Contrasting radial growth and canopy recruitment patterns in Liriodendrontulipifera and Nyssasylvatica: gap-obligate versus gap-facultative tree species

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (11) ◽  
pp. 2141-2149 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Orwig ◽  
Marc D. Abrams

Radial growth patterns, canopy recruitment characteristics, and disturbance histories were examined in a shade-tolerant species, Nyssasylvatica Marsh., and a shade-intolerant species, Liriodendrontulipifera L., to determine the influence of canopy gaps in species with contrasting life histories. Tree cores of these co-occurring species were taken from three mixed-Quercus forests in northern Virginia. Most N. sylvatica individuals became established prior to 1850 and experienced multiple release and suppression periods coinciding with logging during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many L. tulipifera became established during the early 1900s following logging, and only a few individuals experienced prolonged suppression periods. Regardless of site, L. tulipifera grew faster than N. sylvatica (average radial growth >1.70 mm/year for L. tulipifera vs. <0.82 mm/year for N. sylvatica.). Liriodendrontulipifera also exhibited longer periods of mean yearly growth >2 mm (15–37 years for L. tulipifera vs. <5 years for Nsylvatica). Consecutive growth <0.5 mm/year ranged from 43 to 66 years in N. sylvatica vs. 2–11 years in L. tulipifera. Ring width patterns indicate that both species used different strategies following disturbance that enabled them to coexist in these forests. Nyssasylvatica persisted in subcanopy positions for extended periods of time but was capable of responding to release even after 170 years (i.e., gap facultative). In contrast, L. tulipifera appeared to rely on a strategy of rapid height and radial growth for canopy accession following large disturbances (i.e., gap obligate). The results of this study indicate the importance of using dendroecological techniques in the study of forest dynamics and species' growth strategies.

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1104
Author(s):  
Jožica Gričar ◽  
Andreja Vedenik ◽  
Gregor Skoberne ◽  
Polona Hafner ◽  
Peter Prislan

It is unclear how the anticipated climate change will affect the timing of phenology of different tree organs/tissues and thus the whole-tree functioning. We examined the timing of leaf phenology and secondary growth in three coexisting deciduous tree species (Quercus pubescens Willd., Fraxinus ornus L. and Ostrya carpinifolia Scop) from a sub-Mediterranean region in 2019. In addition, we investigated the relationship between leaf and cambial phenology and the onset of the potential functioning of initial conduits, as determined by the completed differentiation process (vessels) or final size (sieve tubes). For this purpose, leaf development was monitored and the microcores of cambium and the youngest phloem and xylem increments were repeatedly collected at 7–10-day intervals during the growing season. The results revealed differences in the timing of leaf development and seasonal radial growth patterns in spring among the studied tree species, depending on wood porosity. We found that cambial cell production started in all cases in the first half of March. However, in ring-porous Q. pubescens and F. ornus, radial growth in the stem occurred more than a month before buds were swollen, whereas in diffuse-porous O. carpinifolia, these two events were detected at almost the same time. The end of cambial cell production occurred earliest in F. ornus (mid-July) and two weeks later also in the other two species. The widest initial earlywood vessels and early phloem sieve tubes were found in Q. pubescens, the narrowest initial earlywood vessels in O. carpinifolia and the narrowest early phloem sieve tubes in F. ornus. This indicates differences in the efficiency of conducting systems among the studied species. This novel approach of studying phloem phenology and anatomy in relation to leaf and xylem development contributes to a better understanding of how different tree species adapt their structure of secondary vascular tissues in response to environmental change.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milagros Rodríguez-Catón ◽  
Ricardo Villalba ◽  
Ana Srur ◽  
A. Park Williams

Tree mortality is a key process in forest dynamics. Despite decades of effort to understand this process, many uncertainties remain. South American broadleaf species are particularly under-represented in global studies on mortality and forest dynamics. We sampled monospecific broadleaf Nothofagus pumilio forests in northern Patagonia to predict tree mortality based on stem growth. Live or dead conditions in N. pumilio trees can be predicted with high accuracy using growth rate as an explanatory variable in logistic models. In Paso Córdova (CO), Argentina, where the models were calibrated, the probability of death was a strong negative function of radial growth, particularly during the six years prior to death. In addition, negative growth trends during 30 to 45 years prior to death increased the accuracy of the models. The CO site was affected by an extreme drought during the summer 1978–1979, triggering negative trends in radial growth of many trees. Individuals showing below-average and persistent negative trends in radial growth are more likely to die than those showing high growth rates and positive growth trends in recent decades, indicating the key role of droughts in inducing mortality. The models calibrated at the CO site showed high verification skill by accurately predicting tree mortality at two independent sites 76 and 141 km away. Models based on relative growth rates showed the highest and most balanced accuracy for both live and dead individuals. Thus, the death of individuals across different N. pumilio sites was largely determined by the growth rate relative to the total size of the individuals. Our findings highlight episodic severe drought as a triggering mechanism for growth decline and eventual death for N. pumilio, similar to results found previously for several other species around the globe. In the coming decades, many forests globally will be exposed to more frequent and/or severe episodes of reduced warm-season soil moisture. Tree-ring studies such as this one can aid prediction of future changes in forest productivity, mortality, and composition.


2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 1093-1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georg Gratzer ◽  
Andras Darabant ◽  
Purna B Chhetri ◽  
Prem Bahadur Rai ◽  
Otto Eckmüllner

The responses of radial and height growth, plant architecture, and the probability of mortality of saplings to varying light levels were quantified for six tree species in temperate conifer forests of the Bhutan Himalayas. Increases in growth with increasing light were comparable with those of high latitude tree species but lower than those of tropical tree species and temperate species in North America. The shade-tolerant species Tsuga dumosa (D. Don.) Eichler showed the strongest increase in radial growth at low light and reached asymptotic growth early. It had the deepest crowns in low light and a low decrease of leader growth with decreasing light. It represents a continuous growth type, which invests in height rather than lateral growth under low light conditions. Betula utilis D. Don. showed greater increases in radial growth and a higher mortality at low light than the more shade-tolerant Abies densa Griff., in keeping with the trade-off between survivorship and growth at low light. Picea spinulosa Griff, Larix griffithiana Carriére, and Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jackson showed small increases in growth at low light levels. The latter two species showed no capacity to adapt their morphology in response to changing light levels, which resulted in higher probabilities of mortality at lower light levels. Differences in the probability of mortality at different light levels were more pronounced than differences in the light-growth response, underlining the importance of survivorship at low light for successional dynamics.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wuji Zheng ◽  
Xiaohua Gou ◽  
Jiajia Su ◽  
Haowen Fan ◽  
Ailing Yu ◽  
...  

Research Highlights: We compared annually resolved records of tree-ring width and stable isotope of dead and surviving Fokienia hodginsii (Dunn) Henry et Thomas trees. We provide new insights into the relationships and sensitivity of tree growth to past and current climate, and explored the underlying mechanism of drought-induced mortality in F. hodginsii. Background and Objectives: Drought-induced tree decline and mortality are increasing in many regions around the world. Despite the high number of studies that have explored drought-induced decline, species-specific responses to drought still makes it difficult to apply general responses to specific species. The endangered conifer species, Fokienia hodginsii, has experienced multiple drought-induced mortality events in recent years. Our objective was to investigate the historical and current responses to drought of this species. Materials and Methods: We used annually resolved ring-width and δ13C chronologies to investigate tree growth and stand physiological responses to climate change and elevated CO2 concentration (Ca) in both dead and living trees between 1960 and 2015. Leaf intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), Ci/Ca and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) were derived from δ13C. Results: δ13C were positively correlated with mean vapor pressure deficit and PDSI from previous October to current May, while ring widths were more sensitive to climatic conditions from previous June to September. Moreover, the relationships between iWUE, basal area increment (BAI), and Ci/Ca changed over time. From 1960s to early 1980s, BAI and iWUE maintained a constant relationship with increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration. After the mid-1980s, we observed a decrease in tree growth, increase in the frequency of missing rings, and an unprecedented increase in sensitivity of 13C and radial growth to drought, likely related to increasingly dry conditions. Conclusions: We show that the recent increase in water stress is likely the main trigger for the unprecedented decline in radial growth and spike in mortality of F. hodginsii, which may have resulted from diminished carbon fixation and water availability. Given that the drought severity and frequency in the region is expected to increase in the future, our results call for effective mitigation strategies to maintain this endangered tree species.


2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1946-1954 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qi-Bin Zhang ◽  
Richard J Hebda

Radial growth of trees in mountainous areas is subject to conditions associated with changes in elevation. We present ring-width chronologies for Douglas-fir trees (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) at nine sites spanning low to high elevations in the Bella Coola area of the central coast of British Columbia, near the northern limits of the species distribution, and investigate the variation in tree-ring growth patterns in relation to different elevations, using principal component (PC) analysis. We find that the first PC, which represents 55.6% of the total variance, reflects a common growth response at sites of different elevation. Response function analysis indicates that growing season precipitation is the major factor in controlling tree-ring growth. This factor explains more of the variance in low-elevation sites than it does in high-elevation ones. Temperature in August of the preceding year shows a negative relationship to ring-width growth. The second PC represents 16.7% of the total variance and reveals a distinct difference in growth response between low- and high-elevation sites. The length and temperature of the growing season seem to play an important role in tree-ring growth at sites of high elevation. Comparison of the Bella Coola records with those from southern Vancouver Island suggests that growing season precipitation influences growth of Douglas-fir on a macroregional scale, but other factors such as temperature modify the growth response at the limits of the distribution of the species.


1966 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 453-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. H. G. Smith ◽  
L. Heger ◽  
J. Hejjas

Widths of earlywood and latewood in each annual ring, measured on an average radius on a disk taken halfway between each branch whorl, were analyzed to define their variation in 18 Douglas-fir trees (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco). Distribution of ring width and percentage latewood also was investigated in these trees which had from 20 to 50 whorls above stump height. Multiple regression and correlation analyses showed that number of rings from pith, and its reciprocal, square, or logarithm accounted for most of the variation in radial growth. Number of rings from pith influenced thickness of both earlywood and latewood much more than the climatic differences reflected by variations in annual height growth and in widths of earlywood and latewood formed at breast height in the same calendar year. Since earlywood and latewood are distributed differently and controlled by different factors, they should be studied separately within annual rings. The statistical methods used in this study provide a simple, efficient, and comprehensive basis for thoroughly describing growth patterns, and for objectively analyzing factors that govern growth.


2013 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Szymon Bijak

Abstract I present dendroclimatological analysis of coniferous tree species growing under the same environmental conditions in the WULS-SGGW Forest Experimental Station in Rogów (51°49' N, 19°53' E, ca. 190 m a.s.l). The study focuses on silver fir, European larch, Scots pine and Douglas fir. For each species, tree-ring width and annual sensitivity chronologies were developed for the period 1931-2010. Analysed species show considerable similarity of their radial increment course (GLK up to 67%, the t-value of 3,5-9,5). The relationship obtained for of the influence of climate conditions on radial growth of these species is typical of the relationships reported from other locations in lowland Poland. Late winter and early spring temperature, especially during February-March, is the main factor affecting tree-ring formation. The general relationship demonstrates that this seasonal thermal limitation operates at an inter-regional and interspecific level in determining the growth of coniferous tree species in Poland. Whereas, the dependence of these species on precipitation is much less significant.


1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 1660-1669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory A. Reams

A number of recent studies have shown reduced individual-tree growth throughout the 1970s and early 1980s in natural loblolly pine (Pinustaeda L.) stands in the southeastern United States. This study updates radial growth trends of loblolly pine in the Virginia Coastal Plain through 1989. Ring-width series were initially grouped into two age-classes (<50 or ≥50 years) and a clustering procedure was used to identify common radial growth patterns. These data suggest that radial growth trends of loblolly pine are cyclic and support previous findings of reduced growth in the 1970s. A reversal in trend has occurred since the early 1980s with radial growth increasing since then for both old and young trees. This change to increased growth corroborates the finding of increased growth of loblolly pine identified in the most current Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) survey cycle for the Virginia Coastal Plain.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 1729-1742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Dodds ◽  
David A. Orwig

An infestation of Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) ( Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky)) was detected in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2008. The discovery of this pest, previously only seen in urban environments of North America, led to the unprecedented establishment of a 243 km2quarantine zone that included urban parks, neighborhoods, and natural forests. Because ALB behavior in forested stands is virtually unknown, two closed-canopied forested stands (Bovenzi and Delaval) infested with ALB within this zone were sampled during 2008–2010 to document stand conditions, assess ALB host selection, and determine ALB impact on tree growth. Thirty-two percent of the Acer sampled in Bovenzi were infested with ALB compared with 63% in Delaval. In Delaval where three maple host species were available, ALB was found more often in Acer rubrum L. than in Acer saccharum Marsh. or Acer platanoides L. Radial growth patterns did not differ between ALB-infested and uninfested Acer trees in Bovenzi. In contrast, ALB-infested trees in Delaval were significantly older and larger than uninfested trees and exhibited slower radial growth and ring width index patterns compared with uninfested trees. Results suggest that if left uncontrolled, ALB can readily disperse into natural forest landscapes and alter the makeup of North America’s hardwood forest region.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1015
Author(s):  
Xuan Wu ◽  
Liang Jiao ◽  
Dashi Du ◽  
Changliang Qi ◽  
Ruhong Xue

It is important to explore the responses of radial tree growth in different regions to understand growth patterns and to enhance forest management and protection with climate change. We constructed tree ring width chronologies of Picea crassifolia from different regions of the Qilian Mountains of northwest China. We used Pearson correlation and moving correlation to analyze the main climate factors limiting radial growth of trees and the temporal stability of the growth–climate relationship, while spatial correlation is the result of further testing the first two terms in space. The conclusions were as follows: (1) Radial growth had different trends, showing an increasing followed by a decreasing trend in the central region, a continuously increasing trend in the eastern region, and a gradually decreasing trend in the isolated mountain. (2) Radial tree growth in the central region and isolated mountains was constrained by drought stress, and tree growth in the central region was significantly negatively correlated with growing season temperature. Isolated mountains showed a significant negative correlation with mean minimum of growing season and a significant positive correlation with total precipitation. (3) Temporal dynamic responses of radial growth in the central region to the temperatures and SPEI (the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index) in the growing season were unstable, the isolated mountains to total precipitation was unstable, and that to SPEI was stable. The results of this study suggest that scientific management and maintenance plans of the forest ecosystem should be developed according to the response and growth patterns of the Qinghai spruce to climate change in different regions of the Qilian Mountains.


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