Assessment of the dendrochronological potential of Licaria bahiana Kurz, an endemic laurel of lowland Atlantic forests in Brazil

Autor: Cláudia Fontana, Luiz Santini-Junior, Gabriela Morais Olmedo, Paulo César Botosso, Mario Tomazello-Filho, Juliano Morales Oliveira
Jazyk: angličtina
Předmět:
Zdroj: Acta Botânica Brasílica, Vol 33, Iss 3, Pp 454-464
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1677-941X
0102-3306
DOI: 10.1590/0102-33062019abb0028
Popis: ABSTRACT The Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil has been considered to have the highest number of tree species per hectare in the world. Assessing the influence of climate on tropical tree species is a priority in the face of ongoing climate change, and for which dendrochronological studies have been important. We address the dendrochronological potential of Licaria bahiana Kurz (Lauraceae), an endemic species of the Atlantic forests. We studied growth ring anatomy of L. bahiana and applied dendrochronological methods to investigate how short-term variation in climate affect its radial growth. Distinct growth rings were observed in all individuals and demarcated by darker tangential fiber zones in latewood. Trees showed high climatic sensitivity (0.48) and growth synchrony (intercorrelation r = 0.69; rbar = 0.38). Radial growth was negatively influenced by high temperatures at the beginning of the current growing season (r = -0.46) and by excessive rainfall at the end of the current growing season (r = -0.29), which are periods that correspond to the phenological reproductive phases of the species. Climate anomalies during this period may alter the tradeoff between growth and reproduction, in favor of the latter.
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