Annual growth rings, rainfall‐dependent growth and long‐term growth patterns of tropical trees from the Caparo Forest Reserve in Venezuela

Abstract

Summary0 Tree!ring analyses and dendrometer measurements were carried out on 26 tree species in a semi!deciduous forest of the Reserva Forestal de Caparo\ Venezuela\ where the mean annual rainfall is about 0699 mm and there is a dry season from December to March[ The main purposes of the investigation were to show the seasonality of cambial growth\ and the connection between precipitation patterns and tree!ring curves[ Long!term rates of wood increment were also estimated[ 1 Cambial markings in consecutive years showed that annual rings were formed by many species[ 2 The distinctiveness of growth zones was usually greater in deciduous species than in evergreen species\ although not all deciduous species had distinct rings[ 3 Dendrometer measurements showed that the annual growth rhythm was related to precipitation patterns[ Evergreen species tended to show only a short interruption of wood growth "during the later part of the dry season#\ whereas deciduous species stopped growth completely at the end of the rainy season[ 4 For deciduous species\ regression analyses showed close relations between tree!ring width and the sum of precipitation outside the rainy seasons "i[e[ November to April#[ Evergreen species reacted to the total annual amount of precipitation[ 5 Variation in longest available ring chronology "for Terminalia`uianensis# showed little correlation with the El Nin ½ oÐSouthern Oscillation e}ect[ 6 On average trees from natural forests showed relatively constant growth over the entire life span[ Plantation trees grew fast up to an age of 04Ð19 years\ but annual increments then decreased to values seen in natural forest trees[ Keywords] annual rings\ climateÐgrowth relation\ dendrochronology\ El Nin ½ oÐSou! thern Oscillation\ radial wood increment\ tree!ring analysis\ tropical semi!deciduous forest Journal of Ecology "0888# 76\ 280Ð392

Diameter growth performance varies with species functional-group and habitat characteristics in subtropical rainforests

“…In a semi-deciduous forest in Ghana, shade intolerant pioneer species associated with high-rainfall forest with less fertile soil, had significantly lower growth rates than pioneers that are more abundant in low-rainfall forest with more fertile soils (Baker et al, 2003). While working on tree ring chronologies of seven tree species in a semi-deciduous forest in Venezuela, Worbes (1999) reported a positive correlation between annual rainfall and growth rates. At three sites in a seasonal forest in Panama, Devall et al (1995) found that annual rainfall correlated with variations in tree ring width for three species.…”

Competição assimétrica e o incremento diamétrico de árvores individuais de Cedrela odorata L. na Amazônia ocidental

“…Contribuir com o estabelecimento do manejo racional da florestal exige dados confiáveis de crescimento. Embora seja antiga a controvérsia sobre a formação de anéis anuais em madeiras tropicais, devido a ausência de estações climáticas marcadas (Lieberman e Lieberman 1985), as análises de anéis de crescimento em florestas tropicais vêm ganhando credibilidade com estudos que comprovam a existência para algumas espécies de interesse comercial, como Cedrela odorata e Swietenia macrophylla, ambas as espécies da família Meliaceae (Dünisch et al 2003;Worbes 1999). Portanto, isso viabiliza a aplicação de métodos dendrocronológicos para obter dados de crescimento para modelagem.…”

Periodicidade do crescimento de espécies arbóreas da Floresta Estacional Semidecidual no Sul do Brasil

“…Em espécies tropicais, o crescimento das árvores depende da disponibilidade de água, ocorrendo, em geral, a redução do crescimento durante a estação seca (WORBES, 1999;LISI et al, 2008;CALLADO et al, 2013) ou durante o período chuvoso, já que o excesso de água no solo pode levar a raiz a um estado de hipóxia, reduzindo sua atividade e, consequentemente, causando um déficit de água no tronco (SCHÖNGART et al, 2002). Em remanescentes da Floresta Estacional Semidecidual do Estado de São Paulo foi constatado que o CCT de 24 espécies arbóreas foi menor durante a estação seca e reativado após as primeiras chuvas significativas no início da estação chuvosa (LISI et al, 2008).…”