Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Variation of dead wood decay rates among tropical trees remains one source of uncertainty in global models of the carbon cycle. Taking advantage of a broad forest plot network surveyed for tree mortality over a 23-year period, we measured the remaining fraction of boles from 367 dead trees from 26 neotropical species widely varying in wood density (0.23–1.24 g cm-3) and tree circumference at death time (31.5–272.0 cm). We modeled decay rates within a Bayesian framework assuming a first order differential equation to model the decomposition process and tested for the effects of forest management (selective logging vs. unexploited), of mode of death (standing vs. downed) and of topographical levels (bottomlands vs. hillsides vs. hilltops) on wood decay rates. The general decay model predicts the observed remaining fraction of dead wood (R2 = 60%) with only two biological predictors: tree circumference at death time and wood specific density. Neither selective logging nor local topography had a differential effect on wood decay rates. Including the mode of death into the model revealed thatstanding dead trees decomposed faster than downed dead trees, but the gain of model accuracy remains rather marginal. Overall, these results suggest that the release of carbon from tropical dead trees to the atmosphere can be simply estimated using tree circumference at death time and wood density.
ISSN: 0029-8549

hal-01094187
https://hal-agroparistech.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01094187
DOI : 10.1007/s00442-010-1602-8

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Elsevier
Résumé : International audience
The study of decay resistance in wood is of interest for wood end-users but also for the global carbon balance since wood biodegradation is a key driver of forest ecosystem functioning through its impacts on carbon and nutrient cycling. We studied the density and wood extractive contents in order to understand decay resistance against soil microflora after 90 days exposure of sapwood and heartwood from three Neotropical wood species known for their decay resistance: Bocoa prouacensis, Vouacapoua americana, Inga alba. Decay resistance was correlated with density more than wood extractive content. The results highlighted different decay resistance strategies. In B. prouacensis, both sapwood and heartwood were highly resistant due to the high density and high content of antifungal wood extractives. In V. americana heartwood, decay resistance was due to the high synergistic-acting wood extractive content. Conversely, with the least dense wood species I. alba, we found that decay resistance was due to the antifungal wood extractives synthesized early in the sapwood. In conclusion, we showed that the three wood species with the same level of heartwood decay resistance performance had different decay resistance strategies according to the anatomic and defensive wood traits.
ISSN: 0964-8305

hal-01321162
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01321162
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01321162/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01321162/file/Art_Amusant_al_Diversity_decay_resistance_strategies_Int.Biodet.Biodegr._2014.pdf
DOI : 10.1016/j.ibiod.2014.06.012

Résumé : Arbusto de 2 a 3 m, aromático, de madera suave. Hojas ovadas u oblongo-ovadas de hasta 60 cm de largo, agudas a corto acuminadas en el ápice, cordadas en la base, lóbulos basales redondeados, marcadamente desiguales. Espigas de color verde pálido, de 10 a 20 cm de largo; brácteas redondeadas y densamente ciliadas. Frutos pequeños agrupados en las espigas.
Arbuste pouvant atteindre 2 à 3 m, aromatique, bois tendre. Feuilles ovées ou oblongues-ovées, pouvant avoir 60 cm de long, à l’extrémité aiguë à terminée en pointe courte, cordées à la base, lobes à base arrondie, fortement inégaux. Epis de couleur vert pâle, de 10 à 20 cm de long; bractées arrondies et pourvues de cils denses. Petits fruits groupés sur les épis.
Soft-wooded aromatic shrub or tree 1-6m high.  Leaves ovate or ovate-elliptical, 20-40 x 12-25 cm, acute to short acuminate at the apex, deeply and unequally cordate-auriculate at base, margins densely white-ciliate, petiole winged to the apex; inflorescence a spike, whitish to light yellow, pendulous, 10-20 cm x 3-5 mm; fruit, small, three-angled.
Nativa del sureste de México y Centroamérica, cultivada y naturalizada en Cuba y Florida.
Originaire du sud-est du Mexique et de l’;Amérique Centrale, cultivée et naturalisée à Cuba et en Floride.
Native to southeast Mexico and Central America

http://www.tramil.net/fototeca/plant283

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Challenging evaluation of tropical forest biodiversity requires the reporting of taxonomic diversity but also the systematic characterization of wood properties in order to discover new promising species for timber industry. Among wood properties, the dimensional stability is regarded as a major technological characteristic to validate whether a wood species is adapted to commercial uses. Cell structure and organization are known to influence the drying shrinkage making wood density and microfibrils angle markers of choice to predict wood dimensional stability. On the contrary the role of wood extractive content remains unclear. This work focuses on the fast-growing tropical species Bagassa guianensis and we report herein a correlation between heartwood drying shrinkage and extractive content. Chemical extractions and shrinkage experiments were performed on separate wood twin samples to better evaluate correctly how secondary metabolites influence the wood shrinkage behaviour. Extractive content were qualitatively and quantitatively analysed using HPLC and NMR spectroscopy. We found that B guianensis heartwood has a homogeneous low shrinkage along its radius that could not be explained only by its basic density. In fact the low drying shrinkage is correlated to the high extractive content and a corrected model to improve the prediction of wood dimensional stability is presented. Additionally NMR experiments conducted on sapwood and heartwood extracts demonstrate that secondary metabolites biosynthesis occurs in sapwood thus revealing B. guianensis as a Juglans-Type heartwood formation. This work demonstrates that B. guianensis, a fast-growing species associated with high durability and high dimensional stability, is a good candidate for lumber production and commercial purposes.
ISSN: 1932-6203

hal-01392725
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01392725
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01392725/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01392725/file/2016_BossuBeaucheneEstevezDuplaisClair_PlosOne_WoodDimentionalStabilityAndSecondaryMetabolites.pdf
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0150777.s005

Résumé : Arbol de hasta 18 m de alto. Hojas pecioladas, subcoriáceas, oblongo elípticas a lanceoladas, agudamente acuminadas, pinnado nervadas de hasta 13 cm de longitud. Inflorescencias estaminadas de 3 a 20 flores; las pistiladas usualmente de una sola flor; flores pequeñas, amarillo cremosas. Fruto piriforme o subgloboso (nuez) de hasta 5 cm, colgante, rojizo o amarillento, con dos valvas; semilla con arilo escarlata.
Arbre pouvant atteindre 18 m de haut. Feuilles pétiolées, presque coriaces, oblongo-elliptiques à lancéolées, terminées en pointe très fine, pennatinnervées pouvant atteindre 13 cm de long. Inflorescences staminées de 3 à 20 fleurs; celles qui sont pourvues d’un pistil ont habituellement une seule fleur; fleurs petites, jaunes-crèmes. Fruit piriforme ou presque arrondi pouvant atteindre 5 cm, tombant, rougeâtre ou jaunâtre, bivalve; graine avec arille écarlate.
Tree dioecious 6-18 m high with a dense crown and aromatic wood.  Leaves simple, alternate, oblong-elliptic, acutely acuminate, pinnately veined, dark green shiny above, paler beneath, 5-15 cm x 2-7 cm; male inflorescences usually 1-10 flowered cyme, fragrant, pale yellow, female inflorescences a 1-3 flowered cyme, but usually 1-flowered, pale yellow; fruit a fleshy, smooth, yellow, sub-globose, drupe, 3-6 cm long with a circumferential, longitudinal ridge; seed brown, ovoid 1.5-4.5cm long covered with a lacinate, red aril.
Nativa de Asia tropical, cultivada en los trópicos del resto del mundo.
Originaire d’;Asie tropicale, cultivée dans les tropiques du reste du monde.
Native to tropical Asia, cultivated in tropical regions around the world.

http://www.tramil.net/fototeca/plant239

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD European Geosciences Union
Résumé : Xylem density is a physical property of wood that varies between individuals, species and environments. It reflects the physiological strategies of trees that lead to growth, survival and reproduction. Measurements of branch xylem density, ρx, were made for 1653 trees representing 598 species, sampled from 87 sites across the Amazon basin. Measured values ranged from 218 kg m−3 for a Cordia sagotii (Boraginaceae) from Mountagne de Tortue, French Guiana to 1130 kg m−3 for an Aiouea sp. (Lauraceae) from Caxiuana, Central Pará, Brazil. Analysis of variance showed significant differences in average ρx across regions and sampled plots as well as significant differences between families, genera and species. A partitioning of the total variance in the dataset showed that species identity (family, genera and species) accounted for 33% with environment (geographic location and plot) accounting for an additional 26%; the remaining "residual" variance accounted for 41% of the total variance. Variations in plot means, were, however, not only accountable by differences in species composition because xylem density of the most widely distributed species in our dataset varied systematically from plot to plot. Thus, as well as having a genetic component, branch xylem density is a plastic trait that, for any given species, varies according to where the tree is growing in a predictable manner. Within the analysed taxa, exceptions to this general rule seem to be pioneer species belonging for example to the Urticaceae whose branch xylem density is more constrained than most species sampled in this study. These patterns of variation of branch xylem density across Amazonia suggest a large functional diversity amongst Amazonian trees which is not well understood.
ISSN: 1726-4170

hal-01032137
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032137

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Botanical Society of America
Résumé : Premise of the study : Wood density correlates with mechanical and physiological strategies of trees and is important for estimating global carbon stocks. Nonetheless, the relationship between branch and trunk xylem density has been poorly explored in neotropical trees. Here, we examine this relationship in trees from French Guiana and its variation among different families and sites, to improve the understanding of wood density in neotropical forests. Methods : Trunk and branch xylem densities were measured for 1909 trees in seven sites across French Guiana. A major-axis fit was performed to explore their general allometric relationship and its variation among different families and sites. Key results : Trunk xylem and branch xylem densities were significantly positively correlated, and their relationship explained 47% of the total variance. Trunk xylem was on average 9% denser than branch xylem. Family-level differences and interactions between family and site accounted for more than 40% of the total variance, whereas differences among sites explained little variation. Conclusions : Variation in xylem density within individual trees can be substantial, and the relationship between branch xylem and trunk xylem densities varies considerably among families and sites. As such, whole-tree biomass estimates based on non-destructive branch sampling should correct for both taxonomic and environmental factors. Furthermore, detailed estimates of the vertical distribution of wood density within individual trees are needed to determine the extent to which relying solely upon measures of trunk wood density may cause carbon stocks in tropical forests to be overestimated.
ISSN: 0002-9122

hal-01032401
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032401
DOI : 10.3732/ajb.1000034

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : 1. Trade-offs among functional traits reveal major plant strategies that can give insight into species distributions and ecosystem processes. However, current identification of plant strategies lacks the integration of root structural traits together with leaf and stem traits. 2. We examined correlations among 14 traits representing leaf, stem and woody root tissues. Traits were measured on 1084 individuals representing 758 Neotropical tree species, across 13 sites representative of the environmental variation encompassed by three widespread habitats (seasonally flooded, clay terra firme and white-sand forests) at opposite ends of Amazonia (French Guiana and Peru). 3. Woody root traits were closely aligned with stem traits, but not with leaf traits. Altogether leaf, stem and woody root traits delineated two orthogonal axes of functional trade-offs: a first axis defined by leaf traits, corresponding to a leaf economics spectrum, and a second axis defined by covarying stem and woody root traits, corresponding to a wood economics spectrum. These axes remained consistent when accounting for species evolutionary history with phylogenetically independent contrasts. 4. Despite the strong species turnover across sites, the covariation among root and stem structural traits as well as their orthogonality to leaf traits were strongly consistent across habitats and regions. 5. We conclude that root structural traits mirrored stem traits rather than leaf traits in Neotropical trees. Leaf and wood traits define an integrated whole-plant strategy in lowland South American forests that may contribute to a more complete understanding of plant responses to global changes in both correlative and modelling approaches. We suggest further meta-analyses in expanded environmental and geographic zones to determine the generality of this pattern.
ISSN: 0269-8463

hal-01032415
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032415
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2012.02020.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Oxford University Press (OUP)
Résumé : International audience
Functional ecology has long considered the support function as important, but its biomechanical complexity is only just being elucidated. We show here that it can be described on the basis of four biomechanical traits, two safety traits against winds (SW) and self-buckling (SB), and two motricity traits involved in sustaining an upright position, tropic motion velocity (MV) and posture control (PC). All these traits are integrated at the tree scale, combining tree size and shape together with wood properties. The assumption of trait constancy has been used to derive allometric scaling laws, but it was more recently found that observing their variations among environments and functional groups, or during ontogeny, provides more insights into adaptive syndromes of tree shape and wood properties. However, over-simplified expressions have often been used, possibly concealing key adaptive drivers. An extreme case of over-simplification is the use of wood basic density as a proxy for safety. Actually, since wood density is involved in stiffness, loads and construction costs, the impact of its variations on safety is non-trivial. Moreover, other wood features, especially the microfibril angle (MFA), are also involved. Furthermore, wood is not only stiff and strong, but it also acts as a motor for MV and PC. The relevant wood trait for that is maturation strain asymmetry. Maturation strains vary with cell wall characteristics such as MFA, rather than with wood density. Finally, the need for further studies about the ecological relevance of branching patterns, motricity traits and growth responses to mechanical loads is discussed.
ISSN: 0022-0957

hal-00909904
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00909904
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00909904/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00909904/file/Integrative_biomechanics_for_tree_Fournier_al.pdf
DOI : 10.1093/jxb/ert279

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
Résumé : International audience
Reaction wood produces very peculiar maturation stresses at the tree periphery i.e. compressive stress or very high tensile stress, for compression and tension wood respectively, as compared to moderately high tensile stress for normal wood. This means that both its mechanical state and its mechanical and physical properties differ from normal wood. Compression wood shows big differences from normal wood in conifers, for all physical and mechanical properties: higher density and axial crushing strength (MOR) but lower modulus of elasticity (MOE), far higher axial (longitudinal) shrinkage but lower radial and tangential shrinkage, sometimes even lower than the axial shrinkage. For tension wood things are less simple and can vary a lot from hardwood species to species. Globally there are no systematic differences in density and transverse shrinkage, MOE tends to be a little higher while MOR is slightly lower. However, axial shrinkage is much higher for tension wood with a gelatinous layer (G layer) than normal wood due to the specific gel like organization of cellulose microfibrils in the G layer. For tension wood without a G layer(which is rather frequent) axial shrinkage in the first drying operation is around two times higher than in normal wood mainly because of a kind of hygro-thermal release of locked in maturation stress. Overall the very high tensile stress and stored elastic energy in tension wood lead to problemsin wood processing (end splitting and board warping), which is far less the case for compression wood. But due to the large difference in properties relative to normal wood, compression wood occurrence is always a big problem for the in service behaviour of timber, which is seldom the case for tension wood.
The biology of reaction wood

ISBN : 978-3-642-10813-6
hal-01135273
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01135273

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag
Résumé : International audience
Few studies have investigated the influence of environmental conditions on the within-treevariation in Eucalyptus wood traits. The genotype and environment effects and their interactionsinfluence the wood properties. Their evaluations are crucial to estimate the genotype values andto select with efficiency. Thus, the aim of this study was to better understand the effect ofground slope and wind speed on the spatial variation of basic density (ρ), stiffness (MOE) andmicrofibril angle (MFA) of Eucalyptus wood. Wood discs cut along the trunk were sampledfrom 150 six-year-old Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla hybrids growing in 3 contrastinggrowing conditions influenced by ground slope and wind regime. Near Infrared (NIR)calibrations previously developed for ρ, MOE and MFA were used to predict in our discs. 2-Dplots presenting the spatial variation of predicted wood traits were compared. The higher theground slope, the greater the magnitude of radial variation in ρ, principally in the medium zoneof the trunk. The spatial variation of wood stiffness seems to be sensitive to two environmentalconditions. The MFA radial decreases were more pronounced where the wind speed was higher.At the base and top of the trees, however, there was no significant effect of growing conditionson the radial variation of the wood properties considered here.
ISSN: 0931-1890

hal-01451896
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01451896
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01451896/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01451896/file/Art_Gril_al_Spatial_variation_wood_density_2016.pdf
DOI : 10.1007/s00468-015-1327-8

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The forests of French Guiana occupy a central part of the region’s potential resource base, but as yet remain almost completely unexploited. This stems from the forestry industry struggling to valorize wood stocks of a high diversity with an extremely heterogeneous distribution. Indeed, identifying essences for future propagation is an issue of both environmental and socio-economic importance for the region. Bagassa guianensis Aubl. and Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav.) Oken. go against conventional models, in that they display the life history characteristics of rapid growth and wood of high quality, and thus are species of high potential for future plantations. Firstly, our study of growth characteristics reveals a defined strategy half way between long-lived species and pioneer species. It is the variability of basic density of wood which is a key trait allowing for such a development, favoring rapid growth in initial years whilst allowing for tree longevity. Secondly, the analysis of a range of wood properties (shrinkage, modulus of elasticity, durability) in relation to tree growth confirms the technologic quality of the two species. It also enables the emergence of new results like the effect of extractives on wood stability, the control of growth as a result of basic density variation, the evolution of leaf traits throughout tree development or the improvement of trunk maintenance thanks to interlocked grain. The knowledge gained in relation to the developmental traits of these two species, and to the quality of their wood allows for the elaboration of plantation projects and what will be required for their success. The results of this study can orientate future studies on novel species for commercialization in French Guiana.
La ressource forestière en Guyane occupe une place maîtresse au sein de la région et est encore majoritairement préservée, mais la filière bois parvient difficilement à valoriser la biodiversité locale en raison de l’hétérogénéité de la ressource. Identifier les essences à planter demain représente aujourd’hui un enjeu à la fois environnemental, économique et social pour la Guyane. Bagassa guianensis Aubl. et Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav.) Oken. vont à l’encontre des modèles usuels en associant vitesse de croissance et qualité du bois et sont identifiées comme prometteuses pour la plantation. Dans un premier temps, l’étude de la dynamique de croissance des deux espèces révèle un modèle écologique singulier, à la fois pionnières et longévives. La variabilité de l’infradensité dans l’arbre est l’élément clé qui permet un tel développement, favorisant une croissance rapide dans les premières années tout en assurant la longévité de l’individu. Dans une seconde partie, l’analyse d’un large panel de propriétés du bois (retrait, module, durabilité) en lien avec le développement de l’arbre confirme les qualités technologiques des deux espèces et permet l’émergence de résultats novateurs tels que le rôle des extractibles sur le retrait, le contrôle de la croissance grâce aux variations d’infradensité, l’évolution des traits foliaires au cours de l’ontogénie ou encore la mise en place de contrefil dans l’arbre pour assurer son maintien. La connaissance acquise vis-à-vis du mode de développement de ces deux espèces et des facteurs influençant la qualité de leur bois permet aujourd’hui de définir avec plus de précision le cadre d’un projet de plantation et les conditions de son succès. Les résultats de cette étude permettent finalement d’orienter la recherche de nouvelles espèces d’avenir pour la plantation en Guyane.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01338281

tel-01338281
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01338281
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01338281/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01338281/file/Th%C3%A8se%20Julie%20Bossu.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : [b]1.[/b] Plant functional traits, in particular specific leaf area (SLA), wood density and seed mass, are often good predictors of individual tree growth rates within communities. Individuals and species with high SLA, low wood density and small seeds tend to have faster growth rates.[br/][br/][b]2.[/b] If community-level relationships between traits and growth have general predictive value, then similar relationships should also be observed in analyses that integrate across taxa, biogeographic regions and environments. Such global consistency would imply that traits could serve as valuable proxies for the complex suite of factors that determine growth rate, and, therefore, could underpin a new generation of robust dynamic vegetation models. Alternatively, growth rates may depend more strongly on the local environment or growth–trait relationships may vary along environmental gradients.[br/][br/][b]3.[/b] We tested these alternative hypotheses using data on 27 352 juvenile trees, representing 278 species from 27 sites on all forested continents, and extensive functional trait data, 38% of which were obtained at the same sites at which growth was assessed. Data on potential evapotranspiration (PET), which summarizes the joint ecological effects of temperature and precipitation, were obtained from a global data base.[br/][br/][b]4.[/b] We estimated size-standardized relative height growth rates (SGR) for all species, then related them to functional traits and PET using mixed-effect models for the fastest growing species and for all species together.[br/][br/][b]5.[/b] Both the mean and 95th percentile SGR were more strongly associated with functional traits than with PET. PET was unrelated to SGR at the global scale. SGR increased with increasing SLA and decreased with increasing wood density and seed mass, but these traits explained only 3.1% of the variation in SGR. SGR–trait relationships were consistently weak across families and biogeographic zones, and over a range of tree statures. Thus, the most widely studied functional traits in plant ecology were poor predictors of tree growth over large scales.[br/][br/][b]6.[/b] Synthesis. We conclude that these functional traits alone may be unsuitable for predicting growth of trees over broad scales. Determining the functional traits that predict vital rates under specific environmental conditions may generate more insight than a monolithic global relationship can offer.
ISSN: 0022-0477

hal-01204226
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01204226
DOI : 10.1111/1365-2745.12401
PRODINRA : 307144

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Springer Verlag/EDP Sciences
Résumé : International audience
Background : This study examines the radial trend in wood stiffness of tropical rainforest trees. The objective was to determine if the type of growing environment (exposed plantation or dense primary forest) would have an effect on this radial trend. Methods : The axial elastic modulus of wood samples, representing a pith to bark cross-section, of six trees from several French Guianese species (two of Eperua falcata, one of Eperua grandiflora, two of Carapa procera and one of Symphonia gloubulifera) was measured using a dynamic "forced vibration" method. Results : Primary forest trees were observed to have a decrease in wood stiffness from pith to bark, whereas plantation trees, from the same genus or species, displayed a corresponding increase in wood stiffness. Juvenile wood stiffness appears to vary depending on the environment in which the tree had grown. Conclusion : We suggest that the growth strategy of primary forest trees is to produce wood resistant to selfbuckling so that the height of the canopy may be obtained with the maximum of efficiency. In contrast, the growth strategy of the trees growing in an exposed plantation is to produce low-stiffness wood, important to provide flexibility in wind. Further experiments to study the behaviour of more species, with more individuals per species, growing across a range of physical environments, are required.
ISSN: 1286-4560

hal-00644335
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644335
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644335/document
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00644335/file/McLean_al.pdf
DOI : 10.1007/s13595-011-0085-z

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé :  
1. Relationships between tropical rain forest biomass and environmental factors have been determined at regional scales, e.g. the Amazon Basin, but the reasons for the high variability in forest biomass at local scales are poorly understood. Interactions between topography, soil properties, tree growth and mortality rates, and treefalls are a likely reason for this variability. 2. We used repeated measurements of permanent plots in lowland rain forest in French Guiana to evaluate these relationships. The plots sampled topographic gradients from hilltops to slopes to bottomlands, with accompanying variation in soil waterlogging along these gradients. Biomass was calculated for >175 tree species in the plots, along with biomass productivity and recruitment rates. Mortality was determined as standing dead and treefalls. 3. Treefall rates were twice as high in bottomlands as on hilltops, and tree recruitment rates, radial growth rates and the abundance of light-demanding tree species were also higher. 4. In the bottomlands, the mean wood density was 10% lower than on hilltops, the basal area 29% lower and the height:diameter ratio of trees was lower, collectively resulting in a total woody biomass that was 43% lower in bottomlands than on hilltops. 5. Biomass productivity was 9% lower in bottomlands than on hilltops, even though soil Olsen P concentrations were higher in bottomlands. 6. Synthesis. Along a topographic gradient from hilltops to bottomlands there were higher rates of treefall, which decreased the stand basal area and favoured lower allocation to height growth and recruitment of light-demanding species with low wood density. The resultant large variation in tree biomass along the gradient shows the importance of determining site characteristics and including these characteristics when scaling up biomass estimates from stand to local or regional scales.
ISSN: 0022-0477

hal-01032100
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032100

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD
Résumé : The forests of French Guiana occupy a central part of the region’s potential resource base, but as yet remain almost completely unexploited. This stems from the forestry industry struggling to valorize wood stocks of a high diversity with an extremely heterogeneous distribution. Indeed, identifying essences for future propagation is an issue of both environmental and socio-economic importance for the region. Bagassa guianensis Aubl. and Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav.) Oken. go against conventional models, in that they display the life history characteristics of rapid growth and wood of high quality, and thus are species of high potential for future plantations. Firstly, our study of growth characteristics reveals a defined strategy half way between long-lived species and pioneer species. It is the variability of basic density of wood which is a key trait allowing for such a development, favoring rapid growth in initial years whilst allowing for tree longevity. Secondly, the analysis of a range of wood properties (shrinkage, modulus of elasticity, durability) in relation to tree growth confirms the technologic quality of the two species. It also enables the emergence of new results like the effect of extractives on wood stability, the control of growth as a result of basic density variation, the evolution of leaf traits throughout tree development or the improvement of trunk maintenance thanks to interlocked grain. The knowledge gained in relation to the developmental traits of these two species, and to the quality of their wood allows for the elaboration of plantation projects and what will be required for their success. The results of this study can orientate future studies on novel species for commercialization in French Guiana.
La ressource forestière en Guyane occupe une place maîtresse au sein de la région et est encore majoritairement préservée, mais la filière bois parvient difficilement à valoriser la biodiversité locale en raison de l’hétérogénéité de la ressource. Identifier les essences à planter demain représente aujourd’hui un enjeu à la fois environnemental, économique et social pour la Guyane. Bagassa guianensis Aubl. et Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pav.) Oken. vont à l’encontre des modèles usuels en associant vitesse de croissance et qualité du bois et sont identifiées comme prometteuses pour la plantation. Dans un premier temps, l’étude de la dynamique de croissance des deux espèces révèle un modèle écologique singulier, à la fois pionnières et longévives. La variabilité de l’infradensité dans l’arbre est l’élément clé qui permet un tel développement, favorisant une croissance rapide dans les premières années tout en assurant la longévité de l’individu. Dans une seconde partie, l’analyse d’un large panel de propriétés du bois (retrait, module, durabilité) en lien avec le développement de l’arbre confirme les qualités technologiques des deux espèces et permet l’émergence de résultats novateurs tels que le rôle des extractibles sur le retrait, le contrôle de la croissance grâce aux variations d’infradensité, l’évolution des traits foliaires au cours de l’ontogénie ou encore la mise en place de contrefil dans l’arbre pour assurer son maintien. La connaissance acquise vis-à-vis du mode de développement de ces deux espèces et des facteurs influençant la qualité de leur bois permet aujourd’hui de définir avec plus de précision le cadre d’un projet de plantation et les conditions de son succès. Les résultats de cette étude permettent finalement d’orienter la recherche de nouvelles espèces d’avenir pour la plantation en Guyane.
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01430243

Droits : info:eu-repo/semantics/OpenAccess
NNT : 2015YANE0002
tel-01430243
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01430243
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01430243/document
https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-01430243/file/julie-bossu.pdf

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : 1. Functional traits are posited to explain interspecific differences in performance, but these relationships are difficult to describe for long-lived organisms such as trees, which exhibit strong ontogenetic changes in demographic rates. Here, we use a size-dependent model of tree growth to test the extent to which of 17 functional traits related to leaf and stem economics, adult stature and seed size predict the ontogenetic trajectory of tree growth.[br/] 2. We used a Bayesian modelling framework to parameterize and contrast three size-dependent diameter growth models using 16 years of census data from 5524 individuals of 50 rain forest tree species: a size-dependent model, a size-dependent model with species-specific parameters and a size-dependent model based on functional traits.[br/] 3. Most species showed clear hump-shaped ontogenetic growth trajectories and, across species, maximum growth rate varied nearly tenfold, from 0.58 to 5.51 mm year(-1). Most species attained their maximum growth at 60% of their maximum size, whereas the magnitude of ontogenetic changes in growth rate varied widely among species.[br/] 4. The Trait-Model provided the best compromise between explained variance and model parsimony and needed considerably fewer parameters than the model with species terms.[br/] 5. Stem economics and adult stature largely explained interspecific differences in growth strategy. Maximum absolute diameter growth rates increased with increasing adult stature and leaf delta(13)C and decreased with increasing wood density. Species with light wood had the greatest potential to modulate their growth, resulting in hump-shaped ontogenetic growth curves. Seed size and leaf economics, generally thought to be of paramount importance for plant performance, had no significant relationships with the growth parameters.[br/] 6. Synthesis. Our modelling approach offers a promising way to link demographic parameters to their functional determinants and hence to predict growth trajectories in species-rich communities with little parameter inflation, bridging the gap between functional ecology and population demography.
ISSN: 0022-0477

hal-01032387
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01032387
DOI : 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01883.x

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
Cross-species analyses of plant functional traits have shed light on factors contributing to differences in performance and distribution, but to date most studies have focused on either leaves or stems. We extend these tissue-specific analyses of functional strategy towards a whole-plant approach by integrating data on functional traits for 13 448 leaves and wood tissues from 4672 trees representing 668 species of Neotropical trees. Strong correlations amongst traits previously defined as the leaf economics spectrum reflect a tradeoff between investments in productive leaves with rapid turnover vs. costly physical leaf structure with a long revenue stream. A second axis of variation, the 'stem economics spectrum', defines a similar tradeoff at the stem level: dense wood vs. high wood water content and thick bark. Most importantly, these two axes are orthogonal, suggesting that tradeoffs operate independently at the leaf and at the stem levels. By simplifying the multivariate ecological strategies of tropical trees into positions along these two spectra, our results provide a basis to improve global vegetation models predicting responses of tropical forests to global change.
ISSN: 1461-023X

hal-00594040
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00594040

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Wiley
Résumé : International audience
1. Estimating forest above-ground biomass (AGB), or carbon (AGC), in tropical forests has become a majorconcern for scientists and stakeholders. However, AGB assessment procedures are not fully standardized andeven more importantly the uncertainty associated with AGB estimates is seldom assessed.2. Here, we present an R package designed to compute both AGB/AGC estimate and its associated uncertaintyfrom forest plot datasets, using a Bayesian inference procedure. The package builds upon previous work onpantropical and regional biomass allometric equations and published datasets by default but it can alsointegrate unpublished or complementary datasets in many steps.3. BIOMASS performs a number of standard tasks on input forest tree inventories: i) tree speciesidentification, if available, is automatically corrected; ii) wood density is estimated from tree species identity;iii) if height data are available, a local height-diameter allometry may be built; else height is inferred frompantropical or regional models; iv) finally, AGB/AGC are estimated by propagating the errors associated withall the calculation steps up to the final estimate. R code is given in the paper and in the appendix forillustration purpose.4. The BIOMASS package should contribute to improved standards for AGB calculation for tropical foreststands, and will encourage users to report the uncertainties associated with stand-level AGB/AGC estimatesin future studies.
ISSN: 2041-210X

hal-01558180
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01558180
DOI : 10.1111/2041-210X.12753

Éditeur(s) : HAL CCSD Public Library of Science
Résumé : International audience
Domestication can influence many functional traits in plants, from overall life-history and growth form to wood density and cell wall ultrastructure. Such changes can increase fitness of the domesticate in agricultural environments but may negatively affect survival in the wild. We studied effects of domestication on stem biomechanics in manioc by comparing domesticated and ancestral wild taxa from two different regions of greater Amazonia. We compared mechanical properties, tissue organisation and wood characteristics including microfibril angles in both wild and domesticated plants, each growing in two different habitats (forest or savannah) and varying in growth form (shrub or liana). Wild taxa grew as shrubs in open savannah but as lianas in overgrown and forested habitats. Growth form plasticity was retained in domesticated manioc. However, stems of the domesticate showed brittle failure. Wild plants differed in mechanical architecture between shrub and liana phenotypes, a difference that diminished between shrubs and lianas of the domesticate. Stems of wild plants were generally stiffer, failed at higher bending stresses and were less prone to brittle fracture compared with shrub and liana phenotypes of the domesticate. Biomechanical differences between stems of wild and domesticated plants were mainly due to changes in wood density and cellulose microfibril angle rather than changes in secondary growth or tissue geometry. Domestication did not significantly modify "large-scale" trait development or growth form plasticity, since both wild and domesticated manioc can develop as shrubs or lianas. However, "finer-scale" developmental traits crucial to mechanical stability and thus ecological success of the plant were significantly modified. This profoundly influenced the likelihood of brittle failure, particularly in long climbing stems, thereby also influencing the survival of the domesticate in natural situations vulnerable to mechanical perturbation. We discuss the different selective pressures that could explain evolutionary modifications of stem biomechanical properties under domestication in manioc.
PLoS ONE

halsde-00917926
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00917926
https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/halsde-00917926/document
DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone.0074727