Axial changes in wood functional traits have limited net effects on stem biomass increment in European beech (Fagus sylvatica).

ABSTRACT: During the growing season, trees allocate photoassimilates to increase their aboveground woody biomass in the stem (ABIstem). This 'carbon allocation' to structural growth is a dynamic process influenced by internal and external (e.g., climatic) drivers. While radial variability in wood formation and its resulting structure have been intensively studied, their variability along tree stems and subsequent impacts on ABIstem remain poorly understood. We collected wood cores from mature trees within a fixed plot in a well-studied temperate Fagus sylvatica L. forest. For a subset of trees, we performed regular interval sampling along the stem to elucidate axial variability in ring width (RW) and wood density (ρ), and the resulting effects on tree- and plot-level ABIstem. Moreover, we measured w

SUBMITTER: Peters RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7182063 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature