Identifying and understanding the response of tree species to climate variability and drought events is a key challenge in addressing climate change in the Andean ecosystems of southern South America. This study aims to: (1) determine the main temporal patterns of radial growth of three Nothofagus species (N. pumilio, N. dombeyi, and N. alpina) on the northwest slope of the Choshuenco volcano, around 40 degrees S, (2) examine the relationship between radial growth and environmental variables, as well as climatic forcings, and (3) evaluate the resilience of these species across an altitudinal gradient in the Valdivian Andes. The chronologies of the three Nothofagus species were assessed using principal component analysis, correlation analysis between the chronologies and environmental variables, and resilience analysis for drought years. The Nothofagus chronologies reveal an increased common signal in radial tree growth since the 1980s. At the beginning of the growing season (November) all chronologies exhibit a negative relation with precipitation and some chronologies positive relations with mean air temperature and the 0 degrees C isotherm height. These findings suggest that the persistence of snow cover during spring may be crucial for the onset of the tree growth. Previous year hydroclimate appears to have an important role favoring tree growth, with most chronologies exhibiting positive relations with summer soil moisture, and circulation patterns forced by the Antarctic oscillation that favors wet mild and summers. The response to drought varies among species, with N. alpina notably exhibiting high resistance, recovery and resilience, likely due to its location near the southern limit of its distribution. Integrating analyses of temporal growth patterns, growth-environment variables relationships, and drought resilience enhances understanding of how Nothofagus species have responded to climatic variability in recent decades in the Valdivian Andes forests.

Information about the seasonal changes in soil enzyme activity along altitudinal gradients is key for understanding the responses of soil biochemical processes to ongoing climate change. Therefore, a 3-year in situ soil core incubation experiment was conducted along a 2431-m altitudinal gradient in an alpine-gorge region on the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, which includes dry valley shrubland, valley-mountain ecotone forest, subalpine coniferous forest, alpine coniferous forest and alpine meadow. The invertase, urease, and acid phosphatase activities in the soil organic layer (OL) and mineral layer (ML) were measured at five critical periods from 2013 to 2017. Higher soil enzyme activity was observed in the subalpine coniferous forest and alpine meadow, whereas lower activity was observed in the dry valley shrubland and valley-mountain ecotone forest. Overall, the seasonal sensitivity of soil enzyme activity decreased with increases in altitude. In the subalpine and alpine coniferous forests, the seasonal sensitivity of soil enzyme activity was significantly higher in the ML than in the OL. The key drivers of the seasonal variation in soil enzyme activity exhibited marked variation with changes in altitude, and these variations depended on the enzyme type and soil layer. Significant effects of temperature and precipitation on seasonal fluctuations in enzyme activities were observed at lower altitudes, whereas soil freeze-thaw cycles significantly affected the seasonal changes in acid phosphatase activity at higher altitudes. In addition, the seasonal variations in specific enzyme activities differed from those found for enzyme activities, which indicated that microorganisms might have mediated the effects of environmental factors on soil enzyme activity by altering the enzyme production efficiency. Briefly, the seasonal fluctuations in soil enzyme activity and their dominant drivers varied greatly among different altitudes in the alpine-gorge region, implying that soil biochemical processes will exhibit differential responses to ongoing climate change at different altitudes.