Minimum wood density of conifers portrays changes in early season precipitation at dry and cold Eurasian regions

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2017-05-03Author
Camarero Martínez, Jesús Julio
Fernández-Pérez, Laura
Kirdyanov, Alexander V.
Knorre, Anastasia A.
Kukarskih, Vladimir V.
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Camarero Martínez, Jesús Julio;
Fernández-Pérez, Laura;
Kirdyanov, Alexander V.;
Shestakova, Tatiana A.;
Knorre, Anastasia A.;
Kukarskih, Vladimir V.;
Voltas Velasco, Jordi;
.
(2017)
.
Minimum wood density of conifers portrays changes in early season precipitation at dry and cold Eurasian regions.
Trees-Structure and Function, 2017, vol. 31, p. 1423-1437.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-017-1559-x.
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Show full item recordAbstract
Tracheids fulfil most wood functions in conifers
(mechanical support and water transport) and earlywood
tracheids account for most hydraulic conductivity within
the annual tree ring. Dry conditions during the early
growing season, when earlywood is formed, could lead to
the formation of narrow tracheid lumens and a dense earlywood.
Here, we assessed if there is a negative association
between minimum wood density and early growing-season
(spring) precipitation. Using dendrochronology, we studied
growth and density data at nine forest stands of three
Pinaceae species (Larix sibirica, Pinus nigra, and Pinus
sylvestris) widely distributed in three cool–dry Eurasian
regions from the forest-steppe (Russia, Mongolia) and Mediterranean (Spain) biomes. We measured for each
annual tree ring and the common 1950–2002 period the
following variables: earlywood and latewood width, and
minimum and maximum wood density. As expected, dry
early growing season (spring) conditions were associated
with low earlywood production but, most importantly, to
high minimum density in the three conifer species. The
associations between minimum density and spring precipitation
were stronger (r = -0.65) than those observed with
earlywood width (r = 0.57). We interpret the relationship
between spring water availability and high minimum density
as a drought-induced reduction in lumen diameter,
hydraulic conductivity, and growth. Consequently, forecasted
growing-season drier conditions would translate into
increased minimum wood density and reflect a reduction in
hydraulic conductivity, radial growth, and wood formation.
Given the case-study-like nature of this work, more
research on other cold–dry sites with additional conifer
species is needed to test if minimum wood density is a
robust proxy of early season water availability.