Growth Rate, Tree Rings, and Wood Anatomy of a Tropical Cloud Forest Tree Invader

Résumé fourni par la source

The presence of shade-tolerant tree invaders has been recently noted in tropical and temperate forest understories. Maximum growth rate is an important trait for exotic trees becoming invaders in a forest. This study aimed to determine the growth rate of Eriobotrya japonica in a secondary cloud forest in central Veracruz, Mexico. The objectives of this study were to determine wood density, tree ring boundaries and number, and their relationship to diameter at breast height (DBH) and climate data. Tree ring counts were obtained using Python-based software with subsequent visual validation. Growth rates were measured using diametric tape, dendrometric bands, and the pinning method. The number of rings increased with DBH, presenting values ranging from 14 to 27. Tree rings were delimited by fibers that were five times narrower in the ring limit zone than in the intra-ring zone. The growth ring delimitation zones were formed when vascular cambium activity stalled during the relatively dry-cold season (January–February). The growth rate of E. japonica was statistically similar (ca. 0.2 mm yr−1) regardless of the method employed to measure it. Relative growth rate was low (0.02 cm cm−1 yr−1). Wood density (0.76 g cm−3) values lay within the upper values for mature forest trees. Eriobotrya japonica is a potential invader, with traits such as high wood density and a relatively low growth rate, which are characteristic of the shade-tolerant tree species.

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