Dendroecology in the tropics: a review |
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Authors: | Dana? M A Rozendaal Pieter A Zuidema |
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Institution: | (1) Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands;(2) Programa Manejo de Bosques de la Amazon?a Boliviana (PROMAB), Universidad Aut?noma de Beni (UAB), P. O. Box 107, Riberalta, Bolivia;(3) Present address: Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, 126 Natural Resources Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1222, USA |
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Abstract: | Over the last decade the field of tropical dendroecology has developed rapidly and major achievements have been made. We reviewed
the advances in three main themes within the field. First, long chronologies for tropical tree species were constructed which
allowed climate reconstructions, revealed sources of climatic variation and clarified climate–growth relations. Other studies
combined tree-ring data and stable isotope (13C and 18O) measurements to evaluate the response of tropical trees to climatic variation and changes. A second set of studies assessed
long-term growth patterns of individual trees throughout their life. These studies enhanced the understanding of growth trajectories
to the canopy, quantified autocorrelated tree growth and yielded new estimates of tree ages. Such studies were also used to
reconstruct the disturbance history of tropical forests. The last set of studies applied tree-ring data to growth models.
Tree-ring data can replace diameter measurements from research plots, provide additional information to construct population
models, improve timber yield models and validate model output. Based on our review, we propose two main directions for future
research. (1) An evaluation of the causes and consequences of growth variation within and among trees and their relation to
environmental variation. Studies evaluating this directly contribute to improved understanding of tropical tree ecology. (2)
The simultaneous measurement of widths and stable isotope fractions in tree rings offers the potential to study responses
of trees to climatic change. Given the major role of tropical forests in the global carbon cycle, knowing these responses
is of high priority. |
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