Wood and leaves as potential pluvio-thermometers

Abstract

The vegetative organs of trees are subjected to selective pressures from the environment factors, which are recorded in their structure and/or morphology. The wood and the leaves have been thoroughly studied for the last decades, providing proxys used for paleoenvironment reconstructions. Wood structure analysis reveals climate seasonality, general features of climate and local environment (position of the individual, age and disturbance, …). The leaf morphology studies provide precise estimates of the mean annual temperature and precipitation and some other climate parameters. Combined together, these studies would help to define models and to better understand the species and individual growth dynamic, and also the Carbon allocation in different forest types.

The principles and main results of these methods will be exposed. Potential applications on South Indian forests will be proposed.

Speaker

Dr. Dario De Franceschi, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris

Organisers

Department of Ecology, French Institute of Pondicherry.

Venue

Jawaharlal Nehru Conference Hall, French Institute of Pondicherry, 11, Saint Louis Street, Pondicherry - 605 001.

Time

4.30 pm