Bristlecone Pine

Abstract: Recently, element concentrations in tree rings have been used to monitor metal contamination, fertilization, and the effects of acid precipitation on soils. This has stimulated interest in which tree species may be suitable for use in studies of long-term trends in environmental chemistry. Potential radial translocation of elements across living boundaries can be a confounding factor in assessing environmental change. The selection of species which minimizes radial translocation of elements can be critical to the success of dendrochemical research. Criteria for selection of species with characteristics favorable for dendrochemical analysis are categorized into (1) habitat-based factors, (2) xylem-based factors, and (3) element-based factors. A wide geographic range and ecological amplitude provide an advantage in calibration and better controls on the effects of soil chemistry. The most important xylem-based criteria are heartwood moisture content, permeability, and the nature of the sapwood-heartwood transition. The element of interest is important in determining suitable tree species because all elements are not equally mobile or detectable in the xylem. Ideally, the tree species selected for dendrochemical study will be long-lived, grow on a wide range of sites over a large geographic distribution, have a distinct heartwood with a low number of rings in the sapwood,more » a low heartwood moisture content, and have low radial permeability. Recommended temperate zone North American species include white oak (Quercus alba L.), post oak (Q. stellate Wangenh.), eastern redcedar (funiperus virginiana L.), old-growth Douglas-fir [Pseudoaugu menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] and big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.). In addition, species such as bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata Engelm. syn. longaeva), old-growth redwood [Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.], and giant sequoia [S. gigantea (Lindl.) Deene] may be suitable for local purposes. 118 refs., 2 tabs.« less

Abstract: Variation in leaf longevity of gymnosperms has received surprisingly little attention despite its likely adaptive significance. Pinus longaeva, a pine of arid, subalpine environments in the western United States, has the record among conifers for needle longevity, with a maximum dwarf shoot (needle fascicle) retention time of up to about 45 years. Most low elevation pines have dwarf shoot retention times (DSRs) of two to four years. Literature data for the 37 species of Pinus native to the United States and Canada and field data for eight taxa (21 populations) of pines growing at various elevations in California each show a strong positive correlation between elevation and DSR, respectively, r=+0.65, df=35, p<0.001 and r=+0.82; df=19, p<0.001. We propose that extended needle fascicle longevity represents an adaptation to arid and especially high elevation environments. Field data from native stands and common gardens indicate that differences between taxa in DSR relate to both genetic and environmental factors. When grown at the same sites certain species (eg, P. longaeva, P. monophylla) had much longer DSRs than others, indicating a genetic basis for differences in needle fascicle longevity. For six of seven taxa that were each studied at more than one elevation there was a statistically significant increase in DSR in going from the lowest to the highest elevation site, indicating strong environmental control of needle fascicle longevity. The physiological control of dwarf shoot senescence and abscission is poorly understood. For P. longaeva dwarf shoots of a particular age class are not shed simultaneously; rather there is a more or less gradual attrition of dwarf shoots from the long shoot. Although different types of long shoots of pines are known to differ physiologically, for P. longaeva there was no consistent difference in DSR on various types of lateral long shoots (eg, vegetative, pollen cone-bearing, seed cone-bearing), nor was there a statistically significant difference in DSR on trunks versus on their lateral long shoots. In addition, for P. contorta ssp. bolanderi and P. muricata needle fascicle longevity was not affected by the degree of edaphically induced dwarfing (ie, stunting) of the trees.