The GloboXylo initiative seeks to exploits xylogenesis monitoring data at a global-scale in order to identify large-scale bio-geographic and ecological trends in wood formation.

1. Background information

As a consequence of recent climatic changes, many studies have reported an increase in tree growth, forest ecosystem net primary productivity, and terrestrial biosphere carbon up-take, making forest one of the largest carbon sink.

Direct and remote observations, as well as eco-physiological models, have suggested that it is mainly the rise in temperature and the resulting extended vegetation period that are responsible for forest enhanced productivity.

However, a comprehensive study of the influences of the environment on tree-ring formation has not been expressed before in terms of the influence of limiting factors to the duration vs. the intensity of growth.

Based on a large wood formation monitoring dataset, encompassing numerous sites from Mediterranean to Boreal conifer forests, we tested the hypothesis that growth speed is even more important than growth duration to explain tree growth.

Moreover, we explored the influence of the environmental conditions on the variation in both timings and rates of xylem cell production.         

2. Topic Description

Monitoring the intra-annual dynamics of wood formation allows a more detailed understanding of the process of tree growth, as well as its response to environmental factors, leading to tree-ring formation. Thanks to continuously improving measuring techniques and tools, a large amount of comparable observational data have been collected during the last years from various species and environmental settings. These data were collected according to a common shared protocol and are now being gathered together into a single database. A global analysis of these data represents a unique opportunity to make a giant step forward regarding our understanding of wood formation process, carbon flux to wood, and functional meaning of wood anatomy. When during the growing season, and under which environmental conditions are tracheid features formed, are fundamental questions in order to link environmental causes to physiological effects. In addition, because of the strong association between xylem cell features and wood functions, providing a detailed model of how rates and timings of cell development shapes tree-ring structure is fundamental to assess the impact of climatic changes on forest ecosystem functions and services (including wood production and quality).

3. General objectives

The workshop aims at gathering experts with observational data of intra-annual dynamics of wood formation sampled with “micro-cores” techniques across various conifer species and environmental settings in order to discuss, explore, and perform analyses on such data with the aim to identify global patterns. Research objectives include:

1)   To quantify the variability in the rates and timings of xylogenesis across the northern hemisphere.

2)   To understand what ecological factors influence xylem phenology?

3)   To understand how xylogenesis dynamics shapes tree-ring structure?

4)   To understand what are the relationships between leaf phenology, primary growth and secondary growth?

4. Expected outputs

• Database of harmonized and verified wood formation monitoring data
• Ready to use methods to verify, visaualise and analyse wood formation monitoring data
• Publication(s) on large-scale intra- to inter- seasonal tree stem dynamics
• Recommendations for acquisition, handling, homogenizing and assessing of high-resolution wood formation monitoring data

5. Data

We collected data from fifty-one study sites spread at various altitudes and latitudes, on three continents (America, Europe, Asia), in extra tropical parts of the Northern Hemisphere (Boreal, Temperate and Mediterranean bioclimatic zones).

• Wood formation was monitored at a weekly time-scale using histological sections of forming wood collected from the stems of 15 conifer species.

6. Methods

Rathgeber, C. B. K., Longuetaud, F., Mothe, F., Cuny, H., & Le Moguédec, G. (2011). Phenology of wood formation: Data processing, analysis and visualisation using R (package CAVIAR). Dendrochronologia, 29(3), 139–149. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.dendro.2011.01.004

Instructions to install Caviar

7. Organisation team

Cyrille Rathgeber, INRA, UMR 1434 Silva, F-54280 Champenoux, France - AgroParisTech, UMR 1434 Silva, F-54000 Nancy, France - Université de Lorraine, UMR 1434 Silva, F54506 Vandoeuvre les nancy, France

Patrick Fonti, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland

Sergio Rossi, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi (QC) Canada, G7H 2B1

8. Participants

• Bryukhanova Marina V., V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest, SB RAS, 660036 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
• Camarero Jesus Julio, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, 50192 Zaragoza, Spain
• Campelo Filipe, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
• Čufar Katarina, University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Cuny Henri E., INRA, UMR 1092 LERFOB, F-54280 Champenoux, France - AgroParisTech, UMR 1092 LERFOB, F-54000 Nancy, France
• De Luis Martin, Department of Geography and Regional Planning, Environmental Science Institute (IUCA), University of Zaragoza, C/Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain
• Deslauriers Annie, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi (QC) Canada, G7H 2B1
• Fonti Patrick, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
• Fournier Meriem, AgroParisTech, UMR 1092 LERFOB, F-54000 Nancy, France - INRA, UMR 1092 LERFOB, F-54280 Champenoux, France 
• Frank David, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland - Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
• Gričar Jožica, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Vecna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Gruber Andreas, University of Innsbruck, Institute of Botany, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
• Gryc Vladimír, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Department of Wood Science, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
• Huang Jian-Guo, Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China, 510650
• King Gregory, Queen's University, Department of Geography, Kingston, Canada 
• Krause Cornelia, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi (QC) Canada, G7H 2B1
• Kirdyanov Alexander V., V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest, SB RAS, 660036 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
• Li Xiaoxia, Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes and Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101 China
• Liang Eryuan, Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes and Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101 China
• Mäkinen Harri, Natural Resources Institute Finland, P.O. Box 18, 01301 Vantaa, Finland
• Martinez del Castillo Edurne,  Department of Geography and Regional Planning, Environmental Science Institute (IUCA), University of Zaragoza, C/Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain
• Morin Hubert, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi (QC) Canada, G7H 2B1
• Nabais Cristina, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
• Nöjd Pekka, Natural Resources Institute Finland, P.O. Box 18, 01301 Vantaa, Finland
• Oberhuber Walter, University of Innsbruck, Institute of Botany, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
• Prislan Peter, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Vecna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Rathgeber Cyrille B.K., INRA, UMR 1092 LERFOB, F-54280 Champenoux, France - AgroParisTech, UMR 1092 LERFOB, F-54000 Nancy, France
• Rossi Sergio, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Chicoutimi (QC) Canada, G7H 2B1
• Swidrak Irene, University of Innsbruck, Institute of Botany, Sternwartestrasse 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
• Treml Vaclav, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Science, CZ-12843 Prague, Czech Republic
• Tuula Jyske, Natural Resources Institute Finland, P.O. Box 18, 01301 Vantaa, Finland
• Vavrčík Hanuš, Mendel University in Brno, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Department of Wood Science, Zemědělská 3, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
• Vieira Joana, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal

9. Publications 

Cuny H. E., Rathgeber C. B. K., Frank D., Fonti P., Mäkinen H., Prislan P., Rossi R., Martinez del Castillo E., Campelo F., Vavrčík H., Camarero J. J., Bryukhanova M. V., Jyske T., Gričar J., Gryc V., De Luis M., Vieira J., Čufar K., Kirdyanov A. V., Oberhuber W., Treml V., Huang J.-G., Li X., Swidrak I., Deslauriers A., Liang E., Nöjd P., Gruber A., Nabais C., Morin H., Krause C., King G. & Fournier M. Intra-annual dynamics of woody biomass production in coniferous forests. In press in Nature Plants.

Rossi, S., Anfodillo, T., Cufar, K., Cuny, H. E., Deslauriers, A., Fonti, P., Frank, D., Gricar, J., Gruber, A., King, G. M., Krause, C., Morin, H., Oberhuber, W, Prislan, P. & Rathgeber, C. B. K. (2013). A meta-analysis of cambium phenology and growth: linear and non-linear patterns in conifers of the northern hemisphere. Annals of Botany 112(9): 1911–1920.

Rossi S., Deslauriers A., Gričar J., Seo J-W, Rathgeber C. B. K., Anfodillo T., Morin H., Levanic T., Oven P. & Jalkanen R. 2008. Critical Temperatures for xylogenesis in conifers of cold climates. Global Ecology and Biogeography 17: 696-707.

10. Links

COST Action FP1106: STReESS - Studying Tree Responses to extreme Events: a SynthesiS (http://www.cost.eu/domains_actions/fps/Actions/FP1106)

11.Contact

Cyrille Rathgeber (cyrille.rathgeber@inra.fr)