Quantitative Tracheid Anatomy Reveals a Complex Environmental Control of Wood Structure in Continental Mediterranean Climate

Olano, José Miguel; Gozalbo, Màrcia Eugenio; García‐Cervigón, Ana I.; Folch, Maika; Rozas, Vicente

doi:10.1086/663165

Cited by 89 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Weaker empirical signal strength, in particular inter-series correlation, for cellular chronologies compared to ring-width series, can be the consequence of lower inter-annual variability in microscopic features of wood (Olano et al, 2012; Liang et al, 2013b; Pritzkow et al, 2014). On the other hand, a relatively weak common signal in annual anatomical parameters can correspond to significant relationships with intra-annual environmental variables (Yasue et al, 2000).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wood Cellular Dendroclimatology: Testing New Proxies in Great Basin Bristlecone Pine

2016

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Dendroclimatic proxies can be generated from the analysis of wood cellular structures, allowing for a more complete understanding of the physiological mechanisms that control the climatic response of tree species. Century-long (1870–2013) time series of anatomical parameters were developed for Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva D.K. Bailey) by capturing strongly contrasted microscopic images through a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope. Environmental information embedded in wood anatomical series was analyzed in comparison with ring-width series using measures of empirical signal strength. Response functions were calculated against monthly climatic variables to evaluate climate sensitivity of cellular features (e.g., lumen area; lumen diameter) for the period 1950–2013. Calibration-verification tests were used to determine the potential to generate long climate reconstructions from these anatomical proxies. A total of eight tree-ring parameters (two ring-width and six chronologies of xylem anatomical parameters) were analyzed. Synchronous variability among samples varied among tree-ring parameters, usually decreasing from ring-width to anatomical features. Cellular parameters linked to plant hydraulic performance (e.g., tracheid lumen area and radial lumen diameter) showed empirical signal strength similar to ring-width series, while noise was predominant in chronologies of lumen tangential width and cell wall thickness. Climatic signals were different between anatomical and ring-width chronologies, revealing a positive and temporally stable correlation of tracheid size (i.e., lumen and cell diameter) with monthly (i.e., March) and seasonal precipitation. In particular, tracheid lumen diameter emerged as a reliable moisture indicator and was then used to reconstruct total March–August precipitation from 1870 to 2013. Wood anatomy holds great potential to refine and expand dendroclimatic records by allowing estimates of plant physiological adaptations to external stressors. Integrating xylem cellular features with ring-width chronologies can widen our understanding of past climatic variability (including annual extreme events) and improve the evaluation of long-term plant response to drought, especially in connection with future warming scenarios.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wood Cellular Dendroclimatology: Testing New Proxies in Great Basin Bristlecone Pine

2016

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“…Furthermore, winter temperatures in the northern and central regions were lower, attributable to the "sub-continental" type of the Mediterranean climate which characterizes the supra-Mediterranean belt in central-northern Spain (Rivas-Martinez, 2007;Olano et al, 2012). In the central region, the annual precipitation is higher and the meteorological droughts are shorter than in the northern sites, due to humid winds from the Atlantic Ocean through the Tagus river valley, which lead to more frequent precipitation events (see Benito et al, 2003, andFigure 69 in AEMET-IM, 2011).…”

Section: Spatiotemporal Variability Of Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal variability of stone pine ( Pinus pinea L.) growth response to climate across the Iberian Peninsula

et al. 2016

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Climate warming and increasing aridity have impacted diverse ecosystems in the Mediterranean region since at least the 1970s. Pinus pinea L. has significant environmental and socio-economic importance for the Iberian Peninsula, so a detailed understanding of its response to climate change is necessary to predict its status under future climatic conditions. However, variability of climate and uncertainties in dendroclimatological approach complicate the understanding of forest growth dynamics. We use an ensemble approach to analyze growthclimate responses of P. pinea trees from five sites along a latitudinal gradient in Spain over time. The growth responses to April-June precipitation totals were stronger in the north than in the south. Since the 1950s, the sensitivity of growth to April-June precipitation increased in the north and decreased in the south.Meteorological drought usually started in May in the southern sites, but in June-July in the northern sites. The water deficit in the southern sites is thus greater and more limiting for tree growth, and this likely accounts for the lower growth sensitivity during these months. Our results indicate that P. pinea has a high degree of plasticity, suggesting the species will withstand changing climatic conditions. However, growth response to drought regimes varies among P. pinea populations, suggesting that different populations have different capacities for acclimation to warmer and drier climate, and this may influence future vegetation composition.

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“…The improvement of digital image analysis techniques has allowed climate-growth studies at the cellular level through the observation and measurement of anatomical features (Vaganov et al 2006). Cellular dimensions, for instance, can be directly linked to the hydration status of the tree at the time of cell formation (DeSoto et al 2011;Olano et al 2012) as variations of lumen area usually correspond to changing levels of water conductivity (McCulloh et al 2010). Physiological processes that determine intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) are also closely linked with climate variability, especially in relatively dry environments (Campelo et al 2013;de Luis et al 2011;Rozas et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree growth, cambial phenology, and wood anatomy of limber pine at a Great Basin (USA) mountain observatory

Ziaco

Biondi

2016

Trees

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Key message Anatomical features of Pinus flexilis under warmer and drier conditions along an altitudinal transect revealed a shorter growing season and shifts in the timing of wood formation. Abstract Future climate change driven by greenhouse warming is expected to increase both frequency and severity of drought events and heat waves. Possible consequences for forest ecosystems include changes in foundation species and extended die-off phenomena. We investigated tree growth under the set of biotic and abiotic conditions, and their interactions, that are expected in a drier and warmer world using mountain observatories designed to capture elevation gradients in the Great Basin of North America. Stem cambial activity, wood anatomy, and radial growth of limber pine (Pinus flexilis) were examined at two different elevations using automated dendrometers and repeated histological microcores in 2013-2014. Mean annual temperature was 3.7°cooler at the higher site, which received 170 mm year -1 of precipitation more than the lower site. Mean air temperature thresholds for xylogenesis computed using logistic regression were 7.7 and 12.0°C at the higher and lower site, respectively. No differences in the onset date of cambial activity were found under such naturally contrasted conditions, with the global change analog provided by the lower site. Growing season was shortened by increasing drought stress at the lower site, thereby reducing xylem production. Stem expansion was only detectable by automated dendrometers at the higher site. Using elevation to simulate climatic changes and their realized ecosystem feedbacks, it was possible to express tree responses in terms of xylem phenology and anatomical adaptations.

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Quantitative Tracheid Anatomy Reveals a Complex Environmental Control of Wood Structure in Continental Mediterranean Climate

Cited by 89 publications

References 52 publications

Wood Cellular Dendroclimatology: Testing New Proxies in Great Basin Bristlecone Pine

Wood Cellular Dendroclimatology: Testing New Proxies in Great Basin Bristlecone Pine

Spatiotemporal variability of stone pine ( Pinus pinea L.) growth response to climate across the Iberian Peninsula

Tree growth, cambial phenology, and wood anatomy of limber pine at a Great Basin (USA) mountain observatory

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