Potential of Schinopsis lorentzii for dendrochronological studies in subtropical dry Chaco forests of South America |
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Authors: | María Eugenia Ferrero Ricardo Villalba |
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Institution: | 1. Departamento de Dendrocronología e Historia Ambiental, IANIGLA, CCT Mendoza, CONICET, Avenida Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque Gral. San Martín. CC 330, 5500, Mendoza, Argentina
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Abstract: | The lack of knowledge about species with well-delimited annual rings has hampered the development of dendrochronological records
in the subtropical Chaco region of South America. In this contribution, we present the first tree-ring chronology of Schinopsis lorentzii (Anacardiaceae), a dominant species in the semi-arid Chaco. Cross sections were collected near Las Lajitas, Salta, Argentina,
and processed following the methods commonly used in dendrochronology. Annual growth variations between radii from a single
individual and between radii from different trees were highly correlated. To determine the climatic parameters that control
radial growth, we compared annual tree-ring variations against regional temperature and precipitation records. Correlation
functions indicate that tree growth is highly influenced by spring–summer rainfall variations, which represent more than 80%
of the total annual precipitation. The chronology, which covers the interval from 1829 to 2004, provides a context for the
unprecedented increase in precipitation since the mid-1970s in the region. The climatic-sensitivity of S. lorentzii provides a unique opportunity to reconstruct precipitation variations during past centuries in the extensive semiarid regions
of subtropical South America. |
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