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Defining ecologically relevant vessel parameters in Quercus robur L. for use in dendroecology: a pointer year and recovery time case study in Central Germany

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The most promising and representative earlywood vessel parameters were identified for dendroecological applications in oak.

Abstract

Recent improvements of methods used in tree-ring and quantitative wood anatomical studies have helped to widen the selection of parameters which contain environmental information. In the present study, we identified the most promising parameters with respect to signal strength, representativeness, and applicability in oak (Quercus robur L.) from two sites in Germany with different moisture regimes. We analyzed three tree-ring and 15 vessel parameters. Principal component analysis was used to detect clusters of relatively similar parameters. Correlation analysis and classical dendrochronological methods were used to select the most robust parameters. From the 15 initial anatomical parameters, six proved to be suitable for tree-ring anatomical studies based on our screening criteria. These were mean area of the vessels of the first row, mean of the five largest vessels, total vessel area, total area of the vessels excluding the first row, vessel density, and total vessel area as a percentage of tree-ring area. These parameters were applied to samples to search for lagged responses to positive and negative pointer years using superposed epoch analysis. Negative, i.e., dry, pointer years provoked no lagged changes in analyzed parameters at either site; whereas positive, i.e., moist, pointer years showed a lagged negative response of all parameters, which was more pronounced at the drier site.

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Author contribution statement

All authors made substantial contributions to conception and design of the study. BK and BG conducted sampling. BK performed lab work and data analysis and interpretation. All authors drafted the manuscript. AR and GvA gave final approval of the version to be submitted.

Acknowledgments

This study was part of the project GR 3736/2-1 funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation). We would like to thank Sten Gillner and Matthias Meyer for their help in the field and their valuable comments and suggestions to improve the quality of the paper.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technische Universität Dresden, Institute of Forest Botany and Zoology, Pienner Strasse 7, 01737, Tharandt, Germany

    Britt Maria Kniesel & Andreas Roloff

  2. Technische Universität Dresden, Institute of Forest Utilization and Forest Technology, Pienner Strasse 19, 01737, Tharandt, Germany

    Björn Günther

  3. Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Georg von Arx

Authors
  1. Britt Maria Kniesel
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  2. Björn Günther
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  3. Andreas Roloff
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  4. Georg von Arx
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Britt Maria Kniesel.

Additional information

Communicated by A. Braeuning.

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Kniesel, B.M., Günther, B., Roloff, A. et al. Defining ecologically relevant vessel parameters in Quercus robur L. for use in dendroecology: a pointer year and recovery time case study in Central Germany. Trees 29, 1041–1051 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1183-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1183-6

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