlation with bioclimatic variables. Dendrometric data were obtained from National Forest and Soil Inventory (INFyS) (period: 2009 and 2014) while data on bioclimatic variables were obtained from WorldClim2. AGBd distribution maps were generated for the ten species. Spearman and Bayesian correlations were determined between AGBd and the 19 bioclimatic variables. Six species showed a significant correlation (p < 0.05) between AGBd and bioclimatic variables. The results did not show geographical regionalization for AGBd and highlighted the complexity of responses in each species. Temperature variables showed the highest number of correlations with AGBd (76%), which varied between species. Regarding precipitation, correlations were mostly positive. In general, our findings suggest an important link between climate and AGBd, from which relevant strategies can be developed for sustainable forest management of the country’s forests in relation to expected climate change.