Trees in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, including giant sequoias, need sunlight, water and just the right kind of granite to grow, a new study finds.

 

Though the mountains may look like one massive granite blob, sharp boundaries mark chemical variations within the range. It turns out that even California's famed giant sequoias, the largest living trees on Earth, grow only in soil topping rocks with the right chemical composition, according to the study, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

The "Goldilocks" zone inhabited by western Sierra forests is predicted to move to higher elevations in the coming centuries, as climate change shifts California's temperature and precipitation bands. The new study suggests the trees will also march upward according to where they find the best food.

 

"As the forests move under changing climate, they will also be restricted by rock type," the study said.