INVESTIGADORES
STECCONI Marina
artículos
Título:
Influence of trunk forking on height and diameter growth in an even-aged stand of Nothofagus pumilio
Autor/es:
MAGNIN AMARU; CRISTIAN TORRES; MARINA STECCONI; VILLALBA RICARDO; PUNTIERI JAVIER
Revista:
New Zealand Journal of Botany
Editorial:
RSNZ PUBLISHING
Referencias:
Lugar: Auckland; Año: 2021 vol. 1 p. 1 - 15
ISSN:
0028-825X
Resumen:
In many tree species, trunk forking plays a major role in crownconstruction, and stands out as an indicator of the architecturaltransition between juvenile and adult trees. We aimed to evaluatethe effects of trunk forking on height and diameter growth ofNothofagus pumilio trees in an even-aged monospecific stand innorthern Patagonia, Argentina. We used cataphyll scars and ringwidthmeasurements to compared yearly increments in meantrunk length and diameter of trees with forked and unforkedtrunks. After approximately 50 years of growth, trees with aforked trunk had reached larger radial growth than unforkedtrees, but there was no difference in height between the twogroups. The larger trunk volume of forked trees suggests thatthey may have a competitive advantage over unforked trees;trunk forking could therefore, influence dominance/suppressionrelationships. Our results suggest that morphogenetic processesassociated with trunk forking influence the establishment of sizehierarchies in dense stands of Nothofagus pumilio.
