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

SALGADO, MARIANA; TORRES, CRISTIAN; MAGNIN, AMARU; GEREA, MARINA; GROSFELD, JAVIER E.; PUNTIERI, JAVIER GUIDO; STECCONI, MARINA

BOSQUE (VALDIVIA)

UNIV AUSTRAL CHILE

Lugar: Valdivia; Año: 2020 vol. 41 p. 183 - 192

0304-8799

Rainforests (RF) and transitional forests (TF) of Argentinian 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 growth initiation and end, growth period, relative extension rates (RER) and absolute extension rates (AER) were registered for each species. The correlation between AER and air temperature, as well as the proportion of dates when AER and temperature increased or decreased simultaneously were compared between species. In general, RF species had less variable times of growth initiation, growth end and maximum RER, and longer growth periods; the growth 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 seasonal period of primary growth