Tree-ring based climate reconstructions have been critical for understanding past variability and recent trends in climate worldwide, but they are scarce in Australia. This is particularly the case for temperature: only one tree-ring width based temperature reconstruction – based on Huon Pine trees from Mt Read, Tasmania – exists for Australia. Here, we investigate whether additional tree- ring parameters derived from Athrotaxis cupressoides trees growing in the same region have potential to provide robust proxy records of past temperature variability. We measured wood properties, including tree-ring width (TRW), mean density, mean cell wall thickness (CWT), and tracheid radial diameter (TRD) of annual growth rings in Athrotaxis cupressoides, a long-lived, high-elevation conifer in central Tasmania, Australia. Mean density and CWT were strongly and negatively correlated with summer temperatures. In contrast, the summer temperature signal in TRW was weakly positive. The strongest climate signal in any of the tree-ring parameters was maximum temperature in January (mid-summer; JanTmax) and we chose this as the target climate variable for reconstruction. The model that explained most of the variance in JanTmax was based on TRW and mean density as predictors. TRW and mean density provided complementary proxies with mean density showing greater high-frequency (inter-annual to multi-year) variability and TRW showing more low-frequency (decadal to centennial-scale) variability. The final reconstruction model is robust, explaining 55% of the variance in JanTmax, and was used to reconstruct JanTmax for the last five centuries (1530–2010 C.E.). The reconstruction suggests that the most recent 60 years have been warmer than average in the context of the last ca. 500 years. This unusually warm period is likely linked to a coincident increase in the intensity of the subtropical ridge and dominance of the positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode in summer, which weaken the influence of the band of prevailing westerly winds and storms on Tasmanian climate. Our findings indicate that wood properties, such as mean density, are likely to provide significant contributions toward the development of robust climate reconstructions in the Southern Hemisphere and thus toward an improved understanding of past climate in Australasia.

Examination of the relationship between wood properties such as density, cell diameters and climate provides the opportunity to develop long-term climate and mass balance proxies, and is a key component to understanding when and how wood develops through time. This research sought to: create multi-proxy models to represent long-term changes in the climate-mass balance relationships at Place Glacier, and to describe glaciological changes in Mount Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks, British Columbia; use multiple wood properties to develop intra-annual climate records for tree-ring sites from the southern and northern interior regions of British Columbia; and, use climate as an indicator of wood quality by identifying historical climate impacts on wood development over time. Tree-ring samples from hybrid interior spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss x engelmannii (Parry)) and Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) were collected in north-central British Columbia; interior spruce, Douglas-fir, and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hooker) Nuttall) were collected from trees in the Pemberton area of British Columbia, and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex. Engelmann), subalpine fir, and mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana Bongard Carrière) were collected from trees located within Glacier and Mt. Revelstoke National Parks. Tree-ring chronologies were constructed using standard ring width measurement techniques, densitometric methodologies, and using SilviScan technology. Relationships among the regional climate, snowpack, mass balance and various wood chronologies were identified and used as a basis for reconstructing proxy climate and mass balance data. A proxy snowpack record for Tatlayoko Lake was reconstructed using mean density and ring width chronologies. Maximum density and ring width chronologies were used to reconstruct winter and summer mass balance records for Place Glacier. Place Glacier was found to respond negatively to continental summer temperature regimes and positively to winter coastal precipitation events. A proxy record of maximum summer temperature was reconstructed for Revelstoke using maximum density and ring width chronologies; while maximum cell-wall thickness was used to reconstruct total August precipitation, and February snowpack from Golden was reconstructed from subalpine fir and mountain hemlock ring-width chronologies. Mass balance for glaciers in the Columbia Mountains was reconstructed using a combination of ring width, maximum density and maximum cell-wall thickness chronologies. The proxy mass balance reconstruction shows a general decline in ice mass over the time span of the net balance reconstruction. Two intra-annual proxy climate records were created for northern British Columbia. Mean June and mean July-August temperature chronologies were reconstructed for Smithers using ring width and maximum density, and for Fort St. James total May-June and July-August precipitation records were reconstructed using ring width, minimum density, and maximum cell-wall thickness. Wood parameters, including density, cell-wall thickness, microfibril angle, and cell diameter in Douglas-fir and interior spruce were reconstructed at five sites across British Columbia using temperature and precipitation data from local climate stations. Maximum cell-wall thickness was shown to be one of the most robust wood parameters to predict using temperature variables. Using a variety of tree-ring characteristics for time series reconstruction provides an opportunity to create multivariate models with greater predictive capabilities that correspond more closely to observed data sets, thereby allowing dendroclimatologists to predict climate data trends more robustly. Because individual wood parameters form at different times throughout the growing season in response to distinct seasonal climates, multiple proxy models allow for the development of intra-annual proxy climate and glaciological records. / Graduate

Orientador: Ananda Virginia de Aguiar / Abstract: Exotic forest species have been introduced in Brazil in order to promote improvements in socioeconomic development and help to reduce the pressure caused to native forests. With growing demand for these species, research on genetic improvement has increased to find new, more productive germplasm and preferably in less time. Two species were used in the study: slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) and radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don). The first part of the study had the purpose to identify the stability, adaptability, productivity and genetic parameters, in addition to selection gain and genetic divergence in slash pine open pollinated second generation progenies considering phenotypic trait. Two tests were established, one in Ponta Grossa-PR with 24 progenies and one in Ribeirão Branco-SP with 44 progenies, both in Brazil, to identify the most productive genotypes for commercial planting areas in both sites. There was significant variation (p<0.01) among progenies for growth and form traits. The high coefficients of genetic variation for wood volume (14.31% to 16.24% - Ribeirão Branco-SP and 31.78% to 33.77% - Ponta Grossa-PR) and heritability (0.10 to 0.15 – Ribeirão Branco-SP and 0.36 to 0.48 – Ponta Grossa-PR) have shown low environmental influence on phenotypic variation, which is important for the prediction of genetic gain by selecting and confirming genetic potential in both places, especially Ponta Grossa. The effect of genotype x environment interact... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Resumo: Espécies exóticas de Pinus foram introduzidas no Brasil para promoverem o crescimento socioeconômico do país e ajudar na redução da pressão causada pelo uso de florestas nativas Com a crescente demanda por essas espécies, pesquisas em melhoramento genético tem aumentado na busca de novos germoplasma mais produtivos em menor tempo. Duas espécies foram utilizadas no presente trabalho: Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii e Pinus radiata D. Don. A primeira parte do trabalho teve a finalidade de identificar a estabilidade, a adaptabilidade, a produtividade e os parâmetros genéticos, além do ganho de seleção e diversidade genética em progênies de polinização aberta de segunda geração de P. elliottii var. elliottii considerando os caracteres fenotípicos. Foram estabelecidos dois testes, um em Ponta Grossa-PR com 24 progênies e outro em Ribeirão Branco-SP com 44 progênies visando identificar os genótipos mais produtivos para áreas de plantio comercial em ambos locais. Foi observada variação significativa (p<0,01) entre as progênies para os caracteres de crescimento e alguns caracteres de forma. Os altos coeficientes de variação genética para volume de madeira (14,31% a 16,24% - Ribeirão Branco e 31,78% a 33,77% - Ponta Grossa) e herdabilidade (0,10 a 0,15 – Ribeirão Branco e 0,36 a 0,48 – Ponta Grossa) mostraram baixa influência do ambiente na variação fenotípica, o que é importante para a predição do ganho genético mediante a seleção e confirmam potencial genético em ambos os loc... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Doutor

Submitted by Maximiliano Kawahata Pagliarini null (max.pagliarini@gmail.com) on 2016-07-19T18:22:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese_Maximiliano_Pagliarini_PPGAgronomia_UNESP.pdf: 2759397 bytes, checksum: 252905ebd212e708c5070c9c9f59d79a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-07-20T18:24:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 pagliarini_mk_dr_ilha.pdf: 2759397 bytes, checksum: 252905ebd212e708c5070c9c9f59d79a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-20T18:24:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 pagliarini_mk_dr_ilha.pdf: 2759397 bytes, checksum: 252905ebd212e708c5070c9c9f59d79a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Espécies exóticas de Pinus foram introduzidas no Brasil para promoverem o crescimento socioeconômico do país e ajudar na redução da pressão causada pelo uso de florestas nativas Com a crescente demanda por essas espécies, pesquisas em melhoramento genético tem aumentado na busca de novos germoplasma mais produtivos em menor tempo. Duas espécies foram utilizadas no presente trabalho: Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii e Pinus radiata D. Don. A primeira parte do trabalho teve a finalidade de identificar a estabilidade, a adaptabilidade, a produtividade e os parâmetros genéticos, além do ganho de seleção e diversidade genética em progênies de polinização aberta de segunda geração de P. elliottii var. elliottii considerando os caracteres fenotípicos. Foram estabelecidos dois testes, um em Ponta Grossa-PR com 24 progênies e outro em Ribeirão Branco-SP com 44 progênies visando identificar os genótipos mais produtivos para áreas de plantio comercial em ambos locais. Foi observada variação significativa (p<0,01) entre as progênies para os caracteres de crescimento e alguns caracteres de forma. Os altos coeficientes de variação genética para volume de madeira (14,31% a 16,24% - Ribeirão Branco e 31,78% a 33,77% - Ponta Grossa) e herdabilidade (0,10 a 0,15 – Ribeirão Branco e 0,36 a 0,48 – Ponta Grossa) mostraram baixa influência do ambiente na variação fenotípica, o que é importante para a predição do ganho genético mediante a seleção e confirmam potencial genético em ambos os locais, especialmente Ponta Grossa. O efeito da interação genótipo x ambiente é simples. As progênies plantadas em um local poderão também ser plantadas no outro. Dentre essas as C-197, C-189-1, C-084-2 e C-032-2 são indicadas para plantações tanto na região estudada do estado de São Paulo quanto do Paraná. Apesar de um número maior de progênies em Ribeirão Branco, constatou-se o mesmo número de agrupamentos de progênies pelo método UPGMA e de otimização de Tocher em ambos os testes. Existe diversidade genética entre as progênies de P. elliottii. Para programas de melhoramento, recomenda-se o cruzamento entre progênies de grupos divergentes para aumentar a variação genética, e consequentemente, o ganho genético nas gerações subsequentes, sem esquecer de se levar em consideração a performance do caráter de interesse. O objetivo do trabalho em P. radiata foi relacionar os resultados de características da madeira obtidas a partir de dois métodos Pilodyn e SilviScan visando validar uma metodologia eficiente para fenotipagem de um maior número de amostras. Um teste com 30 progênies de P. radiata foi estabelecido em Flynn na Austrália. As características avaliadas foram densidade da madeira, o ângulo microfibrilar e o módulo de elasticidade. A correlação genética e fenotípica entre os caracteres da madeira obtidas a partir dos dois métodos e a herdabilidade individual no sentido restrito foram estimadas. Os dados de Pilodyn apresentaram alta herdabilidade e alta correlação genética e fenotípica entre densidade de madeira e moderada com ângulo microfibrilar e módulo de elasticidade. Os resultados confirmam que o Pylodyn é um efetivo método indireto e rápido para avaliação de parâmetros genéticos para caracteres de qualidade madeira em P. radiata. / Exotic forest species have been introduced in Brazil in order to promote improvements in socioeconomic development and help to reduce the pressure caused to native forests. With growing demand for these species, research on genetic improvement has increased to find new, more productive germplasm and preferably in less time. Two species were used in the study: slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii) and radiata pine (Pinus radiata D. Don). The first part of the study had the purpose to identify the stability, adaptability, productivity and genetic parameters, in addition to selection gain and genetic divergence in slash pine open pollinated second generation progenies considering phenotypic trait. Two tests were established, one in Ponta Grossa-PR with 24 progenies and one in Ribeirão Branco-SP with 44 progenies, both in Brazil, to identify the most productive genotypes for commercial planting areas in both sites. There was significant variation (p<0.01) among progenies for growth and form traits. The high coefficients of genetic variation for wood volume (14.31% to 16.24% - Ribeirão Branco-SP and 31.78% to 33.77% - Ponta Grossa-PR) and heritability (0.10 to 0.15 – Ribeirão Branco-SP and 0.36 to 0.48 – Ponta Grossa-PR) have shown low environmental influence on phenotypic variation, which is important for the prediction of genetic gain by selecting and confirming genetic potential in both places, especially Ponta Grossa. The effect of genotype x environment interaction is simple. Progenies planted in one site can also be planted in the other. Among these C-197, C-189-1, C-084-2 and C-032-2 progenies are suitable for plantations in both studied region of São Paulo and Paraná. Although larger number of progenies in Ribeirão Branco, it was found the same number of clusters through UPGMA and Tocher methods in both tests. There is genetic diversity among slash pine progenies. For breeding programs, it is recommended to cross progenies between different groups to increase genetic variation, and consequently the genetic gain in subsequent generations, not forgetting to take into account the performance of interest trait. The objective of the study in Radiata pine was relate wood quality traits obtained from two methods Pilodyn and SilviScan to validate an efficient phenotyping methodology for a greater number of samples. A test with 30 progenies of Radiata pine was established in Flynn Australia. The evaluated traits were wood density, microfibril ange and modulus of elasticity. Genetic and phenotypic correlation between traits of wood quality obtained from two methods and narrow-sense individual heritability were estimated. The Pilodyn data showed high heritability and high genetic and phenotypic correlation between wood density and moderate with microfibril angle and modulus of elasticity. The results confirm that the Pylodyn is an effective indirect and rapid method for evaluation of genetic parameters for wood quality traits in Radiata pine.