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Šilhán K, Balek J, Hartvich F, Klimeš J, Blahůt J, Hampel F. Anatomical growth response of Fagus sylvatica L. to landslide movements. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 867:161554. [PMID: 36640874 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.161554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Determining the age of landslide events is crucial for determining landslide risk, triggers, and also for predicting future landslide occurrence. Currently, the most accurate method for dating historical landslide events is dendrogeomorphic analysis. Unfortunately, the standard use of macroscopic growth responses of damaged trees for dating landslide activity suffers from many shortcomings. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze in detail the growth response of trees to landslide movements at the anatomical level, a completely groundbreaking methodological approach. Ten specimens of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) were analyzed at two sampling heights, growing in two morphologically contrasting zones of the landslide area. Detailed anatomical analysis was focused on changes in morphometric parameters of the vessels and in the number of radial rays. The period (2008-2012) with the occurrence of the largest landslide movement (2010) recorded by long-term monitoring was analyzed. The results obtained revealed different anatomical responses in trees growing in different morphological zones of landslide. The tree responses on the ridge corresponded to the manifestations of tension wood formation, which corresponded to the stem tilting due to the landslide block movement. In the case of the trees in the trenches, root damage due to the subsidence of the landslide block blocked the flux of phytohormones, and their accumulation caused a significant reduction in the parameters of vessels and an increase in the number of rays. The study also includes recommendations in the future application of anatomical analyses in landslide research resulting from the obtained results. Thus, the obtained findings will improve the acquisition of chronological data for the purpose of landslide risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karel Šilhán
- Department of Physical geography and geoecology, University of Ostrava, Chittussiho 10, Ostrava, Czech Republic.
| | - Jan Balek
- Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, V Holešovičkách 41, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Hartvich
- Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, V Holešovičkách 41, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Klimeš
- Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, V Holešovičkách 41, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Blahůt
- Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Czech Academy of Sciences, V Holešovičkách 41, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Filip Hampel
- Department of Physical geography and geoecology, University of Ostrava, Chittussiho 10, Ostrava, Czech Republic
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When scientists become detectives: investigating systematic tree poisoning in a protected cove. Heliyon 2020; 6:e03386. [PMID: 32072064 PMCID: PMC7016248 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 11/15/2019] [Accepted: 02/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The systematic killing of trees is usually aimed at eradicating pests or alien plant species susceptible to harm existing natural ecosystems. In some cases, trees may become the subject of dispute between neighbors, which sometimes ends in tree death after months or years of dispute. In this paper, we analyze a case of clandestine tree killing and look into ways through which evidence left by delinquents can be analyzed a posteriori with state-of-the-art approaches. The investigation presented here looks at a series of old-growth trees that were supposedly poisoned inside a protected, nineteenth century grove in Switzerland. After the sudden, unexplained death of several old Black poplar (Populus nigra) trees along the main alley in fall 2015 and their subsequent removal, the dying of five additional, neighboring Sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) and English walnut (Juglans regia) trees in 2016 promptly triggered a suite of criminal investigations at the property. During an initial inspection, a large number of boreholes was found in the root plates of the dying trees. We present findings obtained from tree-ring, wood anatomical and dendrogeochemical investigations performed on root, stem and leave material from the assumedly poisoned trees and show that massive amounts of chemical elements – supposedly in the form organic pesticides with high Al, As, Fe, Cr, Ni contents, aluminum phosphides or glyphosate-based pesticides – were injected into 36 boreholes drilled into the roots around September 2016. Results obtained in this study are currently used in criminal investigations, and are a nice example of how scientific detectives can help their “real World” colleagues in identifying delinquents.
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Gritsan YI, Lovynska VM, Sytnyk SA, Hetmanchuk AI. Dendroindication of ecoclimatic condition in forest remediation area within Northern Steppe of Ukraine. REGULATORY MECHANISMS IN BIOSYSTEMS 2019. [DOI: 10.15421/021967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
We analyzed ring width, latewood width and earlywood width of Pinus sylvestris trees under normal and flood condition in Dnipropetrovsk region, within Northern Steppe of Ukraine. Precipitation from February to August seems to be the most stable climatic factor which influenced Scots pine growth rate and caused the difference between maximum and minimum ring width in normal conditions. Meteorological conditions were mainly associated with general ring values and earlywood width, and were less associated with latewood width values. Assessment of the effect of climatic signals on tree rings’ growth process in living and dead trees and in the normal and flood condition by analyses of correlation and response function was conducted. Average annual temperatures affected the tree growth negatively in normal conditions and tree increment positively in flood conditions. Annual precipitation was correlated positively with ring width, earlywood width series in normal conditions, but negatively with these series in flood conditions.
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Stoffel M, Ballesteros Cánovas JA, Luckman BH, Casteller A, Villalba R. Tree-ring correlations suggest links between moderate earthquakes and distant rockfalls in the Patagonian Cordillera. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12112. [PMID: 31431684 PMCID: PMC6702161 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48530-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2019] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Earthquakes with magnitudes M > 7 can trigger large landslides and rockfalls at epicenter distances of up to 400 km, whereas moderate shaking (M = 5–7) is generally thought to result in abundant co-seismic mass movements in the vicinity of the epicenter. Although one might anticipate that large magnitude earthquakes off the Chilean coast would result in abundant rockfall in the Patagonian Cordillera, only limited research has explored this hypothesis. Here, we use tree-ring records from 63 cross-sections of century-old (103.9 ± 40.1 yr) Nothofagus pumilio trees to develop a calendar-dated record of small rockfall events (101–102 m3) on a talus slope located next to Monte Fitz Roy (El Chaltén, Argentina; 49°4′S, 72°57′W). The resulting rockfall record is used to infer that subduction zone seismicity at the Triple Junction and intraplate shaking around Lago Argentino almost systematically caused rockfall activity at this site, even if seismicity occurred at large distances (up to 300 km away) and with moderate intensity (M = 5–7). About one third of the rockfalls are triggered by factors other than earthquakes, predominantly in spring when freeze-thaw cycles occur frequently at the site. Despite the fact that seismicity is not the only trigger of rockfall activity at Cerro Crestón, at the foot of Monte Vespignani, we conclude that, in regions where topographic amplification plays a role, small rockfalls can be triggered by earthquakes of moderate intensity at large distances from the epicenter.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Stoffel
- dendrolab.ch, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, rue des Maraîchers 13, CH-1205, Geneva, Switzerland. .,Climatic Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene (C-CIA), Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Bvd Carl Vogt 66, CH-1205, Geneva, Switzerland. .,Department F.-A. Forel for Environmental and Aquatic Sciences, University of Geneva, Bvd Carl Vogt 66, CH-1205, Geneva, Switzerland.
| | - J A Ballesteros Cánovas
- dendrolab.ch, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, rue des Maraîchers 13, CH-1205, Geneva, Switzerland.,Climatic Change Impacts and Risks in the Anthropocene (C-CIA), Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Bvd Carl Vogt 66, CH-1205, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - B H Luckman
- Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario, Social Science Building, London, N6A 5C2, Canada
| | - A Casteller
- WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Flüelastrasse 11, CH-7260, Davos Dorf, Switzerland
| | - R Villalba
- Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales IANIGLA, CCT-CONICET-Mendoza, Avenida Ruiz Leal s/n, 5500, Mendoza, Argentina
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Tumajer J, Treml V. Disentangling the effects of disturbance, climate and tree age on xylem hydraulic conductivity of Betula pendula. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2019; 123:783-792. [PMID: 30551134 PMCID: PMC6526315 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcy209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS The increasing frequency of disturbances in temperate forests is responsible for the greater numbers of trees with mechanically damaged cambial zones. Adjustment of wood anatomical structure to balance between safe and efficient water conductivity is one mechanism trees employ to cope with mechanical damage. The relative role of disturbances, tree age and climate in shaping xylem conduits and affecting xylem hydraulic conductivity remains unknown. METHODS We performed an experiment with five different mechanical treatments simulating natural disturbances of juvenile Betula pendula trees (stem scarring, tilting, decapitation, root exposure and stem-base burial). After 3 years, trees were cut down, conduit size and density were measured, and specific hydraulic conductivity of each tree ring was calculated. Between-tree and between-year variability in xylem conductivity was decomposed into effects of tree age, climate and disturbances using linear mixed-effects models. KEY RESULTS Xylem-specific hydraulic conductivity decreased significantly after treatment in decapitated, tilted and scarred trees. In the last treatment, wood anatomical adjustment was restricted to the area next to the callus tissue zone; in contrast, specific hydraulic conductivity declined over the entire stem circumference after tilting or decapitation. The response of trees with buried stems and exposed roots was generally weak. The overall effect of disturbances on inter-annual variability of wood anatomical structure was greater than the contribution of tree age and climate. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that disturbances are important drivers of xylem hydraulic conductivity. Expected increases in the frequency and intensity of disturbances may alter the theoretical capacity of forest stands for water conductance with a feedback to climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Tumajer
- Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Treml
- Department of Physical Geography and Geoecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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Francon L, Corona C, Roussel E, Lopez Saez J, Stoffel M. Warm summers and moderate winter precipitation boost Rhododendron ferrugineum L. growth in the Taillefer massif (French Alps). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 586:1020-1031. [PMID: 28214115 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.02.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Revised: 02/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Rhododendron ferrugineum L. is a widespread dwarf shrub species growing in high-elevation, alpine environments of the Western European Alps. For this reason, analysis of its growth rings offers unique opportunities to push current dendrochronological networks into extreme environments and way beyond the treeline. Given that different species of the same genus have been successfully used in tree-ring investigations, notably in the Himalayas where Rhododendron spp. has proven to be a reliable climate proxy, this study aims at (i) evaluating the dendroclimatological potential of R. ferrugineum and at (ii) determining the major limiting climate factor driving its growth. To this end, 154 cross-sections from 36 R. ferrugineum individuals have been sampled above local treelines and at elevations from 1800 to 2100masl on northwest-facing slopes of the Taillefer massif (French Alps). We illustrate a 195-year-long standard chronology based on growth-ring records from 24 R. ferrugineum individuals, and document that the series is well-replicated for almost one century (1920-2015) with an Expressed Population Signal (EPS) >0.85. Analyses using partial and moving 3-months correlation functions further highlight that growth of R. ferrugineum is governed by temperatures during the growing season (May-July), with increasingly higher air temperatures favoring wider rings, a phenomenon which is well known from dwarf shrubs growing in circum-arctic tundra ecosystems. Similarly, the negative effect of January-February precipitation on radial growth of R. ferrugineum, already observed in the Alps on juniper shrubs, is interpreted as a result of shortened growing seasons following snowy winters. We conclude that the strong and unequivocal signals recorded in the fairly long R. ferrugineum chronologies can indeed be used for climate-growth studies as well as for the reconstruction of climatic fluctuations in Alpine regions beyond the upper limits of present-day forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Francon
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - C Corona
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - E Roussel
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - J Lopez Saez
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR EMGR, 2 rue de la Papeterie, - BP76, F-38402 St-Martin-d'Hères, France
| | - M Stoffel
- Dendrolab.ch, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Geneva, Rue des Maraîchers 13, CH-1205 Geneva, Switzerland; Climatic Change and Climate Impacts, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Boulevard Carl-Vogt 66, CH-1205 Geneva, Switzerland
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von Arx G, Crivellaro A, Prendin AL, Čufar K, Carrer M. Quantitative Wood Anatomy-Practical Guidelines. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2016; 7:781. [PMID: 27375641 PMCID: PMC4891576 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.00781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Accepted: 05/20/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative wood anatomy analyzes the variability of xylem anatomical features in trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species to address research questions related to plant functioning, growth, and environment. Among the more frequently considered anatomical features are lumen dimensions and wall thickness of conducting cells, fibers, and several ray properties. The structural properties of each xylem anatomical feature are mostly fixed once they are formed, and define to a large extent its functionality, including transport and storage of water, nutrients, sugars, and hormones, and providing mechanical support. The anatomical features can often be localized within an annual growth ring, which allows to establish intra-annual past and present structure-function relationships and its sensitivity to environmental variability. However, there are many methodological challenges to handle when aiming at producing (large) data sets of xylem anatomical data. Here we describe the different steps from wood sample collection to xylem anatomical data, provide guidance and identify pitfalls, and present different image-analysis tools for the quantification of anatomical features, in particular conducting cells. We show that each data production step from sample collection in the field, microslide preparation in the lab, image capturing through an optical microscope and image analysis with specific tools can readily introduce measurement errors between 5 and 30% and more, whereby the magnitude usually increases the smaller the anatomical features. Such measurement errors-if not avoided or corrected-may make it impossible to extract meaningful xylem anatomical data in light of the rather small range of variability in many anatomical features as observed, for example, within time series of individual plants. Following a rigid protocol and quality control as proposed in this paper is thus mandatory to use quantitative data of xylem anatomical features as a powerful source for many research topics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg von Arx
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSLBirmensdorf, Switzerland
- *Correspondence: Georg von Arx
| | - Alan Crivellaro
- Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro Forestali, Università degli Studi di PadovaPadua, Italy
| | - Angela L. Prendin
- Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro Forestali, Università degli Studi di PadovaPadua, Italy
| | - Katarina Čufar
- Department of Wood Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of LjubljanaLjubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marco Carrer
- Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro Forestali, Università degli Studi di PadovaPadua, Italy
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Arbellay E, Stoffel M, Sutherland EK, Smith KT, Falk DA. Changes in tracheid and ray traits in fire scars of North American conifers and their ecophysiological implications. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2014; 114:223-32. [PMID: 24941999 PMCID: PMC4111399 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcu112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 04/29/2014] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Fire scars have been widely used as proxies for the reconstruction of fire history; however, little is known about the impact of fire injury on wood anatomy. This study investigates changes in tracheid and ray traits in fire scars of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), western larch (Larix occidentalis) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), and discusses their ecophysiological implications for tree recovery from fire. METHODS Transverse and tangential microsections were prepared for light microscopy and image analysis. Measurements of tracheids and rays were made in the three spatial dimensions: axially (at different section heights), radially (in different rings) and tangentially (with increasing distance from the wound margin). KEY RESULTS Changes were strongest in the first year after fire injury, with a decrease in tracheid size (by 25-30 %) and an increase in tracheid density (by 21-53 %) for the three species. In addition, an increase in ray size (by 5-27 %) and an increase in ray density (by 19-36 %) were found in P. menziesii and L. occidentalis. Changes were comparable along the fire-injured stem and were often most marked close to the fire scar. CONCLUSIONS The differentiation after fire injury of narrower and more numerous tracheids expresses a trade-off between hydraulic safety and hydraulic efficiency, while that of larger and more numerous rays serves compartmentalization and wound closure, mechanical strength and defence responses. Pinus ponderosa does not generally produce more ray tissue after fire injury and thus appears to be more adapted to fire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Arbellay
- Dendrolab.ch, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland
| | - Markus Stoffel
- Dendrolab.ch, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland Climatic Change and Climate Impacts, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Kevin T Smith
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Donald A Falk
- School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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