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Submitted by Boris Flegr (boris@uerj.br) on 2021-01-05T18:24:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertacaoPGBV WarlenSilvada Costa.pdf: 8372056 bytes, checksum: 6df8f15da54df30c32a571b41b44cb33 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2021-01-05T18:24:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertacaoPGBV WarlenSilvada Costa.pdf: 8372056 bytes, checksum: 6df8f15da54df30c32a571b41b44cb33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-21 Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior The Machaerium genus includes 130 species, which has Neotropical distribuition and center of diversity in Brazil with approximately 80 species. The genus is distributed in all phytogeographic areas of the country, but its richness and endemism occurs in the Atlantic Domain and Amazon Forest. The Machaerium species are classified in five infrageneric sections, which is based in the presence or absence of spiny stipules and venation patterns and size of leaflets. However, the infrageneric classification of Machaerium is controversial according to some authors, mainly when it is compared with phylogenetic analyzes. Thus, there is a need to research new characters that contribute for the species delimitation and an upgrade of the infrageneric classification. Besides, there is necessity to know the dendrochronological potential of the Machaerium species in the Atlantic Rain forest, a rich and threatened biome. This study aimed to analise the wood anatomy of eleven trees species of Machaerium to verify the consistency of the infrageneric sections and identify diagnostic characters of the species. And also, to analyze the growth periodicity and the influence of the climatic factors on the growing of Machaerium incorruptibile, an endemic specie from Atlantic Rain Forest. Samples were collected with an increment borer and were processed following the usual methods for wood anatomy, scanning electron microscopy and dendrochronology. The species analyzed showed the anatomical characters for the Leguminosae and the Papilionoideae subfamily. The presence of unlignified parenchyma bands, fibres very thin-walled and rays irregularly storied were important to separated Machaerium hirtum from the other ten species. The remaining ten species were separated between them by quantitative wood characters, especially diameter and vessel frequency, and also by the morphological characters of vestured pits, as the ornamentation projections at the pit aperture. The wood anatomy did not corroborate the infrageneric sections in Machaerium, like observed in the phylogenetic studies of the genus. The dendrochronology data were analyzed using the software ARSTAN and a chronology was made for Machaerium incorruptibile. Analyses with precipitation and temperature were performed, demonstrating a positive significant correlation between the growth rings and the average temperature of spring, when the temperature is milder, and a negative significant correlation between the widths of growth rings and the average summer temperature, when the temperatures are hotter. There was also a negative correlation between the most severe El Niño events and the width of growth rings, demonstrating the effect of this phenomenon on population growth, as found in other tropical species. Machaerium é um dos maiores gêneros arbóreos tropicais de leguminosas, com cerca de 130 espécies com distribuição predominantemente neotropical e centro de diversidade no Brasil, onde ocorrem cerca de 80 espécies. O gênero ocorre em todos os domínios fitogeográficos do país, porém a Mata Atlântica e a Floresta Amazônica possuem os maiores índices de riqueza e endemismo. As espécies do gênero estão classificadas em cinco seções infragenéricas, que se baseiam principalmente na forma e venação dos folíolos e na presença de estípulas espinescentes. Entretanto, esta classificação tem sido questionada por alguns autores, principalmente quando comparada com análises filogenéticas. Dessa forma, surge a necessidade de buscar outros caracteres que auxiliem na delimitação das espécies e que permitam uma reavaliação na classificação nfragenéricas, além de conhecer o potencial para estudos dendrocronológicos das espécies em um bioma tão rico e ameaçado como a Mata Atlântica. O presente trabalho visou estudar a anatomia do lenho de onze espécies arbóreas de Machaerium a fim de verificar a consistência das seções infragenéricas, fornecer caracteres diagnósticos para a delimitação das espécies e caracterizar as pontoações intervasculares ornamentadas, para verificar seu potencial diagnóstico no gênero em questão. Além disso, analisar a periodicidade de crescimento e a influência dos fatores climáticos no crescimento de Machaerium incorruptibile, espécie endêmica da Mata Atlântica. As amostras foram coletadas através de método não destrutivo e processadas seguindo os métodos usuais para anatomia do lenho, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e dendrocronologia. As espécies apresentaram as características anatômicas descritas para a família Leguminosae e para a subfamília Papilionoideae. A presença de faixas de parênquima não lignificado, fibras de paredes delgadas e raios irregularmente estratificados foram importantes na separação de Machaerium hirtum das outras dez espécies. As dez espécies restantes foram separadas entre si pelos dados quantitativos do lenho, principalmente diâmetro e frequência de vasos, e também pelos caracteres morfológicos das pontoações ornamentadas, como a projeção ou não das ornamentações na abertura da pontoação. A anatomia da madeira não correspondeu as seções infragenéricas tradicionalmente tratadas para o gênero. Para a dendrocronologia os dados foram analisados com uso do software ARSTAN e foi construída uma cronologia para M. incorruptibile. As cronologias foram analisadas juntamente com os dados de precipitação e temperatura, onde observou-se uma correlação significativa com a temperatura. A largura dos anéis de crescimento foi correlacionada positivamente com a temperatura média da primavera, época em que a temperatura se encontra mais amena e, negativamente com a temperatura média do verão, onde as temperaturas são mais altas. Também houve correlação negativa entre os eventos mais severos de El Niño e a largura dos anéis de crescimento, demonstrando o efeito deste fenômeno no crescimento da população arbórea, como encontrado em outras espécies tropicais.

Se estudiaron la morfologia, la morfometria y los anillos de crecimiento de los otolitos: sagitta, asteriscus y lapillus de Diapterus brevirostris de la laguna de Cuyutlan, Colima, Mexico. Las muestras se obtuvieron de la captura comercial de abril 2010 a julio 2012. Se analizaron las diferencias entre derecho e izquierdo y entre sexos de los tres pares de otolitos. Las relaciones entre la longitud total del pez y la longitud y anchura del otolito mostraron que estas estructuras pueden utilizarse para determinar la edad en los peces. En todos los casos se observo que el crecimiento en los otolitos es excentrico con respecto al nucleo. Se identificaron 6 anillos de crecimiento en las sagittae y en los asterisci. Debido a su grosor, estas marcas no se observaron en los lapilli. El crecimiento de las sagittae y los lapilli es mayor en machos que en hembras en el intervalo de clases de tallas de 160 a 320 mm de longitud total. Sin embargo, se observo que el crecimiento de los asterisci es mayor en hembras que en machos en las tallas de 180 a 320 mm.

Forests in the wet tropics harbour an incredible biodiversity, provide many ecosystem services and regulate climatic conditions on regional scales. Tropical forests are also a major component of the global carbon cycle, storing 25% of the total terrestrial carbon and accounting for a third of net primary production. This means that changes in forest structure and forest cover in the wet tropics will not only affect biodiversity and ecosystem services, but also have implications for the global carbon cycle and – as a result – may speed up or slow down global warming. Deforestation rates are still high in the tropics and have profoundly affected the extent of forests in many countries. Additionally, there are indications that undisturbed and pristine tropical forests are changing. The most notable changes found by the monitoring of permanent forest plots are an increase of tree growth and forest biomass per unit of surface area over the last decades. If this is indeed the case, it would entail that the world’s tropical forests are potentially absorbing a significant fraction of human caused CO2emissions and as such are mitigating global warming. However, increased tree growth and forest biomass have not been found in all studies. Furthermore, it is unknown whether the observed changes in intact forests are part of a long-term change, or merely reflect decadal scale fluctuations. These uncertainties lead to an ongoing debate on whether tree growth and forest biomass have increased in tropical forests and – if so – to what extent. In addition, there is also a scientific discussion on the factor(s) that could underlie the potential changes in tree growth and forest biomass. Possibly, they are caused by an internal driver, like the lasting effect of large scale disturbances in the past, or by external drivers. Possible external factors affecting tropical forest dynamics are (1) climate change (temperature and precipitation), (2) increased nutrient depositions and (3) increased atmospheric CO2concentration. In this thesis, I investigated the environmental changes that could have formed the basis for changes in tropical tree growth. I used two relatively new tools in tropical forest ecology: tree-ring measurements and stable isotope analyses. Tree-ring widths were measured to obtain long-term information on tree growth. Stable isotopes in the wood of tree rings were analysed to provide information on the environmental and physiological drivers of tree growth changes. This thesis is part of a larger project on the long-term changes in intact forests in the wet tropics (the TroFoClim project, led by Pieter Zuidema) and also includes the PhD theses of Mart Vlam and Peter Groenendijk. In this project, ~1400 trees of 15 species were examined that were collected in three forest sites distributed across the tropics (in Bolivia, Cameroon and Thailand). For the assessment of long-term changes in growth and stable isotopes, it is important to understand shorter term fluctuations due to forest dynamics (i.e. gap formation), because these interfere with changes on a longer temporal scale. The formation of a gap in a closed canopy forest, after the death of a tree, can cause considerable environmental changes in the surrounding area, e.g. in light, nutrient and water availability. This can strongly affect the growth rates of the remaining trees. However, in most studies the environmental drivers of changes in tree growth after gap formation are not considered. In CHAPTER 2 I measured carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C) in annual growth rings of Peltogyne cf.heterophylla, from a moist forest in North-eastern Bolivia, and evaluated the environmental drivers of growth responses after gap formation. Growth and Δ13C was compared between the seven years before and after gap formation. Forty-two trees of different sizes were studied, half of which grew close (

A grevílea (Grevillea robusta A. Cunn. Ex R. Br.) é uma árvore nativa da Austrália e apresenta crescimento rápido, rusticidade e boa qualidade da madeira. A disponibilidade de material genético com características apropriadas para diferentes ambientes ainda é restrita, sendo importante realizar avaliações das coleções estabelecidas em campo, para selecionar matrizes com melhor potencial produtivo nos diferentes sítios testados. Este trabalho buscou indicativos da relação entre as condições edafoclimáticas do sítio e o crescimento diamétrico de procedências de grevílea, em três áreas distintas no estado do Paraná (Presidente Castelo Branco, Ponta Grossa e Quedas do Iguaçu). Foram selecionadas áreas de pomar de sementes de grevílea em unidades geoclimáticas distintas. Essas áreas foram submetidas a testes de progênies e as matrizes foram selecionadas. Em cada local foram escolhidas 40 matrizes, ao acaso, para coleta de amostras não destrutivas para verificação de anéis de crescimento e, em campo, feitas as medições de altura e diâmetro de todas as árvores selecionadas. As diferenças entre incrementos médios anuais dos três locais foram significativos e indicou um melhor desempenho das árvores de Presidente Castelo Branco (incremento periódico anual de 1,35 cm por ano) em relação às arvores das áreas de Quedas do Iguaçu e de Ponta Grossa (incremento de 1,16 cm e 1,06 cm, respectivamente) na idade entre 10 a 16 anos. A partir da análise de agrupamento referente ao clima das estações meteorológicas nos anos estudados, observa-se que Presidente Castelo Branco se isolou das estações de Ponta Grossa e Quedas do Iguaçu, indicando uma maior aproximação climática entre as estações de Ponta Grossa e a de Quedas do Iguaçu, em relação à estação de Presidente Castelo Branco. Isto leva a indícios de que climas mais quentes podem ser mais favoráveis ao desenvolvimento da grevílea.

Os aneis de crescimento de Cedrela fissilis foram analisados em duas unidades fitogeograficas do estado do Parana, em areas de Florestas Ombrofilas Densa e Mista, litoral e planalto, no dominio da Floresta Atlântica, buscando encontrar sinais climaticos nas series radiais temporais de aneis de crescimento. As areas nao apresentam estacao seca bem definida, com precipitacoes bem distribuidas ao longo do ano. Na area do litoral, as temperaturas sao altas e constantes durante todo o ano, enquanto que na area do planalto as temperaturas sao mais amenas, ocorrendo consideravel variacao durante o ano. Nas duas areas foram coletadas 3-4 amostras radiais dos individuos selecionados, sendo 15 no litoral e 21 no planalto. Os aneis de crescimento foram marcados, mensurados, submetidos ao controle de qualidade por meio do programa COFECHA ® e as cronologias foram geradas utilizando o programa ARSTAN ® . Sinais climaticos nas series foram identificados utilizando-se Correlacoes de Pearson. As series analisadas provenientes da area de planalto apresentaram melhores correlacoes com as variaveis temperatura e precipitacao, sendo identificados sinais climaticos, enquanto que as series do litoral nao puderam ser datadas com total acuracia. E atribuida a hipotese da competicao, principalmente por luz, para explicar a dificuldade na datacao dos individuos do litoral. Palavras-chave : Aneis de crescimento; dendrocronologia; Floresta Atlântica. Abstract Climatic signals in growth rings of Cedrela fissilis in different types of South Brazil rainforests. Cedrela fissilis tree-rings were examined in two distinct phytogeographic units of the State of Parana, Brazil. The analysis was carried out in areas of tropical rain forest, Atlantic Forest (cost), and Araucaria Forest (plateau) in order to seek for climatic signals in tree rings series. In the coast area, temperatures are high and constant throughout the year, while in the area of the plateau, temperatures are milder and considerable variations occur during the year. In both areas 3-4 radial samples of each selected individual were collected, 15 from the coast and 21 from the plateau. Growth rings were marked, measured, submitted to quality control using the COFECHA ® software, and chronologies generated using the ARSTAN ® software. Climatic signals in growth rings were identified using Pearson correlations. Tree rings series from plateau revealed better correlations with temperature and rainfall compared to the coast ones; they were accurately dated while the other from coast could not be dated with accuracy. Climatic signals were found in the well-dated chronology. The hypothesis of competition, mainly by light, is raised to explain the difficulty to establish a good chronology for coast area. Keywords : Growth rings; dendrochronology; Atlantic Forest.

Forests in the wet tropics harbour an incredible biodiversity, provide many ecosystem services and regulate climatic conditions on regional scales. Tropical forests are also a major component of the global carbon cycle, storing 25% of the total terrestrial carbon and accounting for a third of net primary production. This means that changes in forest structure and forest cover in the wet tropics will not only affect biodiversity and ecosystem services, but also have implications for the global carbon cycle and – as a result – may speed up or slow down global warming. Deforestation rates are still high in the tropics and have profoundly affected the extent of forests in many countries. Additionally, there are indications that undisturbed and pristine tropical forests are changing. The most notable changes found by the monitoring of permanent forest plots are an increase of tree growth and forest biomass per unit of surface area over the last decades. If this is indeed the case, it would entail that the world’s tropical forests are potentially absorbing a significant fraction of human caused CO2emissions and as such are mitigating global warming. However, increased tree growth and forest biomass have not been found in all studies. Furthermore, it is unknown whether the observed changes in intact forests are part of a long-term change, or merely reflect decadal scale fluctuations. These uncertainties lead to an ongoing debate on whether tree growth and forest biomass have increased in tropical forests and – if so – to what extent. In addition, there is also a scientific discussion on the factor(s) that could underlie the potential changes in tree growth and forest biomass. Possibly, they are caused by an internal driver, like the lasting effect of large scale disturbances in the past, or by external drivers. Possible external factors affecting tropical forest dynamics are (1) climate change (temperature and precipitation), (2) increased nutrient depositions and (3) increased atmospheric CO2concentration. In this thesis, I investigated the environmental changes that could have formed the basis for changes in tropical tree growth. I used two relatively new tools in tropical forest ecology: tree-ring measurements and stable isotope analyses. Tree-ring widths were measured to obtain long-term information on tree growth. Stable isotopes in the wood of tree rings were analysed to provide information on the environmental and physiological drivers of tree growth changes. This thesis is part of a larger project on the long-term changes in intact forests in the wet tropics (the TroFoClim project, led by Pieter Zuidema) and also includes the PhD theses of Mart Vlam and Peter Groenendijk. In this project, ~1400 trees of 15 species were examined that were collected in three forest sites distributed across the tropics (in Bolivia, Cameroon and Thailand). For the assessment of long-term changes in growth and stable isotopes, it is important to understand shorter term fluctuations due to forest dynamics (i.e. gap formation), because these interfere with changes on a longer temporal scale. The formation of a gap in a closed canopy forest, after the death of a tree, can cause considerable environmental changes in the surrounding area, e.g. in light, nutrient and water availability. This can strongly affect the growth rates of the remaining trees. However, in most studies the environmental drivers of changes in tree growth after gap formation are not considered. In CHAPTER 2 I measured carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C) in annual growth rings of Peltogyne cf.heterophylla, from a moist forest in North-eastern Bolivia, and evaluated the environmental drivers of growth responses after gap formation. Growth and Δ13C was compared between the seven years before and after gap formation. Forty-two trees of different sizes were studied, half of which grew close (

Holzforschung, 68 (1), ISSN:0018-3830, ISSN:1437-434X

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T13:51:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rafael Bridi Corteletti.pdf: 1956935 bytes, checksum: 6892bb77244e2fe3eb75850c06a164a4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-02 Front of gradual increase in areas planted paricá (Schizolobium amazonicum) and the growing interest of this species for plywood industry, biometric information about this species are scarce in the literature. This study was conducted with the objective of provide information dendrometric and growth for paricá in Paragominas region, Pará, through stem analysis complete. To attain the purpose, trees have been cut down thirties seven years old and these discs were obtained along the trunk, the positions of 0.1 m, 0.3 m, 0.7 m, 1.3 m and from this point of meter in meter, untill the first bifurcation. After collecting the discs, these were air dried and polished with a sequence of sandpaper for easy viewing of growth rings. With the polished surface of the discs were traced four rays perpendicular discs and with the assist of a magnifier rings were marked growth. After the delimitation of the rings, discs were scanned and the Image-Pro Express 6.0 was performed to measure the width of the rings from pith to bark. Discs in the height of 1.3 m above the ground, was made synchronization and microscopic characterization of annual growth rings. Logistic models were fitted volumetric, models taper, models form factor models average and diameter growth in structure prediction and projection. The models has been evaluated using measures the residual standard error precision absolute and percentage coefficient of determination, graphic residue analysis and statistics bias, mean absolute differences and standard deviation of the absolute differences. For the analysis of growth rings, can observe that this zone is demarcated fibrous. It was noted for the master series own paricá ring width favorable growth in the first two years. In commercial volumetric models showed that the model is Schumacher & Hall more accurate. In evaluating the taper functions in diameter model Demaerschalk was indicated that more precise results and height models Demaerschalk Ormerod showed similar results. The Logistic model stood out in terms of accuracy to estimate the average form factor. Finally, the model to describe the growth in diameter structure prediction was selected Exponential model to estimate the diameter in the form of Linear projection model was the most accurate Diante do gradativo aumento de áreas plantadas de paricá (Schizolobium amazonicum) e o crescente interesse desta espécie para a indústria de compensados, informações biométricas a respeito dessa espécie ainda são escassas na literatura. Este trabalho foi conduzido com o objetivo de fornecer informações dendrométrica e de crescimento para o paricá, na região de Paragominas, Pará, por meio de análise de tronco completa. Para atender ao objetivo, foram abatidas trintas árvores de sete anos de idade e delas foram retirados discos ao longo do tronco, nas posições de 0,1 m; 0,3 m; 0,7 m; 1,3 m e a partir deste ponto de metro em metro, até a primeira bifurcação. Após a coleta dos discos, estes foram secos ao ar livre e polidos com uma sequencia de lixas para facilitar a visualização dos anéis de crescimento. Com a superfície polida dos discos foram traçados quatro raios perpendiculares por discos e com o auxilio de uma lupa foram demarcados os anéis de crescimento. Após a delimitação dos anéis, os discos foram escaneados e com o programa Image-Pro Express 6.0 foi realizada a medição da largura dos anéis no sentido medula-casca. Nos discos da altura de 1,3 m do solo, foi realizada a sincronização e a caracterização microscópica dos anéis de crescimento anuais. Foram ajustados modelos volumétricos, modelos de afilamentos, modelos de fator de forma comercial médio e modelos de crescimento em diâmetro na estrutura de predição e projeção. Os modelos foram avaliados por meio das medidas de precisão erro padrão residual absoluto e em percentagem, coeficiente de determinação, análise gráfica de resíduos e pelas estatísticas bias, média das diferenças absolutas e desvio padrão das diferenças absolutas. Pela análise dos anéis de crescimento, pode-se observar que este é demarcado por zona fibrosa. Notou-se pela série master que o paricá possui largura dos anéis de crescimento favoráveis nos dois primeiros anos. Nos modelos volumétricos comerciais verificou-se que o modelo de Schumacher & Hall foi o mais acurado. Na avaliação das funções de afilamento em diâmetro o modelo de Demaerschalk foi o que indicou resultados mais preciso e para altura os modelos de Demaerschalk e Ormerod indicaram resultados semelhantes. O modelo Logístico destacou-se em termos de precisão para estimar o fator de forma comercial médio. Finalmente, o modelo para descrever o crescimento em diâmetro na estrutura de predição foi selecionado o modelo Exponencial e para estimar o diâmetro na forma de projeção o modelo Linear foi o mais acurado

The present study analysed growth and longevity of the endemic and endangered cave dwelling bivalve Congeria kusceri from the pit Jama u Predolcu, Croatia. A water temperature of 13-14ºC has been identified as the lower limit for both the initiation and cessation of shell growth and reproductive maturity of C. kusceri. Obtained hydrological data also indicated that enhanced calcium uptake by C. kusceri during its summer growth and reproductive phases coincided with a decrease in alkalinity of the pit water. Results of the marginal increment analysis showed that growth lines are formed annually, during the period when water temperature begins to increase, that is, from May to June. An analysis of shell growth rings in C. kusceri has identified an impressive longevity of 53 years. Calculations of growth rate suggested maximum theoretical shell lengths (L∞) of 16.7 mm for males and 18.7 mm for females and a growth constant of 0.04 year-1 for both sexes. Congeria kusceri can, however, grow to a shell length of >24 mm, suggesting that longevity could be greater than that identified in this study. Among the Dreissenidae, C. kusceri is the only species that displays extreme longevity, presumably because of its subterranean habitat and adaptations that uniquely fit it and recently identified congeners for such a troglodytic life style. This study of Congeria kusceri provides insights into a unique life history trait that facilitated occupation 5 million years ago of the subterranean environment of Croatia’s and the region’s Dinaric karst. In evolutionary terms, the species has survived occupation of underground karstic waters by reducing the effects and consequences of physiological ageing thereby nullifying reproductive senescence. The conservation of the unique Dinaric karst species and the rich diversity of habitats they occupy are essential and should be a matter of national as well as international priority.

We investigated the variability of the climate-growth relationship of Aleppo pine across its distribution range in the Mediterranean Basin. We constructed a network of tree-ring index chronologies from 63 sites across the region. Correlation function analysis identified the relationships of tree-ring index to climate factors for each site. We also estimated the dominant climatic gradients of the region using principal component analysis of monthly, seasonal, and annual mean temperature and total precipitation from 1,068 climatic gridpoints. Variation in ring width index was primarily related to precipitation and secondarily to temperature. However, we found that the dendroclimatic relationship depended on the position of the site along the climatic gradient. In the southern part of the distribution range, where temperature was generally higher and precipitation lower than the regional average, reduced growth was also associated with warm and dry conditions. In the northern part, where the average temperature was lower and the precipitation more abundant than the regional average, reduced growth was associated with cool conditions. Thus, our study highlights the substantial plasticity of Aleppo pine in response to different climatic conditions. These results do not resolve the source of response variability as being due to either genetic variation in provenance, to phenotypic plasticity, or a combination of factors. However, as current growth responses to inter-annual climate variability vary spatially across existing climate gradients, future climate-growth relationships will also likely be determined by differential adaptation and/or acclimation responses to spatial climatic variation. The contribution of local adaptation and/or phenotypic plasticity across populations to the persistence of species under global warming could be decisive for prediction of climate change impacts across populations. In this sense, a more complex forest dynamics modeling approach that includes the contribution of genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity can improve the reliability of the ecological inferences derived from the climate-growth relationships.

Tesis (M.Sc) –CATIE, Turrialba (Costa Rica), 2013 Tesis en español con resumen en inglés. En esta investigación se pretendió a través de la dendrocronología aportar al conocimiento sobre la dinámica de crecimiento de tres especies arbóreas [Carapa guianensis Aubl. (Meliaceae), Cedrela tonduzii C. DC (Meliaceae) y Quercus costaricensis Liemb. (Fagaceae)] del gradiente altitudinal tropical "Caribe -Villa Mills" ubicado en el rango de altitud 300 msnm - 3000 msnm en la vertiente oriental de la cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. Esta información resulta fundamental para entender la dinámica de crecimiento de los bosques de montaña y conocer como la variación climática ha afectado a estas especies y así diseñar medidas de conservación y manejo que permitan a las especies tener suficiente rango de adaptación al cambio pero que a su vez permitan el uso sostenible del recurso a la población. This research aimed to contribute, through dendrochronology, to the knowledge on the dynamics of growth of three tree species [Carapa guianensis Aubl. (Meliaceae), Cedrela tonduzii C. DC (Meliaceae) and Quercus costaricensis Liemb. (Fagaceae)] across the tropical altitudinal gradient "Caribbean-Villa Mills" located in the 300 - 3000 m asl altitudinal range on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica. This information is essential to understand the growth dynamics of mountain forests trees, to know how climate variability has affected these species, and to design conservation and management actions that allow species to have enough range to adapt to change but at the time facilitate the sustainable use of the resource to the public.

Para muchas especies arbóreas en áreas de clima cálido húmedo no existe información del crecimiento y su periodicidad, así como de su rendimiento maderable, lo cual impide un buen manejo de los bosques en gran parte del trópico. Por lo anterior, se estudió el crecimiento y su periodicidad en Cedrela odorata L., Tabebuia rosea (Bertol.) DC, T. donnell-smithii Rose y Cordia alliodora (Ruíz & Pav.) Oken. en una plantación de enriquecimiento de acahuales en el sur de Oaxaca, México. Para evaluar el crecimiento a nivel árbol se midieron los cambios en diámetro a través de bandas dendrometricas para 32 individuos de C. odorata, seis de T. rosea, siete de T. donnell-smithii y nueve de C. alliodora; además, se analizaron macroscópicamente secciones transversales (rodajas) de 17 árboles en las cuatro especies, y se obtuvieron mediciones de diámetro y altura en 14 sitios de muestreo permanente (evaluados en 2005 y 2006) para generar un sistema de crecimiento y rendimiento maderable (SCRM) en C. odorata y T. donnell-smithii. Los resultados indican que el potencial de crecimiento (PC) en diámetro y la tasa de crecimiento intranual (TCI) mas alta se observó en T. donnell-smithii (PC=7.67 cm, TCI=2.82 cm año-1), seguida de C. odorata (PC=5.49 cm, TCI=2.02 cm año-1), T. rosea (PC=3.55 cm, TCI=1.3 cm año-1) y C. alliodora (PC=1.32 cm, TCI=0.48 cm año-1). Diferencias significativas (p10%) en C. odorata y T. rosea, y para dos posiciones de copa (baja, alta) en C. odorata, T. rosea y C. alliodora. La formación de anillos de crecimiento fue periódica y anual en las cuatro especies: el ancho de las zonas de crecimiento fue significativamente (p10%) in C. odorata and T. rosea, and for two crown positions (low, high) in C. odorata, T. rosea and C. alliodora. Formation of growth rings was annual and periodical in the four species: the width of growth zone in rainy season (3.91 mm/cm/two months) was significantly (p

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-03-24T18:49:27Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertacaoGianeINiderauer.pdf: 4504038 bytes, checksum: c909b35b56b6c4307e28d588aa4527a0 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-24T18:49:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissertacaoGianeINiderauer.pdf: 4504038 bytes, checksum: c909b35b56b6c4307e28d588aa4527a0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-27 Banco Santander / Banespa O presente trabalho foi desenvolvido no Centro de Pesquisas e Conservação da Natureza (Prómata), localizado no município de São Francisco de Paula (29º28?S; 50º13?W), a nordeste do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, em área de Floresta Ombrófila Mista e Mosaicos de Campos, com objetivo de avaliar a existência de sinais históricos do avanço da floresta com base na estrutura etária e no desempenho de crescimento de Araucaria angustifolia, em um gradiente floresta-campo. A Araucaria angustifolia é uma espécie que apresenta anéis de crescimento anuais bem definidos é indicada para estudos dendrocronologicos. Neste sentido, foram selecionados 21 pontos amostrais em uma área aproximada de 25 ha, selecionados aleatoriamente em três níveis de distâncias: pontos em floresta a mais de 50 m de distância da borda mais próxima, (2) pontos em floresta ou campo a até 50 m de distância da borda mais próxima e (3) pontos em campo com mais de 50 m de distância da borda. Para análises dendrocronologicas, em cada ponto foi selecionado um indivíduo por classe de diâmetro à altura do peito para coleta de duas a quatro amostras de lenho com trado de incremento. Em laboratório às amostras foram fixadas em suportes de madeira, polidas com uma série de lixas, e analisadas com auxilio de um estereomicroscópio. Posteriormente, foram realizadas análises de regressão linear e de aleatorização para avaliar como a idade e o crescimento (em diâmetro e altura) dos indivíduos variam em relação à distância da borda floresta-campo. Os resultados mostraram que a estrutura etária e o desempenho de crescimento de A. angustifolia variavam ao longo do gradiente floresta-campo. A idade das A. angustifolia variou de 12 a 106 anos, decrescendo do interior da floresta para o interior do campo, a posição das árvores explicou 15 % da variação etária (P=0,0823). A idade teve influência no tamanho das árvores, explicando 43 % da variação do diâmetro do tronco (P=0,001) e 12 % da variação da altura viii (P=0,114). Conclui-se que, a estrutura etária e crescimento em altura da A. angustifolia variam no gradiente floresta-campo. This work was developed at the Centro de Pesquisas e Conservação da Natureza (Pró-Mata), located in the municipality of São Francisco de Paula (29º28’S; 50º13’W), the northeastern of Estado Rio Grande do Sul, in a forest-grassland mosaic habitat. Vê of this study was to evaluate for signs of historical advancement of Forest based on age structure and growth performance of Araucaria angustifolia in a forest-grassland gradient. The Araucaria angustifolia is a species to present annual growth rings well defined is indicated for dendrochronological studies. In this sense, we selected 21 sample points in area of approximately 25 ha, randomly selected from three levels of distances. (1) points in the forest more than 50 m away from the nearest edge, (2) points in the forest or grassland up 50 m away from the nearest adge and (3) points on the grassland with more than 50 m away edge. To dendrochronological analyzes, at each point was selected for individual class diameter at breast height to collect two to four samples of wood with increment borer. Age had influence on tree size, explaining 43% of the variation of stem diameter (P= 0.001) and 12 % of the variation in height (P= 0.114). It was concluded that the structure age and height growth of A. angustifolia vary in forest-grassland gradient. In the laboratorio samples were fixed on a Wood France and polished with a series of sandpapers, and analyzed with help of a stereomicroscope. Later, we performed linear regression analyzes and randomization to assess how the age and growth (height and diameter) individuals vary in distance from the forest-grassland edge. The results showed that the age structure and growth performance of A. angustifolia varied along the gradient forest-grassland. Age of A. angustifolia ranged from 12 to 106 years, decresing from the interior of the forest for the interior grassland, the position of the trees 15 % of variance explained group (P= 0.0823). Age had influence on tree size, explaining 43% of the variation of stem diameter (P= 0.001) and 12 % of the x variation in height (P= 0.114). It was concluded that the structure age and height growth of A. angustifolia vary in forest-grassland gradient.

Boktorren die uitvliegen laten sporen na in hun kraamkamer. Promovendus Paul Copini leest die sporen in jaarringen van bomen en kan zeggen wanneer de boktor is geboren. Een oordeel met gewicht.

† Background and Aims Vegetation has long been recognized to protect the soil from erosion. Understanding species differences in root morphology and functional traits is an important step to assess which species and species mixtures may provide erosion control. Furthermore, extending classification of plant functional types towards root traits may be a useful procedure in understanding important root functions. † Methods In this study, pioneer data on traits of alpine plant species, i.e. plant height and shoot biomass, root depth, horizontal root spreading, root length, diameter, tensile strength, plant age and root biomass, from a disturbed site in the Swiss Alps are presented. The applicability of three classifications of plant functional types (PFTs), i.e. life form, growth form and root type, was examined for above- and below-ground plant traits. † Key Results Plant traits differed considerably among species even of the same life form, e.g. in the case of total root length by more than two orders of magnitude. Within the same root diameter, species differed significantly in tensile strength: some species (Geum reptans and Luzula spicata) had roots more than twice as strong as those of other species. Species of different life forms provided different root functions (e.g. root depth and horizontal root spreading) that may be important for soil physical processes. All classifications of PFTs were helpful to categorize plant traits; however, the PFTs according to root type explained total root length far better than the other PFTs. † Conclusions The results of the study illustrate the remarkable differences between root traits of alpine plants, some of which cannot be assessed from simple morphological inspection, e.g. tensile strength. PFT classification based on root traits seems useful to categorize plant traits, even though some patterns are better explained at the individual species level.

La edad y crecimiento de la tilapia Oreochromis niloticus x Oreochromis aureus fueron determinados por medio de la lectura de escamas. Un total de 382 individuos fueron capturados mediante el uso de redes agalleras y atarrayas. Ocho recolectas mensuales se llevaron a cabo entre septiembre 2003-mayo 2004; se registraron los datos de longitud estándar en cm. (Le), el peso total en g (Pt) y se obtuvieron muestras de escamas para registrar el largo de la escama en mm. (Lesc) y el número de anillos de crecimiento formados. Las tallas y pesos de recolecta variaron entre 38 a 232mm (Le) y de 8.7 a 311.9g de peso total (Pt) respectivamente. El recuento de los anillos anuales en escamas, permitió establecer cuatro grupos de edad, siendo el grupo de edad 2 el más representativo, con un 34.3% de la población muestreada. El cálculo de los incrementos marginales del crecimiento mensual de las escamas, sugirió la formación de dos anillos, uno de ellos se forma en los meses de noviembre-enero y otro en los meses de abril-mayo, los cuales coinciden con la época de bajas temperaturas y de madurez gonádica respectivamente. Los parámetros de crecimiento quedaron establecidos en: L∞=281.1mm, W∞=877.1g, K=0.33 y T0=0.88/año. Las curvas de crecimiento en longitud y peso se describieron mediante las ecuaciones de von Bertalanffy: Le=28.11 [1- e-0.33(t+0.88)] y Pt=877.17 [1-e-0.33(t+0.88)]³. Finalmente, se concluyó que los peces que se explotan en la represa mediante captura comercial presentan entre un año y año y medio de edad. Age and growth of the hybrid tilapia Oreochromis niloticus x Oreochromis aureus (Perciformes: Cichlidae) in the dam “Zimapan” Mexico. Studies on age and growth in fishes are essential to establish models on population dynamics. The previos issues were determined in this study by scale growth analyses. Between September 2003 and May 2004, 382 organisms were captured using gill and atarraya nets. Eight samples were developed every month a long this study. Standard length in centimeters (Le), total weight in grams (Pt), scale length in centimeters (Lesc) and growth rings were determined. The size and weight ranged from 38 to 232mm (Le) and 8.7 to 311.9g (Pt), respectively. The growth rings analyses reveal four age groups, being the sec-ond group the most representative with 34.3% of the total sampled. The scale ring analyses showed two growth rings, one develops between November-January and the other between April-May, in good correlation with low temperature and gonad development, respectively. The growth parameters were established as: L∞=281.1mm, W∞=877.1g, K=0.33 and T0=0.88year -1. The growth curves based on length and weight were described by using the von Bertalanffy model: Le =28.11[1-e-0.33(t+0.88)] and Pt =877.17[1-e-0.33(t+0.88)]³. Finally, it is concluded that commercial catches in this dam are between a year and year and half-old when exploited. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (2): 761-770. Epub 2011 June 01.

Los anillos de crecimiento de los árboles son bandas de células producidas por el cambium vascular en un periodo. La existencia de anillos anuales en árboles tropicales ha sido puesta en duda por algunos investigadores. Sin embargo, son muchas las especies de árboles tropicales que forman anillos anuales y que han sido empleadas para reconstruir las condiciones medioambientales pasadas de un sitio. Los primeros estudios dendrocronológicos en el trópico se remontan a finales del siglo XIX. En numerosos países tropicales se han realizado investigaciones dendrocronológicas tanto en climas secos como húmedos, desde el nivel del mar hasta el límite de vegetación arbórea a más de 4000 m de altitud. En este artículo, se presentan los antecedentes de la dendrocronología tanto en las regiones templadas como en el trópico, los principios que rigen esta ciencia, así como las principales aplicaciones. Se mencionan los resultados de muchas experiencias exitosas, a fin de incentivar la aplicación de esta fascinante ciencia en todo el trópico. Tree rings are bands of cells produced by the vascular cambium in a period of time. The existence of rings in tropical trees has been questioned by several researchers. However, many tropical tree species form annual tree-rings and have been used to reconstruct past environmental conditions of a site. Early dendrochronology studies in the tropics were carried out from late XIX. In most tropical countries, dendrochronologycal researches have been carried out in dry and wet climates, from sea level to the limit of the tree-line over than 4000 m altitude. This paper presents the backgrounds of dendrochronology in temperate and tropical regions, the principles that guide this science and some applications. The results of many successful experiences have been presented in order to encourage the application of this fascinating science in tropical regions. Os anéis de crescimento das árvores são bandas de células produzidas pelo cambium vascular num período. A existencia de anéis anuais nas árvores tropicais tem sido posta em dúvida por alguns pesquisadores. Sem embargo, são muitas as espécies de árvores tropicais que forma anéis anuais e que tem sido empregadas para reconstruir as condições de meio ambiente passadas num lugar. Os primeiros estudos dendrocronológicos no trópico remontam a finais do século XIX. Em numerosos países tropicais se tem realizado investigações dendrocronológicas tanto em climas secos como em úmidos, desde o nível do mar até o limite da vegetação arbórea a mais de 4000m de altitude. Neste artigo, se apresentam os antecedentes da dendrocronología tanto nas regiões temperadas como no trópico, os princípios que regem esta ciência, assim como as principais aplicações. Mencionam-se os resultados de muitas experiências exitosas, a fim de incentivar a aplicação desta fascinante ciência em todo o trópico.

Submitted by Boris Flegr (boris@uerj.br) on 2021-01-05T18:23:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Diss_Monique_Final.pdf: 3997567 bytes, checksum: 75bb737dd9fc3fbcdf02fefd43eb1c8e (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2021-01-05T18:23:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Diss_Monique_Final.pdf: 3997567 bytes, checksum: 75bb737dd9fc3fbcdf02fefd43eb1c8e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-22 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Along the 20th century, a few dendrochronological studies were developed with tropical species, according to the belief that variations of the climatic conditions on those regions weren´t regular and strong enough to induce an annual rate of radial growth. The researches on this topic in the last decades showed that the formation of annual growth rings in the tropics may be associated to several factors, such as: existence of a distinct dry season, occurrence of seasonal floods and responses to photoperiod and to endogenous rhythms. The objective of this study is to comprehend radial growth dynamics of an Atlantic Rain Forest species growing in natural conditions. Therefore, it was purposed to: i) investigate the periodicity of cambial activity and its influencing factors; ii) estimate age and diameter growth rates and correlate the environmental factors with the growth rings, in Cedrela odorata L. trees. For the cambial activity study, stem samples containing periderm, cambial zone, secondary xylem and phloem were taken at 1.30 m from ground level, by nondestructive methods. Vegetative phenology and fruiting of the selected trees were monitored during the whole experiment period. The samples were processed with usual Plant Anatomy techniques and were analyzed under light and fluorescence microscopy. Photoperiod, precipitation, temperature and vegetative phenology data were correlated to cambial activity. For the growth ring study, the samples were also taken at 1,30 m from ground level, with increment borer. The samples were polished and analyzed with stereomicroscope, for the demarcation and counting of growth rings, and its length was measured for the determination of the radial growth rates. The historical temperature and precipitation data were correlated to the chronology of the growth rings. The results indicated that cambial activity follows an annual growth rhythm correlated to the seasonality of photoperiod, precipitation and vegetative phenology. The growth ring analysis allowed to estimate the age of the trees and to determine the mean increment rate, the accumulated diameter increment and the annual mean increment of the species in the study site. The radial increment data showed the absence of a relation between trees age and diameter. The variation of the rings length didn´t show significant correlations with the analyzed climatic factors. Ao longo do século XX, poucos estudos de dendrocronologia foram desenvolvidos com espécies de ambientes tropicais, em função da crença de que as condições climáticas nessas regiões não apresentavam variações suficientemente marcantes e regulares para induzir um ritmo anual de crescimento radial. A realização de trabalhos sobre esse tema nas últimas décadas revelou que a formação de anéis de crescimento anuais nos trópicos pode estar associada a fatores diversos, como: existência de estação seca bem definida, ocorrência de inundações sazonais, respostas ao comportamento fenológico, respostas ao fotoperíodo e a ritmos endógenos. O presente estudo tem por objetivo compreender a dinâmica de crescimento radial de uma espécie da Mata Atlântica se desenvolvendo em ambiente natural. Para tanto, propôs-se: i) investigar a periodicidade da atividade cambial e dos fatores que a influenciam; ii) estimar a idade e taxa de crescimento diamétrico e iii) correlacionar os fatores ambientais com os anéis de crescimento, em indivíduos de Cedrela odorata L. Para o estudo da atividade cambial, foram obtidas amostras de caule a 1,30 m do solo, contendo periderme, faixa cambial e xilema e floema secundários, por métodos não destrutivos. A fenologia vegetativa e a frutificação dos indivíduos amostrados foram acompanhadas durante todo o período do experimento. O material coletado foi processado segundo técnicas usuais em Anatomia Vegetal e analisado sob microscopia óptica e de fluorescência. Os dados de fotoperíodo, precipitação, temperatura e fenologia vegetativa foram correlacionados à atividade cambial. Para o estudo dos anéis de crescimento, as coletas também foram realizadas a 1,30 m do solo, por meio de sonda de Pressler. As amostras obtidas foram polidas e analisadas sob microscópio estereoscópio, para demarcação e aferição do número de anéis de crescimento, e a largura dos anéis foi mensurada para a determinação das taxas de crescimento radial. A série histórica de temperatura e precipitação foi correlacionada à cronologia dos anéis de crescimento. Os resultados indicaram que a atividade cambial segue um ritmo anual de crescimento, correlacionado à sazonalidade do fotoperíodo, da precipitação e da fenologia vegetativa. A análise dos anéis de crescimento permitiu estimar a idade dos indivíduos e determinar a taxa média de incremento e as taxas de incremento diamétrico acumulado e incremento médio anual para a espécie no sítio de estudo. Os dados de incremento radial evidenciaram a ausência de relação entre a idade e o diâmetro das árvores. A análise da variação na largura dos anéis não apresentou correlações significativas com os fatores climáticos analisados.

International audience; Dendrochronological methods have greatly contributed to the documentation of past long-term trends in forest growth. These methods primarily focus on the high-frequency signals of tree ring chronologies. They require the removal of the ageing trend in tree growth, known as 'standardisation' or 'detrending', as a prerequisite to the estimation of such trends. Because the approach is sequential, it may however absorb part of the low-frequency historical signal. In this study, we investigate the effect of a sequential and a simultaneous estimation of the ageing trend on the chronology of growth. We formerly developed a method to estimate historical changes in growth, including a careful control of site fertility in the sampling design and a simultaneous separation of the site fertility, developmental stage, and calendar year effects on growth, using a statistical modelling (SM) approach. The method has been applied to the radial growth of dominant trees in even-aged stands of common beech in north-eastern France. We compare the SM method to the regional curve standardisation (RCS) method, which is widely used in dendrochronology, and has been proven to retain more long-term signals than other detrending techniques. We also test a variant of the RCS in which the developmental stage is measured by size rather than age, as is the case in the SM approach. The SM and RCS methods produce similar long-term chronologies, showing an increase of approximately 50% in radial growth over the 20th century and a recent decline of around 18% in magnitude. The negative bias induced by the sequential estimation of ageing and date effects on growth in the RCS is identified, but remains minor. The chronology estimated by using the RCS variant (regional size curve) is lower in magnitude than that estimated by using the RCS, but the difference is moderate (5%). These results highlight the conservative properties of the RCS with regard to the low-frequency historical signals in growth. They also suggest that singularly high estimates of growth trends reported in the dendrochronology literature are not method-dependent. We hypothesize that they may be caused by a negative site-age linkage in sampling designs. The decline reported for common beech in this temperate area of France is lower in magnitude than that evidenced in Mediterranean contexts.

The aim of this study is to establish the relationship macroclimatic factors (precipitation and temperature) with the formation of growth rings in the species Guasmo (Guazuma ulmifolia) in the farm "San Pedro", Limoncito commune, taking wood samples after leaving a stump of 30 cm tall from the base, a cut cross on the tree, obtaining a section thickness of 5 cm per meter of shaft in ten trees getting a whole series of ring widths, with which genus approximate chronology for this species. Measuring the total number resulted in a correlation of 0.49 to 0.86 with temperature and precipitation, indicating that growth is influenced by environmental stimuli, precipitation is the influential factor in the variability of growth, followed by the temperature and other. This is borne out because there is a wider growth in the rings for the years 1983 and 1998 coinciding with ENSO events (El Niño-Southern Oscillation), which resulted in an increase in precipitation in the coastal region of the Ecuadorian coast and reflection in the ring width Guazuma ulmifolia

Drimys brasiliensis Miers, locally know as cataia or casca-d´anta, is a Winteraceae, common in Araucaria Forest, and considered an important species in management and conservation plans. Due to its relevance, it is important to obtain information about its development and growth, which was the main objective of the present work. Non destructive samples were collected from adult trees of Drimys brasiliensis, in a secondary forest, located in Colombo, Parana State, Brazil. It was observed average annual diametric increment of 0.32 cm, and 0.01 m² of average annual transversal area increment.doi: 10.4336/2010.pfb.30.61.79 Drimys brasiliensis Miers, conhecida como cataia ou casca-d’anta, é uma espécie da família Winteraceae, típica da Floresta Ombrófila Mista (FOM) e considerada como uma espécie muito importante em planos de manejo e conservação. Devido a isso, buscam-se novas informações sobre seu desenvolvimento e crescimento, objetivo principal do presente trabalho. Foram coletadas amostras não destrutivas de dez árvores adultas de Drimys brasiliensis, em uma floresta secundária localizada no Município de Colombo, Estado do Paraná. Observou-se 0,32 cm de incremento diamétrico anual médio, representando 0,01 m² de incremento anual médio em área transversal.doi: 10.4336/2010.pfb.30.61.79

In the present work the dendrochronological potential of six species of the Araucaria Forest is analyzed. The trunks of 20 trees were collected in Candoi, State of Parana, Brazil, from an area that belongs toELEJOR, Centrais Elétricas do Rio Jordão, for the following species: Araucaria angustifolia, Clethra scabra, Cedrela lilloi, Ocotea porosa, Podocarpus lambertii and Sebastiania commersoniana (3 to 6, from each species). The trunks were sawed, and at breast height a sample was taken from the center of the board, from bark to bark, crossing the pith, for macroscopic analysis. These samples were dried and polished, making possible the recognition and measurement of growth rings The historical climatic data series were provided by SIMEPAR, the State weather institute. The trees presented diameter at breast height (DBH), varying from 14 cm to 40 cm, with age of 60 years, annual diameter increment of 0.6 cm, in average. Although the number of trees was small, it was possible to observe that the site was not limiting for the species, as the growth rings showed very low sensitivity.However, the very extreme growth condition of 1999 and 2000, when occurred a very low precipitation period followed by a very severe winter, was registered in the growth ring series of most of the disks analyzed Foi analisado o potencial dendrocronológico de seis espécies da Floresta Ombrófila Mista (FOM).Foram coletados troncos em Candói, PR, em uma área pertencente a ELEJOR, Centrais Elétricas do Rio Jordão,sendo três a seis indivíduos das espécies: Araucaria angustifolia, Clethra scabra, Cedrela lilloi, Ocoteaporosa, Podocarpus lambertii e Sebastiania commersoniana. Os troncos foram serrados, sendo retiradas amostras à altura do peito, da prancha central, de casca a casca, cruzando a medula, para análise macroscópica. Essas amostras foram secas e lixadas, possibilitando o reconhecimento e medição dos anéis de crescimento. A série climática utilizada foi disponibilizada pelo Instituto Tecnológico SIMEPAR. As árvores apresentavam diâmetro à altura do peito (DAP) variando de 14 cm a 40 cm e, em média, 60 anos e incremento anual médio de 0,6 cm. Apesar do número de árvores ser pequeno, foi possível observar que as condições do ambiente não foram limitantes para as espécies, pois os anéis de crescimento se mostram pouco sensíveis. Entretanto, as condições climáticas extremas dos anos de 1999 e 2000, quando ocorreu período de precipitação extremamente baixa, seguido por inverno muito rigoroso, foi registrado nos anéis de crescimento em muitos discos analisados nesse trabalho.

Araucaria Forest is one of most threatened phyto-physiognomies in the Atlantic Forest domain,presenting great ecological-economical importance. Nevertheless, there are still lacks of knowledge concerning growth and dynamic of important species, as Araucaria angustifolia. The objective of this work was to recover the past growth of Araucaria angustifolia, native from Caçador, SC, Brazil, by measuring growth rings and to estimate the average periodic diametric increment. The growth rings were counted and measured, using a stereoscope microscope, in increment cores of 0.5 cm collected from 32 adult trees. The measurements were done with LINTAB measuring table, with 0.01 mm of precision. The samples sizes were irregular, varying from 4.2 to 20.2 cm long. The trees presented average diameter breast height (DBH) of 76.3 cm, varying from 10.7 to 141.3 cm. The periodic diameter increment from the last 10 years was 0.4 cm, varying from 0.11 to 1.15 cm. It was observed differences among trees, but there was a tendency of reduction of growth rhythm in larger trees, being moreevident in trees with more than 110 cm of DBH. A Floresta Ombrófila Mista (FOM) é uma das fitofisionomias mais ameaçadas da área de domínio daMata Atlântica, apresentando grande importância ecológico-econômica. Apesar disso, ainda existem lacunas de conhecimento sobre a produtividade primária, o crescimento e a dinâmica de espécies importantes, como a Araucaria angustifolia. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo estudar o crescimento anual de Araucaria angustifolia, nativa do Município de Caçador, SC, pela medição dos anéis de crescimento. A contagem e medição dos anéis de crescimento foram feitas com o auxílio de um microscópio estereoscópico, em baguetas de 0,5 cm de diâmetro, coletadas de 32 árvores adultas. As medições foram feitas com o medidor de anéis de crescimento LINTAB, com precisão de 0,01 mm. O comprimento das amostras é irregular, tendo variado de 4,2 cm a 20,2 cm. As árvores apresentaram diâmetro médio de 76,3 cm, variando de 10,7 cm a 141,3 cm. O incremento diamétrico periódico dos últimos 10 anos foi de 0,40 cm, variando de 0,11 cm a 1,15 cm. Observou-se variação de crescimentoentre os diferentes indivíduos, mas houve uma tendência de redução do ritmo de crescimento nas árvores maiores, sendo mais evidente em árvores com mais 110 cm de diâmetro.

Southern hake (Merluccius australis) age and growth were estimated using sagittae otoliths obtained in research cruises and observers programs in the Argentine Sea (SW Atlantic). The only annual growth ring observed, formed by two bands, one hyaline and another opaque, corresponded to winter and summer growth, respectively. According to the analysis of otoliths edge, birthday was established on 1st July. Within the age range observed, that comprised 3-18 year old specimens, age groups 7, 8 and 9 were the most frequently identified in both sexes. Growth parameters estimates showed significant differences between them. Se presenta un análisis del crecimiento y una estimación de la edad de la merluza austral (Merluccius australis) del Mar Argentino (Atlántico SO) realizados utilizando otolitos sagittae provenientes de campañas de investigación y del muestreo realizado por observadores. El único anillo de crecimiento anual que se observó, formado por dos bandas, una hialina y otra opaca, correspondió al crecimiento de invierno y verano, respectivamente. De acuerdo con el análisis de borde, la fecha de cumpleaños se fijó el 1º de julio. Dentro del rango de edad observado, que abarcó especímenes de entre 3 y 18 años, las edades 7, 8 y 9 fueron las que se identificaron con mayor frecuencia en ambos sexos. La estimación de los parámetros de crecimiento permitió observar diferencias significativas entre ellos. Published Merluccius australis, merluza austral, determinación de edad, grupos de edades, anillos de crecimiento, otolitos

Cell wall thickness and tracheid radial and tangential diameter are important characteristics in papermaking. These fibre cross-sectional dimensions affect paper properties such as light scattering, and tear and tensile indexes. In the authors’ previous article, the mean values and distributions of tracheid cross-sectional dimensions were obtained for Norway spruce (Picea abies). This article characterises the cross-sectional tracheid properties of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) using exactly the same methodology as in the previous study on Norway spruce, which enables the comparison between the tree species. The distributions for Scots pine cell wall thickness and tracheid radial diameter were similar: a narrow peak due to earlywood tracheids, and a wide peak due to latewood tracheids. The tangential diameter distributions for Scots pine were very similar in both earlywood and latewood, having one wide peak. Also, the distributions in whole stem, top pulpwood and sawmill chip assortments were quite similar. The differences between Scots pine and Norway spruce tracheid cross-sectional dimensions were fairly marginal. This is at least the case when comparing large tracheid populations, in which differences tend to even out. The situation may be different on a more detailed level of observation, for example, when individual annual rings in the different tree species are compared.

Distributions of three cross-sectional dimensions: radial and tangential tracheid width, and cell wall thickness in different timber assortments of Norway spruce were investigated. Wood samples from a mature stand were measured with SilviScan. In the analysis, virtual trees were constructed from measurement data, and divided into three assortments: whole stem, top pulpwood and sawmill chips. Average values and distributions of the properties were calculated for all assortments, and distributions divided into earlywood and latewood across the whole tree assortment. There was considerable variation within latewood in all three cross-sectional dimensions, but variation in earlywood was slight in radial width and cell wall thickness. In earlywood, tangential tracheid width showed considerable internal variation, and the difference between earlywood and latewood in tangential width was small. Within-assortment variation of all three properties was larger than between assortments. We may conclude that only a moderate difference in pulp properties can be achieved by sorting raw material into sawmill chips and top pulpwood. Pulp fractionation into earlywood and latewood seems to be a more efficient method, since it gives classes with small within-class variation and distinct average properties. However, it should be kept in mind that the results are valid only in mature stands, where growth rate variation and juvenile wood content are small.

Knowledge of the structure and properties of microscopic surfaces of durum wheat starch granules is essential for understanding the functional and physico-chemical properties. The nanoscale surface undulations on the starch granules inside durum wheat macroscopically influence the milling properties. The objective of this study was to visualize the surface morphology and the size of starch grains of vitreous and nonvitreous durum wheat kernels using atomic force microscopy. The distribution of starch granules in the vitreous and nonvitreous durum wheat starch samples were examined and compared. The results of our study confirm the 'blocklet' model of the ultrastructure of the starch granule surface. Image contrast enhancement using UV/ozone treatment of microtomed starch samples improved the imaging of growth rings on the starch samples. The observation of growth rings in the nonvitreous starch granule surfaces indicates that amylopectin is more common than amylose in nonvitreous starch when compared with vitreous starch.

17 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables, 79 references., Aims Rhododendron ponticum L. is reputed to be a post Plio-Pleistocene relict plant species with a disjunct distribution that comprises the Iberian Peninsula to the west and the Euxinian region plus some restricted Mediterranean areas to the east. We analysed the ecological range (of subsp. baeticum) in the western area (Aljibe Mountains, north of the Strait of Gibraltar) to understand the factors determining the present area limitation. Location Sierra del Aljibe, north of the Strait of Gibraltar (Iberian Peninsula). Methods We selected 20 riparian sites where R. ponticum is common, and compiled data on the ecological diversity of associated woody species and ferns. We established a 500-m main transect in each site, along the stream or river course, in which we placed five 20-m-long plots at regular intervals. We recorded physiographic habitat features, woody plants and fern abundance, and the number of R. ponticum individuals. Results Rhododendron ponticum in southern Spain is restricted to riparian forests in acidic soils (pH 4.0–6.4), and is mainly found on the banks of inclined and enclosed streams. In our inventory we recorded 59 woody taxa and 12 ferns, with R. ponticum being the dominant species of the understorey (mean abundance 78.6%). The communities are characterized by a high incidence of the humid warm temperate element, both in number of species (18.8 ± 3.7 per site) and abundance; meanwhile, the presence of the modern Mediterranean element (mean number of species 3.4 ± 3.8 per site) appears to be favoured by disturbance. These ecological–historical groups of taxa also show distinct patterns of typological habit, frequency of endemism, infrageneric diversity and geographical range. Populations of R. ponticum are characterized by a very variable density of seedlings in many sites, and the virtual lack of juveniles. Main conclusions Riparian forests of the Aljibe Mountains constitute a refuge for R. ponticum where the species persists, but populations appear to be in decline. The narrow ecological range of R. ponticum in the area strongly contrasts with its wide amplitude in the eastern natural area, mainly the Euxinian region, where R. ponticum probably finds better conditions due to the environmental heterogeneity of the region, and the lack of a hot dry season., Financial support provided by DGICYT-DGESIC grants PB91-0894 and PB95-1144, FED- ER-CICYT grant 1FD97-0743-CO3-03, and GIASA I & II research contracts as a part of environmental compensating tasks for construction of the A-381 highway.

Se realizó un análisis dendrocronológico de tres especies de Tachigali y dos de Terminalia para estimar su crecimiento radial. En el bosque siempreverde, el crecimiento fue 5,48 ± 2,74 mm/año para Tachigali sp. 1 y 3,23 ± 0,63 mm/año para Terminalia cf. amazonia, con tasas de densidad de madera menores para la primera (0,432 ± 0,04 g/cm³) y mayores para la segunda (0,708 ± 0,05 g/cm³). En el bosque semideciduo Tachigali cf. guianensis presentó 5,85 ± 0,49 mm/año y 0,683 ± 0,07 g/cm³ y Terminalia amazonia 2,40 ± 0,24 mm/año y 0,705 ±0,03 g/cm³. A pesar de algunas limitaciones, los resultados indican la aplicabilidad del método en bosques con poca estacionalidad, cuando los anillos presentan un nivel aceptable de nitidez. ABSTRACT A dendrochronological analysis was carried out for three species of Tachigali and two of Terminalia to estimate radial growth. In the evergreen forest, Tachigali sp. 1 grew 5,48 ± 2,74 mm/year and Terminalia cf. amazonia 3,23 ± 0,63 mm/year. The wood density rate of the first species was low (0,432 ± 0,04 g/cm³), and the second high (0,708 ± 0,05 g/cm³). In the semideciduous forest, Tachigalicf. guianensis grew 5,85 ±0,49 mm/year and Terminalia amazonia 2,40 ± 0,24 mm/year, the wood density was 0,683 ± 0,07 g/cm³ and 0,705 ± 0,03 g/cm³, respectively. Dendrochronology represents, with some limitations, a viable approach appliable in forests with no seasonality, when growth rings show enough sharpness.

Mangroves occur along the coast of (sub)tropical areas and play an important economical as well as ecological role (Roennbaeck 1999; Dahdouh-Guebas et al. 2005; Walters 2005). In Bangladesh Sonneratia apetala is the main species used for coastal afforestation purposes (Hoque and Datta 2005) and has proven its value as a barrier against extreme flood events (Blasco et al. 1992). Because of the absence of a clear dormancy of the cambial activity, many tropical trees fail to produce distinct growth rings which prevent dendrochronological applications (Sass et al., 1995). Nevertheless, Sonneratia has been mentioned to show distinct growth rings bordered by a layer of flattened fibres (Panshin 1932; Rao et al. 1987). However, their periodicity has never been analysed before. In this study the dendrochronological potential of the growth rings of S. apetala is investigated. Knowledge about the periodicity of the growth rings will possibly enable age and growth-rate determinations, important to improve the efficiency of mangrove management programmes. In addition, an analysis of the ring periodicity could make it possible to trace environmental changes that cause mangrove decline worldwide (Spalding et al. 1997; Kovacs et al. 2001). In this study the nature and periodicity of the growth rings of S. apetala is investigated. On three stem disks of a plantation of known age rings were counted and ring width measured using digital image analysis software (Analysis 3.0). In addition, high resolution measurements were carried out of several wood anatomical characters (vessel density, vessel grouping, tangential and radial vessel diameter) in transects from pith to bark to trace possible periodic signals (Verheyden et al. 2004; Verheyden et al. 2005). Ring counts corresponded with plantation age and ring width chronologies were cross-datable. In contrast, no clear periodicity was found in the time series of the vessel characters. It is concluded that the growth rings in S. apetala from Bangladesh are delimitedby a band of flattened fibres and show an overall annual nature. This finding reveals the suitability of S. apetala for further dendrochronological investigations.

Tree demography was analysed by applying dendrochronological techniques and matrix modelling on a static data set of Juniperus procera populations of Ethiopian dry highland forests. Six permanent sample plots were established for an inventory of diameters and 11 stem discs were collected for dendrochronological analysis. J. procera was proved to form concentric annual growth layers in response to seasonal changes in precipitation. Uncertainty analysis for the matrix model revealed its robustness to variations in parameter estimates. The major outcome was that the population growth rate is very sensitive to changes in growth or survival of trees between 10 and 40 cm DBH. For forest management this implies that these intermediate sized individuals should be protected and less used for harvest. This study documents that interesting results can be achieved using a relatively simple approach that can easily be adopted for other areas or with other species. However, the matrix modelling requires more precise knowledge about the trees’ fecundity and survival (especially for the smaller individuals) and more consistent inventories. For tree-ring analysis it can be concluded that J. procera from Ethiopia has potential to investigate the relationship between tree growth and precipitation with a high temporal resolution.

Among species life-history traits, size and age at first reproduction are particularly relevant to design meaningful conservation plans. The main goal of this study was to define the size at first reproduction of colonies of the precious red coral Corallium rubrum (L.) and determine their age, thanks to a new reliable method. Sampled colonies come from two sites at 40 m depth on the French Mediterranean coast near Marseilles. Furthermore, we report trends in reproduction parameters in relation to colony size. The smallest fertile colonies (50 mm in height) and medium size colonies (30–50 mm) than in small ones (