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Climatic signal in cellulose microfibril angle and tracheid radial diameter of Picea crassifolia at different altitudes of the Tibetan plateau, northwest China

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Abstract

Little attention was given to the climatic signals in wood properties, such as microfibril angle (MFA) and tracheid radial diameter (TRD). In this article, year-to-year variation in MFA and TRD was measured by SilviScan-3 on dated Picea crassifolia trees growing at three altitudes in the northeastern Tibetan plateau. Climatic signals registered in MFA and TRD were analyzed using dendroclimatology methods. The annual variation of MFA and TRD was strongly linked to high-frequency climatic signals. Both MFA and TRD were negatively correlated with temperature and positively correlated with precipitation. The temperature had a similar influence on MFA and TRD at three different altitudes, while the influence of precipitation decreased with the increasing altitudes. MFA was negatively correlated with TRD, and this MFA–TRD internal relationship (R t) varied with calendar year. Temperature and precipitation had a strong influence on R t. Temperature was positively correlated with R t, and precipitation was negatively correlated with R t. The influence of temperature was stronger than that of precipitation. The influence of temperature increased with the increase in altitudes, while the influence of precipitation decreased with the increasing altitudes. Results of this study revealed that the trees could change their internal characteristics to adapt to the changing climate.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31300478) and Special Fund of Chinese Academy of Forestry for Fundamental Research (CAFYBB2014QB010) and The Lecture and Study Program for Outstanding Scholars from Home and Abroad (CAFYBB2011007). The Academy of Water Resource Conservation Forest of Qilian Mountains in Gansu provided appreciable support for fieldwork. Thanks to Winston Liew in CSIRO for technical assistance with sample preparation and measurement.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Wood Industry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China

    Jinmei Xu & Jianxiong Lu

  2. CSIRO Materials Science and Engineering, Private Bag 10, Clayton South, VIC, 3169, Australia

    Robert Evans

  3. CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences and CRC Forestry, Private Bag 12, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia

    Geoffrey M. Downes

Authors
  1. Jinmei Xu
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  2. Jianxiong Lu
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  3. Robert Evans
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  4. Geoffrey M. Downes
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Correspondence to Jianxiong Lu.

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Xu, J., Lu, J., Evans, R. et al. Climatic signal in cellulose microfibril angle and tracheid radial diameter of Picea crassifolia at different altitudes of the Tibetan plateau, northwest China. Wood Sci Technol 49, 1307–1318 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-015-0753-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00226-015-0753-5

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