Dendrochronological analysis and growth patterns of Polylepis reticulata (Rosaceae) in the Ecuadorian Andes

ABSTRACTRelict tree species in the Andean mountains are important sources of information about climate variability and climate change. This study deals with dendroclimatology and growth patterns in Polylepis reticulata Hieron., growing at high elevation (mean of 4000 m a.s.l.) in three sites of the Ecuadorian Andes. The aims of the research were: (i) characterizing tree-ring boundaries; (ii) describing tree-ring patterns of the study sites; (iii) investigating the relationships between climate and radial tree growth; and (iv) determining the spatial correlation between seasonal climatic factors and tree-ring width of P. reticulata. Tree rings were characterized by semi-ring porosity and slight differences in fibre wall thickness between latewood and subsequent earlywood. In all sampling sites, tree rings in heartwood were more clearly visible than in sapwood. Tree-ring width was more related to temperature than to precipitation, with growth being also affected by site conditions and stand structure, as well as other local factors. No significant relationships were found between tree-ring chronologies of P. reticulata and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Vapour Pressure Deficit indices. The study highlights that there is not a clear driving climate factor for radial growth of P. reticulata. Additional research is needed to study growth dynamics of this species and the impacts of local environmental variables.

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Pointer Years in Tree-Ring Width of European Ash with Different Crown Condition and Their Relationships with Climatic Factors in Latvia

Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences Section B Natural Exact and Applied Sciences ◽

10.1515/prolas-2016-0019 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 70 (3) ◽

pp. 116-123

Author(s):

Roberts Matisons ◽

Linda Gerra Inohosa ◽

Māris Laiviņš

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Ring Width ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Limiting Factors ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Crown Condition ◽

Pointer Years ◽

European Ash

Abstract The effect of climatic factors on tree-ring width (TRW) of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) with healthy and damaged crowns growing in the central and eastern part of Latvia was assessed by dendrochronological techniques. Pointer year indices were calculated to assess the variability of TRW. Positive pointer years were more frequent than negative, similarly for damaged and healthy trees, suggesting similar limiting factors. The relationships between TRW and climatic factors differed regionally and locally. In the eastern part of Latvia, TRW was affected by temperature in spring of current and preceding years. In the central part of Latvia, weather conditions in current and preceding summer mainly affected TRW; temperature and precipitation had positive effect suggesting occurrence of water deficit, but the daily range of temperature had a negative effect. Hence, regional diversification of radial growth patterns might be expected. Some differences in sensitivity to climate were observed between the damaged and healthy trees. In the central part of Latvia, the damaged trees appeared additionally sensitive to temperature in summer. In the eastern part of Latvia, damaged trees were additionally sensitive to temperature in May. Nevertheless, some additional factors were significant for the healthy trees.

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Climatic signals in tree-ring width and stable isotopes composition of Pinus sylvestris L. Growing in the industrialized area nearby Kędzierzyn-Koźle

Geochronometria ◽

10.1515/geochr-2015-0070 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 44 (1) ◽

pp. 240-255 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Barbara Sensuła ◽

Sławomir Wilczyński

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotopes ◽

Pinus Sylvestris ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Rings ◽

Climate Changes ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Ring Width ◽

Spectrometric Analysis ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

The Impact

Abstract The main aims of these studies were dendrochronological and mass spectrometric analysis of the impact of climate on tree rings width and stable isotopes composition in pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The conifers were growing in the vicinity of chemical and nitrogen factories in Kędzierzyn-Koźle (Poland) in the period of time from 1920s to 2012 AD. The combined usage of tree ring width and isotopic composition data provides historic records of the environment changes. These data allows identifying the behavior adaptation of pine growing under pollution stress to climate changes. The incremental rhythm of the studied pine populations was not identical, probably due to their different sensitivities to some climatic factors. This study evidences that the isotopic records in tree-rings α-cellulose may be sensitive bio-indicators of the way that the components of air and water may be changed by the trees in response to the climate changes and anthropogenic effects. The water use efficiency may be strongly correlated with variability of the surface temperature that may be due to increase of CO2 emission.

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Different Wood Anatomical and Growth Responses in European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) at Three Forest Sites in Slovenia

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.669229 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Domen Arnič ◽

Jožica Gričar ◽

Jernej Jevšenak ◽

Gregor Božič ◽

Georg von Arx ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Ring Width ◽

European Beech ◽

Growing Season ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Maximum Temperature ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Vessel Area ◽

Temperature And Precipitation

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) adapts to local growing conditions to enhance its performance. In response to variations in climatic conditions, beech trees adjust leaf phenology, cambial phenology, and wood formation patterns, which result in different tree-ring widths (TRWs) and wood anatomy. Chronologies of tree ring width and vessel features [i.e., mean vessel area (MVA), vessel density (VD), and relative conductive area (RCTA)] were produced for the 1960–2016 period for three sites that differ in climatic regimes and spring leaf phenology (two early- and one late-flushing populations). These data were used to investigate long-term relationships between climatic conditions and anatomical features of four quarters of tree-rings at annual and intra-annual scales. In addition, we investigated how TRW and vessel features adjust in response to extreme weather events (i.e., summer drought). We found significant differences in TRW, VD, and RCTA among the selected sites. Precipitation and maximum temperature before and during the growing season were the most important climatic factors affecting TRW and vessel characteristics. We confirmed differences in climate-growth relationships between the selected sites, late flushing beech population at Idrija showing the least pronounced response to climate. MVA was the only vessel trait that showed no relationship with TRW or other vessel features. The relationship between MVA and climatic factors evaluated at intra-annual scale indicated that vessel area in the first quarter of tree-ring were mainly influenced by climatic conditions in the previous growing season, while vessel area in the second to fourth quarters of tree ring width was mainly influenced by maximum temperature and precipitation in the current growing season. When comparing wet and dry years, beech from all sites showed a similar response, with reduced TRW and changes in intra-annual variation in vessel area. Our findings suggest that changes in temperature and precipitation regimes as predicted by most climate change scenarios will affect tree-ring increments and wood structure in beech, yet the response between sites or populations may differ.

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Climatic factors controlling reproduction and growth of Norway spruce in southern Norway

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x01-192 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 217-225 ◽

Cited By ~ 89

Author(s):

Vidar Selås ◽

Gianluca Piovesan ◽

Jonathan M Adams ◽

Mauro Bernabei

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Seed Production ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Statistical Significance ◽

Ring Width ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Late Spring Frost ◽

Southern Norway ◽

June July

Time series of seed production and tree-ring width of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in southern Norway were analysed for their relationship to various climatic factors occurring during "key" stages, which a priori might be expected to show a strong climate response. The following factors combined in a multiple linear regression model were found to predict seed production (based on withheld data points) with considerable accuracy, at high levels of statistical significance: JuneJuly mean temperature and August lowest temperature in the previous year, late spring frost and JuneJuly precipitation of the last 2 years, and JanuaryFebruary lowest temperature in the current year. Tree ring width was negatively correlated with the seed production index of the current year and the lowest July temperature in the previous year and positively correlated with June-July precipitation in the current year. It is suggested that habitat constraints for seedling establishment should also be considered in a more general life-history cost theory to explain masting behaviour in forest trees.

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The influence of climatic factors on tree-ring width of Siberian larch in the upper basin of Irtysh river

Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University Earth Sciences ◽

10.21638/spbu07.2019.402 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

pp. 530-544

Author(s):

Mariia V. Andreeva ◽

◽

Dongliang Zhang ◽

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Ring Width ◽

Siberian Larch ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Irtysh River

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Relation of tree-ring width and earlywood vessel size of alien Quercus rubra L. with climatic factors in Latvia

Silva Fennica ◽

10.14214/sf.1391 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 49 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Roberts Matisons ◽

Jānis Jansons ◽

Juris Katrevičs ◽

Āris Jansons

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Quercus Rubra ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Ring Width ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Vessel Size ◽

Earlywood Vessel

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A Method for Reconstructing the Past Soil Temperature Based on Tree-Ring Widths

Forest Science ◽

10.1093/forsci/fxaa001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (4) ◽

pp. 393-402

Author(s):

Shuai Yuan ◽

Yonghong Zheng ◽

Yongdong Qi ◽

Fanxi Kong ◽

Dan Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soil Temperature ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Ring Width ◽

Reconstruction Method ◽

Dabie Mountains ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Soil Temperatures ◽

High Elevations

Abstract Soil temperature can affect tree growth and is one of the most important types of basic data for forest cultivation and management. To obtain a long-term time series of soil temperatures, we explored the utility of dendroclimatology in a subtropical area of China. In this study, the relations between tree-ring-width chronologies and climate factors were explored by correlation analysis. The results indicated that the limiting climatic factors for the radial growth of Huangshan pine were elevation-specific. Further investigation found that chronology at high elevations was significantly correlated with soil temperature. Then, we described a reconstruction of the soil temperatures of the Dabie Mountains area using the tree-ring width chronology from 1869 to 2015 and showed that the reconstruction explained 42.9 percent of the instrumental soil temperature variation in the common years. We found that the 1970s and 2000s were the coldest and warmest decades since 1884, respectively. The results of the reconstruction method for describing past soil temperatures can provide a reference for other subtropical forests. Furthermore, the results of our research also have a certain significance for guiding policymaking related to forest cultivation and management.

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On the ‘Divergence Problem’ in the Alatau Mountains, Central Asia: A Study of the Responses of Schrenk Spruce Tree-Ring Width to Climate under the Recent Warming and Wetting Trend

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos10080473 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 473 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Zhang ◽

Jiang ◽

Bagila ◽

Ainur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central Asia ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Tree Species ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Ring Width ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Recent Warming ◽

Divergence Problem ◽

The Stability

The divergence problem, which manifests as an unstable response relationship between tree-ring growth and climatic factors under the background of global warming, poses a challenge to both the traditional theory of dendroclimatology and the reliability of climatic reconstructions based on tree-ring data. Although Schrenk spruce, as the dominant tree species in the Tianshan Mountains, is frequently applied in the dendrochronological studies, the understanding of the divergence problem of this tree species is still limited. This study conducted correlation analysis between climatic factors and tree-ring width chronologies from 51 living and healthy specimens of Schrenk spruce at sites of high and low elevation in the Alatau Mountains to determine the stability of the response. The results revealed that the tree-ring width of the spruce specimens was correlated positively with precipitation and correlated negatively with temperature. Although the variations of the two tree-ring chronologies were similar, the radial growth of the spruce at the low elevation was found more sensitive to climatic factors. Furthermore, the sensitivity of tree growth to climate demonstrated an obvious increase after an abrupt change of climate under the background of the recent warming and wetting trend. Increased drought stress, calculated based on climatic data, was regarded as the main reason for this phenomenon. The results supply the gap of the stability of climatic response of tree growth in Central Asia to some extent.

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Dendroclimatology and Dendroecology

Quaternary Research ◽

10.1016/0033-5894(71)90057-3 ◽

1971 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

pp. 419-449 ◽

Cited By ~ 101

Author(s):

Harold C. Fritts

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Rings ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Physiological Activity ◽

Ring Width ◽

Growing Season ◽

Dry Matter Accumulation ◽

New Developments ◽

Cambial Age ◽

Tree Ring Data

Dendrochronology is the science of dating annual growth layers (rings) in woody plants. Two related subdisciplines are dendroclimatology and dendroecology. The former uses the information in dated rings to study problems of present and past climates, while the latter deals with changes in the local environment rather than regional climate.Successful applications of dendroclimatology and dendroecology depend upon careful stratification. Ring-width samples are selected from trees on limiting sites, where widths of growth layers vary greatly from one year to the next (sensitivity) and autocorrelation of the widths is not high. Rings also must be cross-dated and sufficiently replicated to provide precise dating. This selection and dating assures that the climatic information common to all trees, which is analogous to the “signal”, is large and properly placed in time. The random error or nonclimatic variations in growth, among trees, is analogous to “noise” and is reduced when ring-width indices are averaged for many trees.Some basic facts about the growth are presented along with a discussion of important physiological processes operating throughout the roots, stems, and leaves. Certain gradients associated with tree height, cambial age, and physiological activity control the size of the growth layers as they vary throughout the tree. These biological gradients interact with environmental variables and complicate the task of modeling the relationships linking growth with environment.Biological models are described for the relationships between variations in ring widths from conifers on arid sites, and variations in temperature and precpitation. These climatic factors may influence the tree at any time in the year. Conditions preceding the growing season sometimes have a greater influence on ring width than conditions during the growing season, and the relative effects of these factors on growth vary with latitude, altitude, and differences in factors of the site. The effects of some climatic factors on growth are negligible during certain times of the year, but important at other times. Climatic factors are sometimes directly related to growth and at other times are inversely related to growth. Statistical methods are described for ascertaining these differences in the climatic response of trees from different sites.A practical example is given of a tree-ring study and the mechanics are described for stratification and selection of tree-ring materials, for laboratory preparation, for cross-dating, and for computer processing. Several methods for calibration of the ring-width data with climatic variation are described. The most recent is multivariate analysis, which allows simultaneous calibration of a variety of tree-ring data representing different sites with a number of variables of climate.Several examples of applications of tree-ring analysis to problems of environment and climate are described. One is a specification from tree rings of anomalies in atmosphere circulation for a portion of the Northern Hemisphere since 1700 A.D. Another example treats and specifies past conditions in terms of conditional probabilities. Other methods of comparing present climate with past climate are described along with new developments in reconstructing past hydrologic conditions from tree rings.Tree-ring studies will be applied in the future to problems of temperate and mesic environments, and to problems of physiological, genetic, and anatomical variations within and among trees. New developments in the use of X-ray techniques will facilitate the measurement and study of cell size and cell density. Tree rings are an important source of information on productivity and dry-matter accumulation at various sites. Some tree-ring studies will deal with environmental pollution. Statistical developments will improve estimation of certain past anomalies in weather factors and the reconstructtion of atmosphere circulation associated with climate variability and change. Such information should improve chances for measuring and assessing the possibility of inadvertent modification of climate by man.

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