Abstract
To investigate the effect of changes in mechanical loading conditions on radial anatomical patterns, we here compare the trunk with the roots in two locations of three species of buttressed trees. The proximal part of the buttress roots is highly mechanically loaded throughout juvenile growth whereas the distal part of the buttresses is though to be mechanically unimportant at formation but become progressively more mechanically loaded during growth. We measured the frequency and diameter of the vessels and the vessel area fraction, and from this calculated the specific conductivity of tissue samples of the core-, intermediate- and outer wood. As in previous studies there was an increase in vessel size, vessel area fraction and specific conductivity from the pith to the bark in the trunk. In the proximal part of the buttress roots, however, there was no increase in vessel size and conductivity from core wood and out in agreement with the high mechanical loading found here throughout growth. There was instead a decrease in vessel size, vessel area fraction and specific conductivity from core- to outer wood in the distal part of the buttress roots in accordance with the increase in mechanical loading. Hence, it appears that the radial anatomical patterns are not a passive function of cambial ageing but may be modified in response to local mechanical loading.
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Acknowledgments
This project would not have been possible but for the grant holder of the project, Anders Barfod, to whom we are deeply indebted. We would further wish to acknowledge Pascal Imbert, Paolo Mussone, and Audin Patient for invaluable help in the field and Pascal Petronelli for help with identifying the species. We are grateful to Lilian Blanc and CIRAD’s authorities for providing access to the Paracou facilities and Jacques Beauchene and the Wood lab of CIRAD for help and providing access to equipment. Finally, we are indebted to two anonymous referees whose comments improved the final version of the paper. This project was conducted as part of KKCD’s Ph.D. study at the University of Manchester funded by the Danish Agency for Science Technology and Innovation to Anders Barfod (grant 645-03-0175). Additional funding in support of the field work was obtained from the project “Wood diversity: Diversité des structures de bois et analyse biophysique des stratégies écologiques des ligneux en forêt tropicale humide” by MF and Bruno Clair from the French National Research Agency (ANR).
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Communicated by H. Cochard.
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Christensen-Dalsgaard, K.K., Ennos, A.R. & Fournier, M. Are radial changes in vascular anatomy mechanically induced or an ageing process? Evidence from observations on buttressed tree root systems. Trees 22, 543–550 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-008-0214-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-008-0214-y