Strengthening Herbchronology in Natural Grasslands: Analysis of Small Woody Plant Growth under the Influence of Climate and Fire

Abstract

The visit proposal project titled "Strengthening Herbchronology in Natural Grasslands: Analysis of Small Woody Plant Growth under the Influence of Climate and Fire" aims to enhance herbchronology by analyzing the growth of small woody plants influenced by climatic variables and fire events. The visiting researcher, Dr. Lidio López, a Forest Engineer from the Instituto Argentino de Nivologia, Glaciologia y Ciencias Ambientales (IANIGLA), CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina, will be involved in this project during October 2024 at the Laboratory of Wood Anatomy, Dendrochronology, and Identification (LAIM), Department of Forest Sciences (ESALQ/USP). The main objectives of the project include determining the age and reconstructing the growth of small plants using dendrochronological techniques, analyzing the impact of climatic variables and fire, characterizing the anatomical structure of growth rings, constructing chronologies and dendroclimatic models, and investigating the relationship between plant growth and fire history. Dr. Lidio López will participate in various activities, including advising and collaborating with the project team, guiding the identification of growth patterns related to climatic factors and fire events, and assisting in dendrochronological data analysis, statistical treatment, and result interpretation. He will also provide training and capacity building by sharing advanced knowledge in dendrochronology, offering expertise in the anatomical analysis of fire-impacted woody structures, training in growth ring analysis techniques and data interpretation, and conducting statistical training focused on "Superposed Epoch Analysis." Additionally, Dr. López will participate in project follow-up meetings, discuss results, plan future activities, and contribute to the dissemination of research results through presentations and publications. He will also be involved in planning cooperative research projects, promoting seminars to discuss collaborative research, structuring scientific articles based on the results of the work conducted during the visit, and structuring cooperative research projects for submission to international research funding agencies. Dr. Lidio López's collaboration will have a significant impact on the thematic project, particularly Subproject E, which focuses on dendrochronology applied to small plants in natural grasslands. His extensive experience in dendrochronology, especially concerning tropical botanical species and factors affecting their growth, such as fire events, positions him as a leading expert in the field. His participation will be important for strengthening dendrochronological data analysis, validating chronologies, modeling climatic influence on woody plant growth, and advancing herbchronology research in Brazil, especially in natural grasslands. Finally, the research project proposal aims to expand and disseminate knowledge about natural grasslands, strengthening the foundation for formulating conservation policies in the state of São Paulo. Dr. Lidio López's collaboration will contribute to achieving these objectives, providing technical and scientific expertise that will enrich the project's development and the training of the involved researchers. (AU)