Spatiotemporal variations in the growth status of declining wild apple trees in a narrow valley in the western Tianshan Mountains, China

Abstract: Malus sieversii (wild apple tree), only distributed in the Tianshan Mountains in Central Asia, is a tertiary relic species and an ancestral species of cultivated apples. However, existing natural populations of wild apple trees have been declining. To date, spatiotemporal variations in the growth status of declining wild apple trees and influencing factors in the narrow valley areas in the Tianshan Mountains remain unclear. In this study, field investigation and sampling were carried out in three years (2016–2018) at four elevations (1300, 1400, 1500, and 1600 m) in the Qiaolakesai Valley (a typical longitudinal narrow valley in the Yili River Valley) of the western Tianshan Mountains in Xinyuan County, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Projective coverage, dead branch percentage, and 18 twig traits (these 20 parameters were collectively referred to as plant traits) were determined to comprehensively reflect the growth status of declining wild apple trees. The values of dead branch percentage ranged from 36% to 59%, with a mean of 40%. Year generally showed higher impact on plant traits than elevation. In 2017 and 2018, projective coverage, leaf size, leaf nitrogen concentration, and nitrogen to phosphorous ratio were markedly higher than those in 2016. However, dead branch percentage and leaf and stem phosphorous concentrations showed the opposite trend. Most of the topological parameters of plant trait networks differed in the three years, but the strength of trait–trait association increased year by year. The mean difference between day and night temperatures (MDT), annual accumulative precipitation, soil electrical conductivity, and soil pH had the greatest impact on the plant trait matrix. The growth status of declining wild apple trees was directly and positively affected by MDT and leaf size. In conclusion, the growth of declining wild apple trees distributed in the narrow valley areas was more sensitive to interannual environmental changes than elevation changes. The results are of great significance for further revealing the decline mechanism of wild apple trees in the Tianshan Mountains.