· Construction of Forest Resources In Northeast China ·
Hui MA, Manju CHEN, Chenchen ZHANG, Qingcao REN, Liying YANG, Yaguang ZHAN, Fansuo ZENG, Ying XIN
The climate in Northeast China is cold, and low-temperature events can severely affect the growth of trees. Fraxinus mandshurica is a precious timber tree species in Northeast China. Little was known about its fiber anatomical characteristics in responses to low temperatures and its adaptation strategies. The progeny test forest of Fraxinus mandshurica in Xiao Xing'an Mountains was selected as research object. Dendrochronology and wood anatomy methods were used to investigate the relationship between the fiber anatomical characteristics of Fraxinus mandshurica and the key climate factors, aiming to clarify the effect of low temperatures on wood fiber anatomical characteristics. The results showed that the fiber anatomical characteristics of Fraxinus mandshurica in Xiaoxing'an Mountains exhibited significant interannual variability. There was a highly significant positive correlation between the fiber cell number (FN), the total fiber cell area (TFA) and the ring width (RW). All of them showed a trend of ‘first increase and then decrease’ during the young forest stage. The fiber density (FD) and square of the total-to-bound ratio ((T/B)2) showed a decreasing trend year by year. The mean fiber cell area (MFA) and the overall mean thickness of all fiber cell walls (CWTall) showed an increasing trend annually. The fiber anatomical characteristics of Fraxinus mandshurica were greatly affected by temperature, especially the minimum temperature during the growing season. Low-temperature events suppressed the radial growth of Fraxinus mandshurica. The ring width, the fiber cell number, the mean fiber cells area, the total fiber cell area, and the mean percentage of fiber cell area within xylem (RFTA) were significantly decreased by 32.6%, 20.3%, 22.4%, 45.9% and 9.4%, respectively, compared with non low-temperature years, while the fiber density increased by 11.6%. In response to low-temperature events, Fraxinus mandshurica adopted a relatively conservative survival strategy of reducing the fiber cell number and increasing the fiber density. In response to low-temperature events, Fraxinus mandshurica adopts a relatively conservative survival strategy by reducing the number of wood fiber cells and increasing fiber cell density. These findings provide a scientific basis for the breeding of cold-resistant Fraxinus mandshurica in the Xiao Xing'an Mountains region.