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Daily weather response of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) stem radius increment from dendrometer analysis in the boreal forests of Québec (Canada)

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Abstract

Daily stem radial growth of balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.] was studied between 1998 and 2001 using automated point dendrometers to investigate meteorological influence. By dividing the dendrometer day-night variation, the diurnal growth pattern was resolved into the three phases of (1) contraction, (2) expansion and (3) stem radius increment (SRI). The entire circadian cycle (4) defined by the three previous phases was considered as a fourth phase. The mean weather conditions of each phase were compared with the SRI using simple correlation and response function analysis. It was found that the weather conditions prevailing from 1600/1700 hours to 0800/0900 hours corresponding with the expansion-SRI phases had greater impact on SRI. Response function results confirmed most of the correlation analyses and explained up to 95% of the variance of the SRI series. Total rainfall in phases 2, 3 and 4 was correlated positively with SRI, and hence verifies the importance of daily water balance. The importance of water was also demonstrated by the negative effect of high vapour pressure deficit of phase 2, decreasing the possibility of cell radial expansion. The maximum temperature of phase 3 was the only temperature variable having a positive impact on SRI suggesting that night temperature was more important than day temperature in controlling radial growth. These results may influence the process of cell enlargement and reflect only the mechanical aspect of growth.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Consortium de recherche sur la forêt boréale commerciale, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Le Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies . The authors thank G. Dumont-Frenette for laboratory work, G. Dallaire, F. Gionest and G. Savard for field assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Département des sciences fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, 555 Boulevard de l'Université, Chicoutimi, Québec, G7H 2B1, Canada

    Annie Deslauriers & Hubert Morin

  2. Dipartimento Biotecnologie Agrarie e Ambientali, Università degli Studi di Ancona, Via Brecce Bianche, 60100 , Ancona, Italy

    Carlo Urbinati

  3. Dipartimento Territorio e Sistemi Agro-Forestali, Università degli Studi di Padova, 35020, Legnaro, PD, Italy

    Marco Carrer

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  1. Annie Deslauriers
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  2. Hubert Morin
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  3. Carlo Urbinati
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  4. Marco Carrer
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Correspondence to Annie Deslauriers.

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Deslauriers, A., Morin, H., Urbinati, C. et al. Daily weather response of balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) stem radius increment from dendrometer analysis in the boreal forests of Québec (Canada). Trees 17, 477–484 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-003-0260-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-003-0260-4

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