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Are wood fibres as sensitive to environmental conditions as vessels in tree rings with intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) in Mediterranean species?

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Wood fibres are as sensitive to environmental conditions as vessels in tree rings with intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) in Mediterranean species.

Abstract

Forecasted environmental changes are likely to increase the frequency of intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) in Mediterranean tree rings. The interpretation of intra-annual anatomical variability of tree rings with IADFs can be useful to understand plant-growth response to environmental changes with seasonal resolution. We analysed the intra-annual variability of quantitative traits of both vessels and fibres in the woods of Arbutus unedo L. and Erica arborea L. to compare the sensitivity of different cell types to environmental variations. We applied digital image analysis on microphotographs of semi-thin sections of tree rings formed at sites with different soil water availability. Wood of both species showed good adaptability that allows anatomical traits of vessels and fibres to be harmonised by changing the water transport capacity and wood strength, promoting the efficiency or safety of water transport according to water availability during wood formation. The size of fibres showed trends of variation similar to vessels. Not all parameters of vessels were accurate indicators of the IADF presence. In conclusion, parameters of fibres, which offer advantages during automatic measurement, showed the same sensitivity to environmental fluctuations as vessels. Thus, they could be good indicators of summer drought to describe and interpret the ecological meaning of IADFs in tree rings.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank L. Nardella (Parco Nazionale dell`Arcipelago Toscano) and D. Giove (Comunità Montana dell`Arcipelago Toscano) for assistance in the field. The authors also acknowledge M. Nötzli for assistance with the preparation of the microsections, and H. Gärtner and W. Schoch for assistance during the laboratory activities. The authors thank Dr. Mark J. Walters for the language revision. This study profited from discussions within the COST Action STRESS (COST-FP1106).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055, Portici, Naples, Italy

    Veronica De Micco, Angela Balzano & Giovanna Aronne

  2. Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, Second University of Naples, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100, Caserta, Italy

    Giovanna Battipaglia

  3. Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (PALECO EPHE), Centre for Bio-Archaeology and Ecology, Institut de Botanique, University of Montpellier 2, 34090, Montpellier, France

    Giovanna Battipaglia

  4. Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC), Via Augusto Imperatore 16, 73100, Lecce, Italy

    Giovanna Battipaglia

  5. Swiss Federal Research Institute, WSL, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Paolo Cherubini

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  1. Veronica De Micco
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  2. Giovanna Battipaglia
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  3. Angela Balzano
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  4. Paolo Cherubini
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  5. Giovanna Aronne
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Correspondence to Veronica De Micco.

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Communicated by A. Braeuning.

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De Micco, V., Battipaglia, G., Balzano, A. et al. Are wood fibres as sensitive to environmental conditions as vessels in tree rings with intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) in Mediterranean species?. Trees 30, 971–983 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1338-5

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