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Growth pattern and age determination for Cecropia sciadophylla (Urticaceae)
Paul-Camilo Zalamea1, Pablo R Stevenson, Santiago Madriñán
1IRD, UMR AMAP (botAnique et bioinforMatique de l'Architecture des Plantes), Montpellier F-34000 France.
American Journal of Botany
|June 3, 2011
Summary
Cecropia sciadophylla exhibits strong annual growth, branching, and flowering rhythms, detectable by analyzing trunk nodes. This allows for retrospective age estimation of pioneer trees based on their morphology.
Area of Science:
- Botany
- Ecology
- Arboreal Biology
Background:
- Cecropia species are pioneer trees crucial for understanding ecological succession in disturbed areas.
- Their simple architecture, following Rauh's model, offers potential for retrospective age determination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the developmental and architectural changes in Cecropia sciadophylla over time.
- To establish a method for estimating the age of Cecropia trees based on morphological characteristics.
Main Methods:
- Analyzing internode length, branching, and flowering patterns node by node in 25 Cecropia sciadophylla trees.
- Utilizing autocorrelation coefficients to identify periodicities in developmental events.
Main Results:
- A high periodicity of 25 nodes was found for flowering and branching events.
- Inflorescences occurred every 25 nodes, with branches spaced at multiples of 25 nodes.
- Alternating long and short internodes occurred every 25 nodes, indicating strong annual rhythms.
Conclusions:
- Cecropia sciadophylla demonstrates distinct annual growth, branching, and flowering rhythms.
- Tree age can be reliably estimated retrospectively by examining adult morphology, specifically node patterns.
