<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>European wild pear (<italic>Pyrus pyraster</italic>, syn. <italic>Pyrus communis</italic> subsp. <italic>pyraster</italic> L.) is widely distributed in Europe, but rarely studied by dendrochronologists. This preliminary study was aimed to assess the age and effect of climate on tree-ring width in the largest Polish population of <italic>P. pyraster</italic>, in Biedrusko military area (western Poland). On the basis of samples from 21 trees, a chronology (BIE) was constructed, covering 45 years (1963–2007). Mean tree-ring width in the studied trees is 1.92 mm. The performed analyses (pointer years, correlations, and response function) indicate that tree-ring width is strongly dependent on weather conditions in the year preceding formation of the tree-ring. Annual rings of pear trees were wide after cold and rainy previous summer and after rainy previous October, while in the current year, ring width was affected by insolation in February and temperature in August (positive correlations) and precipitation in May (negative correlation). The low similarity of the ring-width pattern and effect of climate on tree-ring width between this population and a wild pear population from the Bielinek Reserve, located 200 km away, indicate that tree-ring width in this species is strongly dependent on habitat and there is a need to continue dendrochronological analyses.</p></abstract>

European wild pear (Pyrus pyraster, syn. Pyrus communis subsp. pyraster L.) is widely distributed in Europe, but rarely studied by dendrochronologists. This preliminary study was aimed to assess the age and effect of climate on tree-ring width in the largest Polish population of P. pyraster, in Biedrusko military area (western Poland). On the basis of samples from 21 trees, a chronology (BIE) was constructed, covering 45 years (1963–2007). Mean tree-ring width in the studied trees is 1.92 mm. The performed analyses (pointer years, correlations, and response function) indicate that tree-ring width is strongly dependent on weather conditions in the year preceding formation of the tree-ring. Annual rings of pear trees were wide after cold and rainy previous summer and after rainy previous October, while in the current year, ring width was affected by insolation in February and temperature in August (positive correlations) and precipitation in May (negative correlation). The low similarity of the ring-width pattern and effect of climate on tree-ring width between this population and a wild pear population from the Bielinek Reserve, located 200 km away, indicate that tree-ring width in this species is strongly dependent on habitat and there is a need to continue dendrochronological analyses.

Dendroclimatological Analysis of Wild Pear <italic>Pyrus Pyraster</italic> (L.) Burgsd. From Biedrusko Military Area (West Poland) — Preliminary Study

University of Szczecin, Faculty of Geosciences, Laboratory of Climatology and Marine Meteorology, Mickiewicza 16, 70–383 Szczecin,

University of Life Sciences in Poznań, Department of Botany, Wojska Polskiego 71c, 60–625 Poznań,

Geochronometria

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Dendroclimatological Analysis of Wild Pear  (L.) Burgsd. From Biedrusko Military Area (West Poland) — Preliminary Study

European wild pear (Pyrus pyraster, syn. Pyrus communis subsp. pyraster L.) is widely distributed in Europe, but rarely studied by dendrochronologists. This...

Dendroclimatological Analysis of Wild Pear Pyrus Pyraster (L.) Burgsd. From Biedrusko Military Area (West Poland) — Preliminary Study

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 13, 2016

Page range: 18 - 23

Received: Oct 09, 2014

Accepted: Jan 11, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/geochr-2015-0029

Keywords
tree-ring width, meteorological conditions, habitat conditions, wild pear

© A. Cedro and W. Antkowiak

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Dendroclimatological Analysis of Wild Pear Pyrus Pyraster (L.) Burgsd. From Biedrusko Military Area (West Poland) — Preliminary Study

Article Category: Research Article

Published Online: Apr 13, 2016

Page range: 18 - 23

Received: Oct 09, 2014

Accepted: Jan 11, 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/geochr-2015-0029

Keywordstree-ring width, meteorological conditions, habitat conditions, wild pear

© A. Cedro and W. Antkowiak

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
tree-ring width, meteorological conditions, habitat conditions, wild pear