Dendrochronological potential of weeping pinyon ( Pinus pinceana Gordon) in Tamaulipas, Mexico

Abstract

Introduction. The dendrochronological potential of a species indicates its ability to form annual tree rings that capture a clear climate signal. Objective. To evaluate the dendrochronological potential of Pinus pinceana Gordon to record climate variability in its tree rings. Materials and methods. Cores from P. pinceana were extracted in a submontane scrub vegetation in Tamaulipas, Mexico. Dendrochronology software was used to measure the annual tree-rings width, date the tree rings, and transform them into growth indices. These indices were then correlated with precipitation and temperature data. Results and discussion. The correlation between series was r = 0.54 (p < 0.001) and mean sensitivity was 0.31. These values are lower than documented for the species; however, they indicate that the species is sensitive to climatic factors and can record its variability through their tree-ring width indices. A 153-year chronology (1867-2019) was generated with potential to detect variability in average cumulative September-May precipitation (r = 0.71; p < 0.001) and average maximum temperature September-June (r =-0.64; p < 0.001). Weeping pinyon in Tamaulipas overcomes the sensitivity to precipitation that the species shows in other populations of central and northern Mexico. Conclusions. P. pinceana in Tamaulipas has good dendrochronological potential due to its ability to record regional climate variability, particularly precipitation, in its tree- rings.