The dynamics of primary growth in woody species from rain and transitional forests of Argentinean north Patagonia

MARIANA SALGADO; CRISTIAN TORRES; AMARU MAGNIN; GEREA MARINA; JAVIER GROSFELD; JAVIER PUNTIERI; MARINA STECCIONI

BOSQUE (VALDIVIA)

UNIV AUSTRAL CHILE

Lugar: Valdivia; Año: 2020

0304-8799

Rainforests (RF) and transitional forests (TF) of Argentinean north Patagonia develop under such different climatic conditions that key aspects of seasonal growth may be assumed to differ between the woody plants that characterize these forests. This study was aimed at evaluating primary growth dynamics in tree species typical of RF and TF. Two common-garden essays were performed at Bariloche, Argentina, one with RF species and the other with TF species. The times of extension initiation and end, the duration of the extension period, and the relative and absolute extension rates (RER and AER, respectively) were registered for each species. The relation between AER and air temperature were compared between species. In general, RF species had less variable times of extension initiation, extension end and time of maximum RER, and longer-lasting extension than TF species. Among RF species, extension duration was longest for C. paniculata (26.9 weeks, on average) and shortest for L. apiculata (18.9 weeks). Among TF species, the longest and shortest extension durations corresponded, respectively, to D. juncea (18.2 weeks) and M. boaria (13.0 weeks). The extension rates of RF species tended to be more related to temperature than those of TF species. This study provides some evidence that endogenous control of growth dynamics would be tighter in TF than in RF species; the former would be better adapted to more severe climatic conditions during the primary-growth period.