Unambiguous and Low-Cost Determination of Growth Rates and Ages of Tropical Trees and Palms

Bibliographic Data

ID9245929
AuthorsJorge I del Valle (0000-0001-5908-7575), Juan R Guarín, Carlos A Sierra (0000-0003-0009-4169)
Year2014
Volume56
Issue1
Pages39-52
Publication date2014-01-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueRadiocarbon (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-8222 • E-ISSN: 1945-5755
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.2458/56.16486
OpenAlexW2111481114
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited42

The determination of the age of tropical trees and palms is of significant importance for ecological studies and designing sustainable forest management plans. Radiocarbon is a powerful tool that can potentially help the determination of ages and growth rates of these plants. However, the application of 14 C analyses has one important problem for trees without annual rings and palms: the calibration of 14 C measurements with common programs such as CALIBomb or OxCal gives erroneous determinations for wood formed between AD 1954 and 1964. This problem is illustrated here using samples from a tropical tree ( Otoba gracilipes ) and a tropical palm ( Oenocarpus bataua ). This study shows how the use of two adjacent samples can help to unambiguously determine the real age of the samples and their mean growth rates. For comparison, long-term growth measurements for both species were used and it was determined that 14 C analyses provide accurate determination of growth rates for tropical trees and palms. Furthermore, the application of 14 C analyses in palms allows the determination of the rosette stage, rarely quantified in forest inventories and life-history studies

Agroforestry · Arecaceae · Biology · Dendrochronology · Geography · Palm · Radiocarbon dating · Tropical forest · Tropics · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Environmental Science · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies · Tree-ring climate responses · Ecology · Forestry · Paleontology

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