Abstract
ABSTRACT Samples of Araucaria angustifolia were collected at Fazenda Rio Grande, Paraná, Brazil (25°39'S 49 18'O) in January 2011. The 32 samples from 8 trees were subjected to treatments following dendrochronological techniques. The cores were measured and dated using optical and computational methodology, and then standardized to obtain a growth-ring time series, which considers the 1907-2009 time range and represents Fazenda Rio Grande. Tree-ring indices were analyzed and correlated to temperature and precipitation averages from the 1961-2009 range. This procedure aimed to study and understand the influence of the local climate on the plant growth and if this influence can be quantified. A. angustifolia trees produce visible annual growth rings, and their earlywood and latewood are clearly defined. The present study shows that A. angustifolia is sensitive to climate variables (e.g., low temperatures in wintertime tend to stop the growth rate). The correlation between tree rings and monthly precipitation series showed a common trend, making it possible to estimate the seasonal rainfall behavior for the entire 1907-2009 range.
Highlights
In the past, records were found of tree-ring observations of in 370 BC, when Theophrasus described tree rings and the relationship between them and the environment (COELHO, 2011)
The present study shows that A. angustifolia is sensitive to climate variables
This study showed that the plant growth represents the local climate characterized by rainier spring / summer, which provided sufficient water for the plant during the growing season
Summary
Records were found of tree-ring observations of in 370 BC, when Theophrasus described tree rings and the relationship between them and the environment (COELHO, 2011). Theophrasus relates the climate influence over treering growth and that most trees develop one ring growth annually (SCHWEINGRUBER, 1996). Extensive research used the tree growth to develop dendroclimatology and its innumerable current applications. The interaction of trees with environment makes them a rich natural record source. Trees are able to absorb, transform, and accumulate pollutants from the atmosphere (MOREIRA, 2010), which are sometimes retained in the xylem of plants. Lisi et al (2001), studied xylem from A. angustifolia and Pakia sp before and after nuclear tests in the Northern Hemisphere that began in 1952, and they reported accumulation of 14C in tree rings between 1965-1966
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