Delta blue intensity vs. maximum density: A case study using Pinus uncinata in the Pyrenees

We explore the potential of the delta blue intensity (DBI) parameter as a proxy of past summer temperatures using a well replicated (85 trees) chronology of Pinus uncinata from upper treeline in the Spanish Pyrenees. Principal component analysis, correlation response function analysis and Superposed Epoch Analysis show definitively that the DBI data are indistinguishable to other MXD datasets in the region and that DBI expresses a similarly “pure” time-stable climate signal as MXD when compared to their RW counterparts. Calibration r² values > 0.5 are attainable depending on period used. The signal strength of DBI data is weaker than MXD and behave more like RW data with ca. 19 trees being needed to attain an EPS value > 0.85. However, as the generation of DBI data is cheaper than MXD, this limitation is not deemed to be a serious issue. This pilot study suggests that robust reconstructions of past summer temperatures could be gained using DBI data at a much-reduced cost than relying on MXD. Future dendroclimatic efforts in the region therefore should focus on the measurement of this parameter and the expansion of the pinus ring-density network.     

A Pinus cembra L. tree-ring record for late spring to late summer temperature in the Rhaetian Alps,Italy

Ongoing climate change strongly affects high-elevation environments in the European Alps, influencing the cryosphere and the biosphere and causing widespread retreat of glaciers and changes in biomes. Nevertheless, high-elevation areas often lack long meteorological series, and global datasets cannot represent local variations well. Thus, proxy data, such as tree rings, provide information on past climatic variations from these remote sites. Although maximum latewood density (MXD) chronologies provide better temperature information than those based on tree-ring width (TRW), MXD series from the European Alps are lacking. To derive high-quality temperature information for the Rhaetian Alps, Pinus cembra L. trees sampled at approximately 2000 m a.s.l. were used to build one MXD chronology spanning from 1647 to 2015. The MXD data were significantly and highly correlated with seasonal May-September mean temperatures. The MXD chronology showed a generally positive trend since the middle of the 19^th century, interrupted by short phases of climatic deterioration in the beginning of the 20^th century and in the 1970s, conforming with the temperature trends. Our results underline the potential for using Pinus cembra L. MXD to reconstruct mean temperature variations, especially during the onset and latter part of the growing season, providing additional information on parts of the growing season not inferred from TRW. Future studies on MXD for this species will increase the availability of temporal and spatial data, allowing detailed climate reconstructions.     

Detection and evaluation of an early divergence problem in northern Fennoscandian tree‐ring data

Although not yet fully understood, reduced sensitivity of tree growth to temperature at high northern latitudes during the last ? 40 years is often linked to concurrent anthropogenic changes of atmospheric composition and global warming. The idea that a temporal localization of the problem could improve its understanding initiated a search for erratic growth‐patterns in earlier periods of high quality dendrochronological archives. An extensive network of maximum latewood density (MXD) measurements from northern Fennoscandia likely represents one of the most reliable regional summer‐temperature reconstructions. The strong coherence between proxy and instrumental data is, however, interrupted by a short, but significant correlation decrease from ? 1900 till 1925, a period of distinct summer‐temperature warming. Here we analyze this early 20th century divergence period (EDP). We therefore use long instrumental station records and tree‐ring density chronologies including 878 Pinus sylvestris and 126 Picea abies samples. Our results indicate that EDP was accompanied by a simultaneous decline of inter‐site and inter‐station correlations. This could be ascribed to substantially reduced inter‐annual summer temperature variability from 1905–1919. Stable correlations of the MXD network with high‐pass filtered sea level pressure and precipitation records imply tree‐growth to be additionally controlled by other factors, e.g. light conditions, in periods of low summer temperature variability. Within the scope of this study, the causes for EDP could be confined to a limited area and a short period. Calibration of proxy data and reconstruction skills thus remain unaffected in this case of divergence.     

Separating the climatic signal from tree-ring width and maximum latewood density records

We propose a technique for separating the climatic signal which is contained in two tree-ring parameters widely used in dendroclimatology. The method is based on the removal of the relationship between tree-ring width (TRW) and maximum latewood density (MXD) observed for narrow tree rings from high latitudes. The new technique is tested on data from three larch stands located along the northern timberline in Eurasia. Correlations were calculated between the temperatures of pentads (five consecutive days), TRW chronologies and MXD chronologies calculated according to the standard and proposed methods. The analysis confirms the great importance of summer temperature for tree radial growth and tree-ring formation. TRW is positively correlated with the temperature of four to eight pentads (depending on the region) at the beginning of the growth season, but MXD as obtained by the standard technique is correlated with temperature over a much longer period. For maximum density series from which the relationship between MXD and TRW has been removed (MXD′), there is a clear correlation with temperatures in the second part of the growing season. These results are consistent with the known dynamics of tree-ring growth in high latitudes and mechanisms of tree-ring formation.     

Dendroclimatic potential of dendroanatomy in temperature-sensitive Pinus sylvestris

The most frequently and successfully used tree-ring parameters for the study of temperature variations are ring width and maximum latewood density (MXD). MXD is preferred over ring width due to a more prominent association with temperature. In this study we explore the dendroclimate potential of dendroanatomy based on the first truly well replicated dataset. Twenty-nine mature living Pinus sylvestris trees were sampled in North-eastern Finland at the cool and moist boreal forest zone, close to the latitudinal tree line, where ring width, X-ray MXD as well as the blue intensity counterpart MXBI were compared with dendroanatomical parameters. Maximum radial cell wall thickness as well as anatomical MXD and latewood density appeared to be the most promising parameters for temperature reconstruction. In fact, these parameters compare favorably to MXD derived from X-ray techniques as well as MXBI, in terms of shared variation and temperature correlations across frequencies and over time. The reasons for these results are thought to be the unprecedentedly high measurement resolution of the anatomical technique, which provide the optimal resolution – the cell – whereas X-ray techniques have a slightly lower resolution and BI techniques even lower. While the results of this study are encouraging, further tests on longer and multigenerational chronologies are required to more generally and fully assess the dendroclimate potential of anatomical parameters.     

Blue intensity for dendroclimatology: Should we have the blues? Experiments from Scotland

Blue intensity (BI) has the potential to provide information on past summer temperatures of a similar quality to maximum latewood density (MXD), but at a substantially reduced cost. This paper provides a methodological guide to the generation of BI data using a new and affordable BI measurement system; CooRecorder. Focussing on four sites in the Scottish Highlands from a wider network of 42 sites developed for the Scottish Pine Project, BI and MXD data from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were used to facilitate a direct comparison between these parameters. A series of experiments aimed at identifying and addressing the limitations of BI suggest that while some potential limitations exist, these can be minimised by adhering to appropriate BI generation protocols. The comparison of BI data produced using different resin-extraction methods (acetone vs. ethanol) and measurement systems (CooRecorder vs. WinDendro) indicates that comparable results can be achieved. Using samples from the same trees, a comparison of both BI and MXD with instrumental climate data revealed that overall, BI performs as well as, if not better than, MXD in reconstructing past summer temperatures (BI r² = 0.38–0.46; MXD r² = 0.34–0.35). Although reconstructions developed using BI and MXD data appeared equally robust, BI chronologies were more sensitive to the choice of detrending method due to differences in the relative trends of non-detrended raw BI and MXD data. This observation suggests that the heartwood–sapwood colour difference is not entirely removed using either acetone or ethanol chemical treatment, which may ultimately pose a potential limitation for extracting centennial and longer timescale information when using BI data from tree species that exhibit a distinct heartwood–sapwood colour difference. Additional research is required in order to develop new methods to overcome this potential limitation. However, the ease with which BI data can be produced should help justify and recognise the role of this parameter as a potential alternative to MXD, particularly when MXD generation may be impractical or unfeasible for financial or other reasons.     

Evidence that the Montseny Mountains are still a good climatic refugium for the southernmost silver fir forest on the Iberian Peninsula

Many European temperate tree species reach their southern distribution limits in the Mediterranean region, and ongoing climate change will further restrict their climatic niche in this area. In this study, we investigated the effects of forest management and climate change on tree growth and the spatial extension of a silver fir forest (Abies alba Mill.) located at the species’ southern distribution limit on the Iberian Peninsula (Montseny Mountains Natural Park, Spain). Different growth variables such as tree-ring width (RW), basal area increment (BAI), earlywood width (EwW) and latewood width (LwW) were assessed, and climate-growth relationships were established for the period 1914–2010.Our results revealed that the main growth reductions and releases in the raw tree-ring width series were related to both volcanic activity and intensive logging. Since the establishment of the Natural Park in 1977, RW series have levelled off, and this has translated into an increase in BAI. This positive performance may have also facilitated the spatial expansion of the stand. Low precipitation during spring and summer was found to be the most limiting factor for tree growth during the period 1914–2010. Temperature had only a minor influence on tree growth. LwW was the growth variable most sensitive to climatic conditions. Such sensitivity explained the decreasing LwW trend since 1975. In contrast, EwW mostly depended on the previous year’s climatic conditions, and was not climatically limited during the growing season, resulting in an increasing trend over the study period. However, the temporal instability of most of these climate-growth relations indicated that climate change might have been beneficial for tree performance. Past logging events have fostered tree growth in the stand due to the increase in the availability of water, light, and nutrients, potentially alleviating the negative impacts of climate change. Furthermore, it is possible that the increase in the EwW improved water transport in the silver firs, which may also have helped them to endure ongoing climate change. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the role of forest management, as well as the potential acclimation of the tree species when considering the effects of climate change.     

Tree ring width and wood density as the indicators of climatic factors and insect outbreaks affecting spruce growth

Tree ring width (TRW), maximum (MXD), mean (MED) and minimum (MID) wood density were investigated in samples from the vicinity of the Tuchola Forest Biosphere Reserve (Northern Poland) in an attempt to distinguish the relative importance of climate and insect attack on the growth of Norway spruce. Selected climate parameters were used for a multiple regression to predict tree-ring width during insect outbreaks. This also used AICc for model selection. Additionally, k-means clustering was then used to group the yearly data of TRW, MXD, MID and the data of insect outbreaks. The respective climate data and data on insect outbreaks during the years 1962–1996 revealed a strong influence of May precipitation on TRW and insect outbreaks on MID. Missing tree rings or narrow rings and lower MXD together with higher MID might indicate increased insect activity.     

Wood density as a proxy of drought-induced forest dieback in silver fir

Drought-induced dieback is a matter of global concern. It has been widely reported and could compromise the climate warming mitigation potential of forests. That is why we need reliable early-warning proxies to achieve better forecasts of forest dieback and tree death. Tree-ring data can provide some of these needed proxies. Here I propose considering minimum (MND) and maximum (MXD) wood density values as proxies of tree vulnerability against drought. This hypothesis is evaluated in silver fir (Abies alba) forests from the western Spanish Pyrenees showing ongoing dieback processes after the severe 1985 drought. MXD increased in response to warm summer conditions in 1985 whereas MND increased in response to growing-season water deficit in 1986. The average between prior MXD (MXD_t-1) and subsequent MND (MND_t) could be used to detect severe drought impacts and forecast dieback.     

Establishment of a 4650-year-long eigenvalue chronology based on tree-ring cores from Qilian junipers (Juniperus przewalskii Kom.) in Western China

This paper describes a tree-ring width chronology that spans the past 4650 years, established using the recently developed eigenanalysis technique. The aim is to show whether this eigenanalysis method enables the extraction of long-term tree-growth variations that are due to climatic changes, from a large dataset comprising 1263 tree-ring width records sampled from the highlands of Western China. In order to exclude the so-called growth rate/life span association effect, tree-ring width records were sorted into six subsets, based on the life spans of the trees sampled: 200–400, 400–600, 600–800, 800–1000, 1000–1500 years old, and trees older than 1500 years. Some partial chronologies were created, by pairing the set of all tree samples (living, dead, archaeological remains) with the living trees belonging to each subset. We computed the contours of tree-growth variations (on both 100-year and longer time scales) for each subset, ending with six pairs of these partial subset chronologies. Two sums of all these partial chronologies thus yielded a record of precipitation variations over a period ranging from 2627 BCE up to 2012 CE. It was found that this record shows a high degree of similarity to the existing chronology produced using the regional curve standardization (RCS) method applied to the same dataset, indicating that the eigenvalue chronology is capable of faithfully extracting long-term climatic variations. This also confirms that the first eigenvector represents the growth pattern that is characteristic of each biologically unique tree as well as the micro-environment of each tree stand. The variations observed over the last millennium seem to be connected to a cycle of solar activity with a period of ∼200 years. However, a clear lack of correspondence between solar activity and tree growth prior to 1000 CE indicates that the recent consistency may be coincidental. We believe that the eigenanalysis technique is readily applicable to other kinds of tree-ring datasets from different parts of the world.     

Stationarity of climate-growth response is only marginally influenced by the soil moisture regime in Western Siberia

Stationary (time-stable) relationships between a tree-ring proxy and climatic drivers are a prerequisite for using tree rings as paleo-climatological archives, but non-stationarity has been detected worldwide. Here we use a classical, temperature-sensitive treeline site in Western Siberia to specifically test the influence of micro-site conditions (wet versus dry) on the stationarity of climate-growth relationships in three co-existing conifer species: Larix sibirica Ledeb., Picea obovata Ledeb., and Pinus sibirica DuTour. We test two commonly used tree-ring proxies, annual tree-ring width (TRW) and maximum latewood density (MXD), using moving windows and the bootstrapped transfer function stability test (BTFS). Summer temperature is the main driver of tree growth in all three species, but non-stationarities exist in all species and both tree-ring proxies. For TRW, we found stationarity only for larch from both micro-sites, while for MXD, we found stationarity for spruce from both micro-sites, and for pine from the wet micro-site. Micro-site variability did not seem to affect stationarity in any systematic way. We highlight the necessity to systematically test the influence of different methods of stationarity tests, since BTFS was more sensitive than moving-window analysis. Taken together, our results underscore the importance of testing the assumption of stationarity for diverse micro-sites, different species and proxies at all sites prior to any tree-ring based temperature reconstruction, since even within one site results can be drastically different.     

Ring width and vessel features of the mangrove Excoecaria agallocha L. depend on salinity in the Sundarbans,Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Sundarbans is the largest continuous mangrove in the world that providing crucial environmental services, particularly related to coastal protection and livelihoods of millions of people. However, anthropogenic disturbances, diseases infestation and environmental changes including sea level rise (SLR) and fresh-water flux into the delta are threatening the Sundarbans and other mangrove ecosystems worldwide. Protection of mangrove ecosystems requires knowledge on factors that mainly drive growth and vitality of tree species to evaluate which consequences can be expected from, mainly hydrology-related, environmental changes. In this study, we assessed the nature and periodicity of tree rings in Excoecaria agallocha, a wide spread mangrove species in the Bangladesh Sundarbans. We also analysed the influence of climatic factors, such as precipitation, temperature and vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and river discharge, as a proxy of salinity on ring width (RW) and vessel features, such as mean vessel area (MVA) and mean vessel density (MVD). E. agallocha forms distinct tree-ring boundary that characterized by a narrow (2–4 cells wide) band of radially flattened fibres. The RW as well as the MVA and MVD are crossdatable. The RW is mainly driven by salinity which is influenced by freshwater inputs through precipitation during monsoon along with river discharge January to April. The MVA and MVD responded to similar seasons and months as RW, but mostly with opposite signs in MVD. The results suggest that fresh water inputs through precipitation and river discharge positively influence the radial growth of E. agallocha in the Sundarbans. The RW and vessel features can be used as proxies to explore the growth dynamics of this species, especially in relation to global environmental changes.     

Hyphal morphogenesis: an evolutionary perspective

Two modes of cellular morphogenesis predominate within the fungal kingdom; yeast growth and hyphal growth. The availability of complete genome sequences that span the kingdom has made possible the use of comparative approaches that address important questions regarding the evolution of these growth modes. These comparisons have also emphasized the point that not all hyphae are the same despite outward appearances. Topics considered here include the origins of hyphal growth, as well as the potential causes of and the consequences resulting from the loss of hyphal growth in yeast lineages. The mechanisms that enable distinct morphological outputs (i.e., yeast vs. hyphae) using an essentially identical inventory of gene products are also considered. Finally, processes implicated in the regulation of hyphal tip complexes are addressed from an evolutionary perspective.     

Different climate response of three tree ring proxies of Pinus sylvestris from the Eastern Carpathians,Romania

The aim of this study was to compare the climatic responses of three tree rings proxies: tree ring width (TRW), maximum latewood density (MXD), and blue intensity (BI). For this study, 20 cores of Pinus sylvestris covering the period 1886–2015 were extracted from living non-damaged trees from the Eastern Carpathian Mountains (Romania). Each chronology was compared to monthly and daily climate data. All tree ring proxies had a stronger correlation with the daily climate data compared to monthly data. The highest correlation coefficient was obtained between the MXD chronology and daily maximum temperature over the period beginning with the end of July and ending in the middle of September (r = 0.64). The optimal intervals for the temperature signature were 01 Aug – 24 Sept for the MXD chronology, 05 Aug – 25 Aug for the BI chronology, and both 16 Nov of the previous year – 16 March of the current year and 15 Apr – 05 May for the TRW chronology. The results from our study indicate that MXD can be used as a proxy indicator for summer maximum temperature, while TRW can be used as a proxy indicator for just March maximum temperature. The weak and unstable relationship between BI and maximum temperature indicates that BI is not a good proxy indicator for climate reconstructions over the analysed region.     

Dendroclimatological assessment of Polylepis rodolfo-vasquezii: A novel Polylepis species in the Peru highlands

In spite of enormous diversity in tree species, dendrochronological records in the tropical Andes are very scarce. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the search for new tree species with high dendrochronological characteristics in the tropical Andes, including the humid Puna of Peru. We present the first tree-ring chronology from Polylepis rodolfo-vasquezii, a recently described tree species in the Central Andes of Peru between 4000 and 4400 m elevation. Fifty trees were sampled in the district of Comas, Peru. After establishing the anatomical characteristics that delimit the annual growth rings, we developed a ring-width chronology by applying conventional dendrochronological techniques. The chronology covers the period 1869–2015 (157 years) and is well replicated from 1920 to present (> 20 samples). The statistics used to evaluate the quality of the chronology indicate that the P. rodolfo-vasquezii has similar values of MS, RBAR and EPS to those shown by other Polylepis spp chronologies. To determine the main climatic factors controlling the growth of P. rodolfo-vasquezii, we compared our chronology with local and regional temperature and precipitation records. Growth season temperature (November to May) seems to be the main climatic factor modulating inter-annual variations in the growth of this species. The sensitivity to inter-annual temperature variations highlights the potential of P. rodolfo-vasquezii to provide climatically sensitive dendrochronological records in the Central Andes. To our knowledge, this is the first tree-ring record in South America displaying significant relationships with temperature over the tropical Atlantic Ocean.     

A 382-year reconstruction of August mean minimum temperature from tree-ring maximum latewood density on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau,China

Long-term summer temperature records are important for climate studies on the Tibetan Plateau (TP). Here, we used tree-ring maximum latewood density (MXD) to develop a well-replicated regional chronology back to the year 1630 for the southeastern TP. The MXD chronology is positively related to the observed August mean minimum temperatures (AMMT) in the period 1961–2011. Therefore, the AMMT was reconstructed from the MXD chronology. The reconstruction explained 42.6% of the total variance in the observed AMMT. During the past 382 years, warm periods were found during 1646–1694, 1770–1805, 1930–1971 and 1992–2011, and cold periods were found during 1630–1645, 1695–1749, 1806–1825, 1889–1929 and 1972–1991. Extreme cold summers (≤mean − 2 SD) occurred in the years 1701, 1777, 1810, 1817, 1835, 1843, 1857, 1871, 1911, 1914, 1915, 1939, 1983 and 1984, whereas the warm summers (≥mean + 2 SD) occurred in the years 1786, 1788, 2003, 2004 and 2005. A comparison with temperature records in surrounding regions showed general agreements, indicating the fidelity of our reconstruction and its ability to represent summer temperature variations over a broad geographic extent. Conspicuous in-phase relationships between our reconstruction and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) indicated a strongly positive association between large-scale climate circulations and summer temperature variability on the southeastern TP at multidecadal scales.     

中国北部不同地点樟子松人工林径向生长对气候响应的差异

通过树木年代学方法,测定了毛乌素和塞罕坝相同密度樟子松(Pinus sylvestris var.mongolica)全木(Ringwood,RW)、早材(Earlywood,EW)和晚材(Latewood,LW)宽度,计算胸高断面积增量(Basal area increment,BAI),并建立了樟子松年轮宽度年表,分析其对气候响应的差异。结果显示,毛乌素(Mu Us)樟子松轮宽随树龄呈"升-降"的曲线变化,塞罕坝(Saihanba)呈线性下降,两地樟子松BAI变化相似,呈"升-降"的曲线变化,EW占RW的65%—70%,表明EW对RW贡献较大。生长期间,毛乌素樟子松早晚材比例保持平稳,塞罕坝EW/RW值下降,LW/RW值上升,两地干旱事件均使LW/RW值下降,EW/RW值上升。差值年表(Residual chronology,RES)相关性分析显示,毛乌素樟子松径向生长主要与4、7月平均降雨,7月标准化降水蒸散发指数(Standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index,SPEI),3、8月平均温度及上年12月和当年3月最低温度呈正...     

Variation of ITS sequences in a natural Japanese population of Pleurocybella porrigens

Genetic relationships in a natural Japanese population of Pleurocybella porrigens were determined based on ITS sequence data. In a UPGMA similarity tree, all sequences of 23 specimens from 13 different geographic origins were grouped into two distinct clusters (groups A and B). Sequence variation of the ITS region between groups A and B consisted of 33–40 nucleotides, corresponding to 5%–6% of their total length, and specific nucleotide variations characterizing groups A and B were found. Although these results did not show correlation with differences of substrates for fruiting and geographic origins of the specimens, it was suggested that P. porrigens distributed in Japan include at least two genetically different populations. Contribution no. 376 of the Tottori Mycological Institute     

不同稻作模式下稻田土壤活性有机碳变化动态

通过大田试验,研究了稻鸭复合种养(RD)、间歇灌溉(RW)、常规淹水灌溉(CK)3种不同稻作模式下稻田土壤可溶性有机碳(DOC)、易氧化态有机碳(ROC)和微生物生物量碳(MBC)3种活性有机碳组分的动态变化规律.结果表明:3种稻作模式下土壤DOC、MBC在水稻拔节-齐穗阶段含量最高;ROC在水稻整个生育期内变化平稳,没有表现出显著的阶段性差异.MBC受水稻生育期的影响最大;DOC受水稻生育期和稻作模式的影响均较大;而ROC主要受稻作模式的影响.与CK相比,RD能显著提高土壤DOC和ROC及其有效率;而RW极显著降低了DOC及其有效率,明显提高了ROC及其有效率.3处理间MBC及微生物熵均没有显著差异.     

Bioclimatic model of tree radial growth: application to the French Mediterranean Aleppo pine forests

The potential effects of global changes on forests are of increasing concern. Dendrochronology, which deals with long-term records of tree growth under natural environmental conditions, can be used to evaluate the impact of climatic change on forest productivity. However, assessment of climatic change impacts must be supported by accurate and reliable models of the relationships between climate and tree growth. In this study, a bioclimatic model is used to explore the relationships between tree radial growth and bioclimatic variables closely related to the biological functioning of a tree. This model is at an intermediate level of complexity between purely empirical and process-based models. The method is illustrated with data for 21 Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) stands grown under a Mediterranean climate in south-east France. The results show that Aleppo pine growth is mainly controlled by soil water availability during the growing season. The bioclimatic variable which best expresses the observed inter-annual tree growth variations is the actual evapotranspiration (AET). Four parameters were adjusted to simulate dendrochronological data: the soil water capacity, the wilting point, the minimum temperature for photosynthesis, and the end of the growing season. The bioclimatic model gives better results than the standard response function and provides better insight into the functional processes involved in tree growth. The convincing results obtained by the bioclimatic model as well as the limited numbers of parameters it requires demonstrate the feasibility of using it to explore future climatic change impacts on Aleppo pine forests.