Relationships between rainfall and radial growth a assessed by dendrochronology in holm-oak (Quercus rotundifolia Lam.) from Valencia de Alcántara (Cáceres, SW Spain)

PATÓN, D., GALAVIS, M., VENEGAS, F., ROIG, F.A.

Carmona, Sevilla

Workshop; First MedCLIVAR Workshop on Reconstruction of Past Mediterranean Climate; 2006

European Science Fundation and others

In the present communication we show the first results of an exhaustive dendrochronological analysis from “Valencia de Alcantara” (Cáceres, SW Spain) an area with subhumid Mediterranean climate. This area was affected by large fires during the hot summer of 2003. This allowed the recovery of 15 trunk sections from killed holm-oak (Quercus rotundifolia Lam) trees. Disks from this hardwood were analyzed by dendrochronological techniques and the resulting ring width measurements were compared with climate data. Different studies with Quercus trees confirm and in our case too, that response of radial growth to rainfall is not direct in these species. Therefore, with a running median approximation between rainfall and radial growth we find high and significant correlation coefficients (r= 0.79). This strong relationship with climate together with the longevity of holmoak trees and its extense geographical distribution make this species a potential material for paleoclimatic studies in Spain.