Influence of artificial alteration of groundwater level on vessel lumen area and tree-ring width of Quercus robur

Vessel features of broadleaf trees may contain information about both spatial and temporal variations of environmental conditions. We report quantitative data about annual vessel characteristics for Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) in the Caspian forest in the Alborz Mountains, northern Iran. Time series of tree-ring width and of various vessel variables were constructed over a 50-year period for three sites along an altitudinal gradient from 1260 to 2200 m a.s.l. We evaluated the dependencies between ring width and vessel variables and estimated the influence of altitude and climate on these variables.Mean ring width and average vessel-lumen area decreased towards the high-elevation site whereas total vessel-lumen area was independent from altitude, and vessel density increased. Above-average warm summer and autumn seasons in the year prior to growth were negatively correlated with ring width and average vessel-lumen area whereas precipitation in the current June showed a positive association; vessel density responded exactly opposite to these climatic variables. Total vessel-lumen area was the only variable that reacted differently from site to site, mainly positively to temperature at 1200 m a.s.l. and negatively at 2000 and 2200 m a.s.l., whereas a consistent response to precipitation was lacking. The results indicate that vessel variables are meaningful indicators of changes in dynamics of wood formation in relation to climate along an altitudinal gradient in the Caspian mountains. As for climate reconstruction, we have to conclude that for our study area, vessel variables do not add much to information derived from ring width.

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Soil moisture as a reliable pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) radial growth driver

10.5194/egusphere-egu21-11405 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Saša Kostić ◽

Wolfgang Wagner ◽

Tom Levanič ◽

Tzvetan Zlatanov ◽

Ernest Goršić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Moisture ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Quercus Robur ◽

Mixed Model ◽

New Technologies ◽

Ring Width ◽

Correlation Technique ◽

Pedunculate Oak ◽

Tree Ring Width

New technologies, such as satellites and sensors, provide a wealth of new information about all ecosystems. In dendrochronological studies, all drought-related factors are of great importance for a more comprehensive understanding of associations between radial growth and water loss. Soil moisture directly reflects the wetness of immediate root surroundings, which is vital to the water uptake by trees. Owing to the advances in satellite observation systems and sensors, soil moisture (SM) can be remotely measured, opening new window in dendrochronological research.Using the pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) lowland SE Europe forests dataset, which count 23 stands and more than 300 tree ring width (TRW) series, we observed reliable associations between satellite-based SM and TRW. Specifically, we observed different TRW&#8722;SM patterns based on the precipitation regime. SM in the hottest months (July and August) boosted radial growth, whereas opposite results were noted in the wettest spring months oaks that growing in wetter stands. Unlike oaks from drier and wetter stands that exhibited strong response to SM, those growing on moderately wet (optimal) stands are less sensitive to SM, making these stands optimal oak surroundings.On the other hand, by applying a Generalized Additive Mixed Model (GAMM), we noted moderate&#8722;weak interactions between TRW series and smoothed SM timescales, with stronger deviations in extreme dry/wet years. Based on the TRW sensitivity to SM findings, which were interpreted via Pearson&#8217;s correlation technique and GAMM modeling, strong relations can be inferred, and SM can be labelled as reliable pedunculate oak driver.Keywords: Forestry, Remote sensing, Dendrochronology, Soil moisture, Pedunculate oak, GAMMAcknowledgments: This research was supported by the Science Fund of the Republic of Serbia, PROMIS, #6066697, TreeVita.Note: This contribution is a summary of a study by Kosti&#263; S, Wagner W, Orlovi&#263; S, Levani&#269; T, Zlatanov T, Gor&#353;i&#263; E, Kesi&#263; L, Matovi&#263; B, Tsvetanov N, Stojanovi&#263; DB. Different tree-ring width sensitivities to satellite-based soil moisture from drier, moderate and wetter pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) stands across a southeastern distribution margin (In press)

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Pointer years in tree-ring width and earlywood-vessel area time series of Quercus robur—Relation with climate factors near its northern distribution limit

Dendrochronologia ◽

10.1016/j.dendro.2012.10.001 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 31 (2) ◽

pp. 129-139 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Roberts Matisons ◽

Didzis Elferts ◽

Guntis Brūmelis

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Quercus Robur ◽

Ring Width ◽

Climate Factors ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Pointer Years ◽

Vessel Area ◽

Northern Distribution ◽

Earlywood Vessel

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Response of floodplain pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) tree-ring width and vessel anatomy to climatic trends and extreme hydroclimatic events

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2016.08.013 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 379 ◽

pp. 185-194 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Jan Tumajer ◽

Václav Treml

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Quercus Robur ◽

Ring Width ◽

Pedunculate Oak ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Climatic Trends ◽

Vessel Anatomy

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Growth, isotope records and quantitative wood anatomy reveal species-specific couplings in three Mexican conifers inhabiting drought-prone areas

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-22409 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Giovanna Battipaglia ◽

Arturo Pacheco ◽

Julio Camarero ◽

Marin Pompa-Garcia ◽

Jordi Voltas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Wall ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Species ◽

Wood Anatomy ◽

Ring Width ◽

Density Fluctuations ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

High Plasticity ◽

Lumen Area ◽

Tree Ring Width

An improvement of our understanding of how tree species will respond to warmer conditions and longer droughts requires comparing their responses across different environmental settings and considering a multi-proxy approach. We used different xylem traits (tree-ring width, formation of intra-annual density fluctuations &#8211;IADFs, wood anatomy, D13C and d18O records) to retrospectively quantify these responses in three conifers inhabiting two different drought-prone areas in northwestern Mexico. A fir species (Abies durangensis) was studied in a higher altitude and more humid site and two pine species were sampled in a nearby, drier site (Pinus engelmannii, Pinus cembroides). Tree-ring-width indices (TRWi) of all the species showed very similar year-to-year variability, likely indicating a common climatic signal throughout the whole region. Wood anatomy analyses, covering over 3.5 million measured cells, showed that P. cembroides lumen area was much smaller than in the other two species and it remained constant along all the studied period (over 64 years). Alternately, cell wall was ticker in P. engelmannii which also presented the highest amount of intra-annual density fluctuations. Climate and wood anatomy correlations pointed out that lumen area was positively affected by winter precipitation for all the species, while cell-wall thickness was negatively affected by current season precipitation in all species but P. cembroides, suggesting this taxon may be better adapted to withstand drought than its coexisting conifer with thinner cell walls resulting from wet winters. Stable isotope analysis showed in P. cembroides some of the lowest cellulose-&#916;13C mean values ever reported in the literature for a forest tree species, although there were no particular trend differences between the studied species. As well, no significant &#948;18O differences where found between the three species, but they shared a common decreasing trend. With very distinct wood anatomical traits (smaller cells, compact morphology), P. cembroides stood out as the better-adapted species in its current environment and could be less affected by future drier climate. P. engelmannii and A. durangensis showed high plasticity at wood anatomical level, allowing them to promptly respond to seasonal water availability, however this feature may provide few advantages on future climate scenarios with longer and more frequent drought spells. Further research, including xylogenesis analysis and monitoring of different populations of these tree species, would be still necessary to reach a clearer understanding of their future responses to weather patterns. Our multi-proxy approach could be used in other forests to characterize the in situ functioning of trees, e.g. growth, water use, and development of strategies for forest management under the current climate change scenarios.

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