The response of trees' radial growth to dry-season drought modified by neighborhood competition in humid Chinese subtropical forests

China's humid subtropical forests are subjected to increasing drought, especially drying dry seasons. However, how a tree's radial growth responds to drought (e.g., resistance and resilience) and the effect of individual competition and spatial patterns on the response relationship remain unclear. This study focuses on a widespread 2011 dry-season drought episode across China's subtropical area. Targeting dominant individuals of Pinus massoniana, we constructed a network of twenty-three tree ring width chronologies and tree-level competition datasets across ten latitudinal and longitudinal gradients (23.17° N ∼ 33.33° N, 108.92°E ∼ 119.27°E) and large elevation gradients (70 m-1280 m). This was done to determine tree drought resistance and resilience and their linear relationships with competition, elevation, latitude, and longitude using the dendrochronology method. We found that the 2011 dry-season drought caused a 15 % loss in trees’ radial growth. Additionally, competition from larger neighboring trees weakened drought resistance and resilience. We also found that drought resistance and resilience had a positive elevation pattern and a negative longitude pattern. Our results suggest that an appropriate thinning practice for large trees could enhance radial growth/wood production to cope with climate change. Given these findings, relevant research that considers more tree species is needed.