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Stem growth rhythms in trees of a tropical rainforest in Southern Brazil

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We demonstrate that tropical trees growing in wet climates can have a marked seasonality in cambium activity and stem growth associated with high temperature and day length of summer.

Abstract

Monitoring the rhythm of tree growth associated with the growth rings can contribute substantially to understanding forest dynamics and the management of tropical forests. In this study, we monitored the girth increment rhythm and described the wood characteristics (anatomy of growth rings, wood specific gravity) in 10 tropical tree species (103 individuals) naturally occurring in a wet and weakly seasonal region of Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil. We aimed to verify whether tree growth dynamics are associated with climate and woody anatomy in tropical trees with contrasting ecological characteristics. We installed permanent dendrometer bands and monthly assessed the girth increment for 22 months. We collected wood samples (non-destructive method), measured wood specific gravity and prepared permanent slides to characterize the growth ring markers. We found growth rings in all species (distinct in six species); deciduous species produced more distinguishable tree rings compared with semi-deciduous and evergreen tree species. Species varied in their accumulated girth growth (in average, from 1.83 to 62.64 mm), growth rates (1–15 %), and annual radial increment (0.16–5.44 mm). Girth increment was positively related to temperature and day length in five out of ten tree species, indicating the possible effects of these climatic variables in triggering cambial activity in these species. The growth pattern varied among species and was marginally associated to the tree deciduousness. We concluded that even in wet and less seasonal climates, there can be an association in the cambium activity and stem growth with the hotter and longer days of summer months.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Juliano Morales de Oliveira, Marcelo Errera, Isabela Galarda Varassin for their suggestions to the first version of the manuscript and to Gabriel A.R. de Paula for support with part of the analysis. We also thank the Brazilian Education Council (Capes/Reuni) for the fellowship to CYS and the Brazilian Agriculture Research Company (Embrapa Floresta) and the NGO Sociedade de Pesquisa em Vida Selvagem e Educação Ambiental (SPVS) for their support and staff assistance during the field work. MCMM received grants from the Brazilian Research Council (CNPq, Grants 304650/2012-9 and 229349-2013-7).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Botânica, Setor de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Caixa Postal 19031, Curitiba, PR, 81531-980, Brazil

    Carolina Y. Shimamoto, Erika Amano & Márcia C. M. Marques

  2. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa Florestas), Estrada da Ribeira, km 111, Caixa Postal 319, Colombo, PR, 83411-000, Brazil

    Paulo C. Botosso

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  1. Carolina Y. Shimamoto
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  2. Paulo C. Botosso
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Correspondence to Carolina Y. Shimamoto.

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Communicated by G. Piovesan.

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Shimamoto, C.Y., Botosso, P.C., Amano, E. et al. Stem growth rhythms in trees of a tropical rainforest in Southern Brazil. Trees 30, 99–111 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1279-z

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