DENDROCHRONOLOGY OF THE BRAZIL NUT TREE (Bertholletia excelsa bonpl.) IN THE AMAZON: WATER MEMORY AND VULNERABILITY OF RADIAL GROWTH TO PRECIPITATION DEFICIT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/revgeov17n4-192Keywords:
Dendrochronology, Amazon Rainforest, Growth Rings, EPS, Climate Variability, Drought ResponseAbstract
Understanding the growth dynamics and climatic sensitivity of Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil nut tree) is essential for assessing tropical forest resilience and recent hydroclimatic variability in Amazonia. Despite its ecological and socioeconomic importance, dendrochronological information for this species remains limited, particularly regarding the mechanisms linking large-scale climate forcing to local growth responses. In this study, we developed and evaluated growth-ring chronologies from adult B. excelsa trees in native Amazonian forests to assess growth coherence and the strength of climatic signals. Ring widths were cross-dated using COFECHA, and chronology quality statistics—effective interseries correlation (rbar.eff), expressed population signal (EPS), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and first-order autocorrelation (AC)—were calculated using the dplR package in R. The master chronology exhibited strong internal coherence (rbar.eff = 0.38–0.46) and a robust common signal (EPS > 0.85; SNR > 5.0), confirming reliable cross-dating and representativeness at the population level. Moderate autocorrelation values indicated physiological persistence associated with hydrological memory. Radial growth was strongly controlled by hydroclimatic variability, with precipitation emerging as the primary limiting factor and temperature acting mainly as a stressor. Growth responses were particularly sensitive during the transition from the dry to the rainy season, when cambial reactivation and earlywood formation occur. Large-scale oceanic forcing associated with ENSO and Tropical Atlantic variability influenced growth indirectly by modulating local precipitation regimes and dry-season severity, resulting in lagged growth responses following drought events. These findings demonstrate that B. excelsa integrates climatic information across the full hydrological cycle and functions as a sensitive bioindicator of recent climate variability, providing valuable insights into forest vulnerability and resilience under ongoing climate change.
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