Study of annual rings formation in trees for the possibility of climatic reconstructions and hydrogeomorphological processes in Costa Rica

Tropical species form growth rings with annual stratification driven by the sensitivity of the species to climatic,
ecological, or geodynamic variations. During the last four decades, research in tropical dendrochronology has
been increasing due to its applications in climatology, ecology, geomorphology and archaeology.
Approximately 6% of the world's biodiversity lives in Costa Rica distributed in most global tropical climates,
such as cloud forests, evergreen humid forests, seasonal forests, dry forests, high altitude parame, coastal
and wetland ecosystems. In addition to this, for 50 years a series of wood samples have been collected from
the different trees growing in these climates for their anatomical study. It is estimated that approximately 320
tree species have been studied anatomically and have presented basic information on the formation of growth
rings. Thus, the wide diversity of species and the significant number of species studied make the country an
ideal tropical laboratory to develop dendrochronological files applied to the reconstruction of the paleoclimate
and landscape (geomorphology). So, in the following proposal, the objective is to establish the different types
of growth rings of trees growing in forests, their distinctiveness, their dendrochronological potential (PD) of 320
tree species and to establish their relationship with families, genera, type of species, growth condition,
altitudinal and life zones, and type of climate. The selected species were based on the inventory of species
from Costa Rica that have been studied in the different literature and then the formation of the ring is confirmed
with the samples of wood present in the Xylariorum of the School of Forest Engineering of the Technological
Institute of Costa Rica. (TECw). Subsequently, a single climatic or hydrogeomorphological reconstruction study
will be carried out in two climatic conditions of Costa Rica (dry and humidity zone) using as a base a species
that presents a distinctive ring type and high dendrochronological potential. The development of this project
will allow the construction and development of a joint research space in this field, which is so important in
climate change and the reconstruction of disastrous and extreme hydrogeomorphological events. And so with
this information it is possibly to know in the future, through model development, the effects of climate change
in our country in aspects such as hydrogeomorphology, change in the habitat of species, threats from them,
among other factors.

establecer diferentes tipos de anillos anuales de árboles (AR), distintividad y potencial dendrocronológico (DP) de las especies de árboles de Costa Rica
y establecer su relación con familias, géneros, tipo de especie (conífera y latifoliada), condición de crecimiento, zonas altitudinales y de vida, y tipo de clima.

1. Gestión para la conservación y restauración de ecosistemas naturales