Growth Rings, Growth Ring Formation and Age Determination in the Mangrove Rhizophora mucronata

Suppressed trees growing under the canopy of mature forests exceed the number of tall, dominant individuals by far. This paper focuses on the wood structure of suppressed trees modified by light shortage. Secondly, the growth dynamics of suppressed deciduous trees within two sites was reconstructed by internal (tree rings) and external (bud scale scars) age determination. The social status of each specimen within the natural regeneration changes with time. Suppressed plants could once have held higher-ranking positions and individuals suffering from periods of suppression are able to recover after light conditions improve. This is an important process for the long-term survival strategy of shade tolerant tree species. Wood anatomy modified by suppression provides additional information on tree growth through the following properties: low percentage of pores in earlywood, changed distribution of pores, indistinct or absent growth ring boundaries, discontinuous growth rings. The low percentage of pores in earlywood may be a means of identifying light shortage in deciduous trees.

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Growth Rings in Agathis robusta and Araucaria cunninghamii From Tropical Australia

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt9830269 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 31 (3) ◽

pp. 269 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

J Ash

Keyword(s):

Growth Rates ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Tropical Climate ◽

Ring Formation ◽

Vascular Cambium ◽

Growth Rings ◽

Radiocarbon Dates ◽

Tropical Australia ◽

Araucaria Cunninghamii ◽

Slow Growing

Agathis robusta and Araucaria cunninghamii trees growing in a seasonal tropical climate in north Queensland produce late wood during cooler and drier periods. Vascular cambium growth rates fluctuate, and slow-growing trees may temporarily have inactive cambium around parts of the trunk so no growth ring is formed. Radiocarbon dates on old Agathis trees indicate that the frequency of ring formation is less than annual.

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Dendrochronological Studies on Prosopis Flexuosa DC.

IAWA Journal ◽

10.1163/22941932-90000483 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 155-160 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

R. Villalba ◽

J. A. Boninsegna

Keyword(s):

Climatic Factors ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Age Determination ◽

Cambial Activity ◽

Vessel Diameter ◽

Ecological Studies ◽

Wood Production ◽

Growth Rings ◽

Undifferentiated Cells ◽

Prosopis Flexuosa

Wood structure and seasonal variation of the cambial activity were investigated in Prosopis flexuosa DC. in order to enable the use of this species in dendrochronological and ecological studies requiring exact age determination. Cambial activity was determined by counting the number of undifferentiated cells in each radial file. Change in vessel diameter and a terminal parenchyma band, containing rhombic crystals, mark the annual growth layer. Even though the growth rings are not always clearly demarcated, one growth ring is generally formed each year. Prosopis flexuosa has an annual rhythm of wood production which coincides with the climatic rhythm. It is possible to cross-date disk samples of Prosopis species, and a first chronology has been established. Relationships between xylem production, phenology and climatic factors are discussed.

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An assessment of the reliability of growth rings counts for age determination in the Hermann's Tortoise Testudo hermanni

Amphibia-Reptilia ◽

10.1163/1568538053693198 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 17-23 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Albert Bertolero ◽

Miguel Carretero ◽

Gustavo Llorente

Keyword(s):

Regression Analysis ◽

Age Estimation ◽

Sexual Maturity ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Linear Regression Analysis ◽

Age Determination ◽

Growth Rings ◽

Direct Observations ◽

Testudo Hermanni ◽

Ne Spain

AbstractGrowth ring counts on the shell have been widely used for age estimation in Chelonians. However, as stated by Wilson et al. (2003), most studies have applied this method without assessing its reliability by proving that 1 : 1 ratio between number of rings and real age exists. In the present study, the reliability of this method is analysed for a population of Hermann's Tortoise, Testudo hermanni introduced in the Ebro Delta (NE Spain). Age estimations were obtained from direct observations of tortoises in the field in 2000 (n = 82) together with those from photographs of the same and other individuals of the population taken between 1991 and 2001 (n= 356). A second photograph was taken at one or more years after the first one for 101 individuals. Results of Model II linear regression analysis indicated that the method was reliable only for tortoises between 0 and 7 years old, whereas tended to underestimate age for those between 8 and 11 years. Since, sexual maturity in this population is attained around 8 years (mean for both sexes), ring counts are only reliable for juveniles and subadults. Finally, it is noteworthy that the results coming for photographs were equivalent to those coming from direct observations in the field.

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Distribution of juvenile wood in two stems of Larixlaricina

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x86-181 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 16 (5) ◽

pp. 1041-1049 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

K. C. Yang ◽

C. A. Benson ◽

J. K. Wong

Keyword(s):

Juvenile Wood ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Ring Width ◽

Tree Level ◽

Growth Rings ◽

Vertical Variation ◽

Strong Negative Correlation ◽

Ring Number ◽

Tracheid Length ◽

Growth Ring Width

The distribution and vertical variation of juvenile wood was studied in an 81-year-old dominant tree and an 83-year-old suppressed tree of Larixlaricina (Du Roi) K. Koch. Two criteria, growth ring width and tracheid length, were used to demarcate the boundary of juvenile wood. The width of juvenile wood, expressed in centimetres and the number of growth rings, decreased noticeably from the base to the top of the tree. The volume of juvenile wood decreased in a similar pattern. These decreasing trends had a strong negative correlation with the year of formation of cambial initials at a given tree level. The length of these cambial initials decreased with increasing age of formation of the cambial initials. In the juvenile wood zone, there was a positive linear regression between the growth ring number (age) and the tracheid length. The slopes of these regression lines at various tree levels increased as the age of the year of formation of the cambial initials increased. At a given tree level, the length of tracheids increased from the pith to a more uniform length near the bark. However, the number of years needed to attain a more uniform tracheid length decreased from the base to the top of the tree. These relationships suggest that the formation of juvenile wood is related to the year of formation of the cambial initials. Consequently, the juvenile wood is conical in shape, tapering towards the tree top.

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Jahrringe als Indikatoren für extreme Standortsbedingungen im Gebirge: Schnee, Lawinen und Permafrost | Growth rings as indicators of extreme site conditions in the mountains: snow, avalanches and permafrost

Schweizerische Zeitschrift fur Forstwesen ◽

10.3188/szf.2004.0208 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 155 (6) ◽

pp. 208-212 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peter Bebi ◽

Alejandro Casteller ◽

Andrea Corinna Mayer ◽

Veronika Stöckli

Keyword(s):

Natural Hazards ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Extreme Conditions ◽

Site Conditions ◽

Snow Avalanches ◽

Growth Rings ◽

Survival And Growth ◽

Ring Analysis

Snow, avalanches, and permafrost are extreme site conditions for plants. Reactions and adaptations to such extreme conditions can be reconstructed with growth ring analysis and linked with corresponding climate and disturbance data. On the basis of five case studies in and around the long-term research site Stillberg, near Davos, we discuss both the potential and the limits of dendroecology to understand the effect of such extreme site conditions. Despite some uncertainties in reliably assigning plant reactions, growth ring analysis is a valuable addition to better understand the effects of extreme site conditions on the survival and growth of plants. This can lead to improved management strategies associated with natural hazards, especially in the case of avalanches.

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Chaparral growth-ring analysis as an indicator of stand biomass development

International Journal of Wildland Fire ◽

10.1071/wf16080 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 25 (10) ◽

pp. 1086 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kellie A. Uyeda ◽

Douglas A. Stow ◽

John F. O'Leary ◽

Christina Tague ◽

Philip J. Riggan

Keyword(s):

Growth Ring ◽

Basal Area ◽

Biomass Accumulation ◽

Field Measurements ◽

Solar Irradiation ◽

Annual Precipitation ◽

Total Biomass ◽

Growth Rings ◽

Close Relationship ◽

Long Time

Chaparral wildfires typically create even-aged stands of vegetation that grow quickly in the first 2 decades following a fire. Patterns of this growth are important for understanding ecosystem productivity and re-establishment success, but are logistically challenging to measure over long time periods. We tested the utility of a novel method of using shrub growth rings to estimate stand-level biomass accumulation at an annual time scale in southern California chaparral. We examined how temporal variation in precipitation and spatial variation in solar irradiation influence that accumulation. Using field measurements and a relationship between stem basal area and aboveground biomass, we estimated current biomass levels in an 11-year-old chaparral stand, and used growth-ring diameters to estimate growth in each year from age 4 to 11 years. We found that annual growth as measured by shrub growth rings tracked closely with patterns of annual precipitation, but not with time since fire. Solar irradiation was not found to be a significant covariate with total biomass by plot, possibly due to sampling area limitations. The close relationship of annual biomass accumulation with annual precipitation indicates that shrub growth-ring measurements can provide a useful metric of stand-level recovery.

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Hydraulic Conductivity in Trunk Xylem of Elm, Ulmus Americana

IAWA Journal ◽

10.1163/22941932-90000958 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 6 (4) ◽

pp. 303-307 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

George S. Ellmore ◽

Frank W. Ewers

Keyword(s):

Fluid Flow ◽

Hydraulic Conductivity ◽

Fluid Transport ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Theoretical Calculations ◽

Transport Pathway ◽

Growth Rings ◽

Ulmus Americana ◽

Xylem Transport ◽

Flow Through

The notion that most xylem transport in stems of ring-porous trees occurs in the outermost growth ring requires experimental support. Significance of this ring is challenged by workers who find tracer dyes appearing in 4 to 8 growth rings rather than in only the outermost increment. We test the hypothesis that the outermost growth ring is of overriding significance in fluid transport through stems of Ulmus, a ring-porous tree. Fluid flow through the outermost ring was quantified by removing that ring, calculating gravity flow rates (hydraulic conductivity at 10.13 kPa m-1 ), and by tracing the transport pathway through control and experimental stem segments. From measurements corroborating theoretical calculations based on Poiseuille's law, over 90% of fluid flow through the stem occurs through the outermost ring. Remaining rings combine to account for less than 10% of xylem transport. As a result of dependence upon transport in the most superficial xylem, ring-porous trees such as elm, oak, ash, and chestnut are particularly susceptible to xylem pathogens entering from the bark.

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Using growth ring formation to study growth patterns of exploited sea urchin (Loxechinus albus) populations

Fisheries Research ◽

10.1016/j.fishres.2018.01.011 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 201 ◽

pp. 88-97 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Cecilia Balboa ◽

Carlos Molinet ◽

Nancy Barahona ◽

Patricio A. Díaz ◽

Dagoberto Subiabre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sea Urchin ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Ring Formation ◽

Loxechinus Albus

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An assessment of the relationship between tree-ring counts and basal girth of high-altitude populations of Eucalyptus pauciflora (Myrtaceae)

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt09105 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 57 (7) ◽

pp. 583 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Libby Rumpff ◽

Seraphina C. Cutler ◽

Ian Thomas ◽

John W. Morgan

Keyword(s):

High Altitude ◽

National Park ◽

Linear Growth ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Tree Line ◽

Growth Rings ◽

Regression Methods ◽

Ski Resorts ◽

Non Linear ◽

The Relationship

We investigated the relationship between the number of growth rings (a surrogate for approximate age of stems) and basal girth for Eucalyptus pauciflora (Maiden & Blakely) L.A.S.Johnson & Blaxell. Using basal-girth measurements and growth-ring counts obtained from trees felled on ski slopes at three Victorian alpine ski resorts, as well as seedlings destructively sampled from near the tree line on four summits, we modelled the relationship between growth rings and basal girth by using simple linear and non-linear regression methods. We compared our data to growth-ring–basal-girth data collected from low- and high-altitude E. pauciflora woodland stands in Kosciuszko National Park. The relationship between the number of tree rings and basal girth at Victorian sites was non-linear (growth rings = 3.62 × girth0.63, R2 = 0.96). In general, the Victorian and Kosciuszko datasets were in broad agreement, although caution is required when attempting to estimate the age of trees with >115-cm girth. We suggest that the model we have developed can be combined with dendrological techniques to estimate the age of older trees accurately.

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