Abstract
The objective of this study is to analyze the dendrochronological potential of two Sahelian species (B. senegalensis and S. birrea) and to evaluate the relationships between their growth rings and the climate. The study was conducted in 2016 in the Ferlo area of Senegal. The biological material consists of wood slices, taken from the trunks of these adult woody species at 0.30 m and 1.30 m from the ground after they have been felled. The technique used to examine the slices consists in identifying their rings, establishing their structures, inter-dating them and studying the relationship between the identified rings and climatic factors. The results showed that the species had thin, clear, highly visible and sharp rings. The limit of growth is marked by a line of parenchyma. Intradatation series carried out on the chronologies made it possible to estimate the ages of the individuals, which vary from 10 to 38 years for B. senegalensis and from 29 to 50 years for S. birrea. Their average growth rates are estimated at 0.906 mm/year and 0.89 mm/year respectively. The chronological sequences are 29 years (1987-2016) for B. senegalensis and 38 years (1964-2012) for S. birrea. The results revealed that there is no significant correlation between the growth chronologies of B. senegalensis and the climatic regressors (temperature and precipitation). In contrast, the ring-climate relationship shows that in S. birrea winter precipitation positively influences ring growth while temperature has no effect on ring growth in this species. This study provides a better understanding of the response of forest ecosystems to possible climate change, particularly in the current context of sustainable forest management.
Highlights
Climate change scenarios for Africa include higher temperatures across the continent; likely to increase at a rate of 0.2 ̊C per decade [1]
The objective of this study is to analyze the dendrochronological potential of two Sahelian species (B. senegalensis and S. birrea) and to evaluate the relationships between their growth rings and the climate
Understanding species responses to climate change, the dominant and most vulnerable species in these ecosystems, is of paramount importance for the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change. The control of these parameters must imperatively pass through the knowledge of the impact of climatic hazards on the dynamics of biodiversity and especially on tree growth, which can be studied through dendrochronology
Summary
Climate change scenarios for Africa include higher temperatures across the continent; likely to increase at a rate of 0.2 ̊C per decade [1]. In the Southern, Central and Northern African eco-zones and especially in the Sahel where this study was conducted, very erratic rainfall is noted associated with sustained declines in productivity [2] Faced with these environmental challenges, which are largely related to climate change and the recurrent effects of desertification, Africa, and in particular the Sahel, is doomed to face up to them. Understanding species responses to climate change, the dominant and most vulnerable species in these ecosystems, is of paramount importance for the development of adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change The control of these parameters must imperatively pass through the knowledge of the impact of climatic hazards on the dynamics of biodiversity and especially on tree growth, which can be studied through dendrochronology. It is a scientific method increasingly used in forestry research to evaluate the impact of climate on tree growth [8]
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