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The relationship between vessel size and climate factors (temperature and precipitation) in two altitudes at Asalem Forest (Northern Iran)
Paper ID : 1053-ADA2013
Authors:
Mahsa Sadeghpour *
Department of Wood Science Faculty of Natural Resources University of Tehran
Abstract:
The relationship between vessel size and climate factors (temperature and precipitation) in two altitudes at Asalem Forest (Northern Iran)



Mahsa Sadeghpour1, Kambiz Pourtahmasi1 and AchimBräuning2

1)University of Tehran, College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

2)University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute of Geography



Fagus orientalis (Oriental beech) is a deciduous tree and one of the most important species in northern Iran, covering a high percentage of the Hyrcanian forests. In this research we studied ring width and the anatomy of highland and middle elevation forests at altitudes 1520 meters and 1150 above sea level, respectively. After transferring the samples to the lab, ring widths were measured by TASP-Win software and Lintab Machine. False and missing rings are quite typical of Fagus trees and made cross dating impossible for some samples. The chronology of the middle elevation was based on 5 stem disks plus 3 samples taken with increment borers and the chronology of the highland trees was derived from 5 stem disks and 4 additional samples from increment borers. Four discs from each site with the best cross-dating results were used to investigate interannual variations in wood anatomy. Digital photographs were taken from the last 50 rings. Among the various vessel features, minimum and maximum vessel sizes in each ring were measured. The yearly variation of minimum and maximum vessel sizes between the trees of each site showed obvious similarities and the average of them could be best used to study the effect of climate. Results showed climate had a stronger effect on the maximum vessel size than on minimum vessel size and this effect was different in two sites.



Key words: Chronology, Fagus orientalis, , elevation gradient, Hyrcanian forest, vessel size, climate.
Keywords:
Key words: Fagus orientalis, , elevation gradient, Hyrcanian forest, vessel size, climate.
Status : Abstract Accepted