Defining an Adequate Sample of Earlywood Vessels for Retrospective Injury Detection in Diffuse-Porous Species

• Published in: PLoS ONE
• Main Authors: Arbellay, Estelle, Corona, Christophe, Stoffel, Markus, Fonti, Patrick, Decaulne, Armelle
• Other Authors: Universität Bern / University of Bern (UNIBE), Université de Genève = University of Geneva (UNIGE), Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Laboratoire de Géographie Physique et Environnementale (GEOLAB), Université Blaise Pascal - Clermont-Ferrand 2 (UBP)-Institut Sciences de l'Homme et de la Société (IR SHS UNILIM), Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université de Limoges (UNILIM)-Université Clermont Auvergne 2017-2020 (UCA 2017-2020 )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA), Littoral, Environnement, Télédétection, Géomatique (LETG - Nantes), Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN), Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes (IGARUN), Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2012
• Subjects: Tree-rings; [SHS]Humanities and Social Sciences; Subarctic
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-00826857; https://hal.science/hal-00826857/document; https://hal.science/hal-00826857/file/file.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0038824

International audience Vessels of broad-leaved trees have been analyzed to study how trees deal with various environmental factors. Cambialinjury, in particular, has been reported to induce the formation of narrower conduits. Yet, little or no effort has beendevoted to the elaboration of vessel sampling strategies for retrospective injury detection based on vessel lumen sizereduction. To fill this methodological gap, four wounded individuals each of grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench) anddowny birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) were harvested in an avalanche path. Earlywood vessel lumina were measured andcompared for each tree between the injury ring built during the growing season following wounding and the control ringlaid down the previous year. Measurements were performed along a 10 mm wide radial strip, located directly next to theinjury. Specifically, this study aimed at (i) investigating the intra-annual duration and local extension of vessel narrowingclose to the wound margin and (ii) identifying an adequate sample of earlywood vessels (number and intra-ring location ofcells) attesting to cambial injury. Based on the results of this study, we recommend analyzing at least 30 vessels in each ring.Within the 10 mm wide segment of the injury ring, wound-induced reduction in vessel lumen size did not fade withincreasing radial and tangential distances, but we nevertheless advise favoring early earlywood vessels located closest tothe injury. These findings, derived from two species widespread across subarctic, mountainous, and temperate regions, willassist retrospective injury detection in Alnus, Betula, and other diffuse-porous species as well as future related research onhydraulic implications after wounding.