Assessment of the dendrochronological potential of Licaria bahiana Kurz, an endemic laurel of lowland Atlantic forests in Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACT The Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil has been considered to have the highest number of tree species per hectare in the world. Assessing the influence of climate on tropical tree species is a priority in the face of ongoing climate change, and for which dendrochronological studies have been important. We address the dendrochronological potential of Licaria bahiana Kurz (Lauraceae), an endemic species of the Atlantic forests. We studied growth ring anatomy of L. bahiana and applied dendrochronological methods to investigate how short-term variation in climate affect its radial growth. Distinct growth rings were observed in all individuals and demarcated by darker tangential fiber zones in latewood. Trees showed high climatic sensitivity (0.48) and growth synchrony (intercorrelation r = 0.69; rbar = 0.38). Radial growth was negatively influenced by high temperatures at the beginning of the current growing season (r = -0.46) and by excessive rainfall at the end of the current growing season (r = -0.29), which are periods that correspond to the phenological reproductive phases of the species. Climate anomalies during this period may alter the tradeoff between growth and reproduction, in favor of the latter.

Keywords

• climate
• dendroecology
• Lauraceae
• tree-rings
• wood anatomy
• Tabuleiro forests