Dendrochronology and wood anatomy developed for decades as two independent scientific fields. It was only in the last decade that it was made clear that the dimension of time is the fourth dimension for both sciences and that it was demonstrated that wood anatomy and dendrochronology are perfect partners.

The main aim of this book is to show the hidden ecological richness in stems and roots from trees, shrubs and herbs. It should encourage researchers to consider the anatomic microcosm of wood plants and use it as a retrospective source of information, solving problems related to ecophysiology, competition, site conditions, population biology, earth science, wood quality and even human history.

Comprehensive and richly illustrated book Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Autorentext

Fritz Schweingruber was an outstanding tree ring researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research in Birmensdorf, Switzerland, who, unfortunately, passed away before the book's publication. He collected most of the samples in the High Arctic of Canada, Greenland and Russia during his adventurous expeditions. Sample processing and description was mainly his responsibility. Miroslav Dvorský is a researcher at the Institute of Botany in T ebö, Czech Academy of Sciences, focusing on alpine plants. He prepared species annotations regarding morphology, distribution, and ecology, gathered photos, and wrote parts of the introduction. Annett Börner has been working in the field of scientific publishing for more than fifteen years and took up the challenge of designing and editing the book. She lives in Adelaide, Australia. Ji í Doleal is a researcher at the Institute of Botanyin T ebö, Czech Academy of Sciences, focusing on alpine plants. He collected most of the samples in the Himalayas, Cameroon, Japan and the Rockies.

Inhalt
Preparation of Wood and Herb Samples for Microscopic Analysis.- Growth Zones and Stems in Relation to Genetic Ecological Factors.- Modification of the Tree-Ring Anatomy Due to Ageing and the Position Within the Tree.- Modification of the Tree-Ring Structure Due to Extreme Site Conditions.- Modification of the Tree-Ring Structure Caused by Compression and Tension.- Modification of the Tree-Ring Structure Due to Defoliation and Pollarding.- Modification of the Tree-Ring Structure Due to Destructive Agents in Wood and Bark.- Modification of the Tree-Ring Structure Due to Deformed Stems and Anastomosis.- Modification of the Tree-Ring Structure Due to Wood Decay.- Conclusions.