Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Scale of mast-seeding and tree-ring growth

  • Scientific Correspondence
  • Published:

From Nature

View current issue Submit your manuscript

Abstract

The synchronous production of large seed crops by a population of plants1,2, known as mast-seeding, and synchronous tree-ring growth3,4 within sites are well known phenomena among trees in the temperate zone. But information about the geographic or taxonomic extent of such synchronous growth or reproduction, or about the geographic extent of switching between them, is sparse. We have detected synchrony in growth and reproduction, both within and among genera of Northern Hemisphere boreal trees, across geographical areas almost the size of a continent. Furthermore, we found a significant negative correlation between seed production and tree-ring growth at sites up to 1,000 kilometres apart, implying that there are trade-offs between them. This discovery suggests that mast-seeding is an evolved strategy that occurs on a geographic scale far larger than previously suspected5.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1: Correlations between synchronous activity of Northern Hemisphere coniferous trees depending on the geographical distance between sites.
Figure 2: Cross-correlation between mean annual seed or cone crops and mean annual tree-ring growth of Northern Hemisphere coniferous trees depending on the geographical distance between sites.

References

  1. Kelly, D. Trends Ecol. Evol. 9, 465–470 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Janzen, D. H. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 7, 347–391 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Fritts, H. C. Tree Rings and Climate (Academic, London, 1976).

  4. Hughes, M. K., Kelly, P. M., Pilcher, J. R. & LaMarche, V. C. Jr (eds) Climate from Tree Rings (Cambridge Univ. Press, 1982).

  5. Kelly, P. M., Munro, M. A. R., Hughes, M. K. & Goodess, C. M. Nature 340, 57–60 (1989).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Koenig, W. D. & Knops, J. M. H. Ecography 21, 423–429 (1998).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Woodward, A., Silsbee, D. B., Schreiner, E. G. & Means, J. E. Can. J. For. Res. 24, 1133–1143 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  8. Norton, D. A. & Kelly, D. Funct. Ecol. 2, 399–408 (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  9. Koenig, W. D., Mumme, R. L., Carmen, W. L. & Stanback, M. T. Ecology 75, 99–109 (1994).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Bock, C. E. & Lepthien, L. W. Am. Nat. 110, 559–571 (1976).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Jones, C. G., Ostfeld, R. S., Richard, M. P., Schauber, E. M. & Wolff, J. O. Science 279, 1023–1026 (1998).

    Google Scholar 

  12. Myneni, R. B., Keeling, C. D., Tucker, C. J., Asrar, G. & Nemani, R. R. Nature 386, 698–702 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Overpeck, J. et al. Science 278, 1251–1256 (1997).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hastings Reservation, University of California, Berkeley, 38601 East Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley, 93924, California, USA

    Walter D. Koenig

  2. Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, 1987 Upper Buford Circle, St Paul, 55108, Minnesota, USA

    Johannes M. H. Knops

Authors
  1. Walter D. Koenig
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Johannes M. H. Knops
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Koenig, W., Knops, J. Scale of mast-seeding and tree-ring growth. Nature 396, 225–226 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/24293

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/24293

  • Springer Nature Limited

This article is cited by

Search

Navigation