Genetic and environmental signals in tree rings from different provenances of Pinus sylvestris L. planted in the southern taiga, central Siberia

Abstract

Seeds of Scots pine provenances originating from all over Russia were planted in the Boguchany provenance trial at a central Siberian location (southern taiga) in 1974. Eight tree-ring density and width parameters for 16 different provenances were measured with densitometric techniques. The tree-ring data were recorded from 1982 to 1996. Correlation analysis calculated by raw series showed that tree-ring width decreases and percentage of latewood increases with an increase in the latitude of the seed source. High variability was found for raw tree-ring characteristics from tree to tree within each provenance for an observed period (individual variability). The age trend of each tree is well described by the chosen fitting curve, and is similar for the mean series of each provenance. As a consequence of these findings, the indexed chronology for each provenance mainly shows climatic signals. The SD of the indexed chronology (chronological variability) is low for each provenance, showing low sensitivity to climatic influences. A cluster analysis of provenances represented by tree-ring characteristics differentiated the provenances into three groups. However, the statistical distance between the groups was minor. So we can confirm that Scots pine provenances are highly adaptable to local ecological conditions and regional climatic influences.