Growth stages of trees?

[Fredward]

Not really sure where to post this.. But I'm looking for information on the major growth stages of trees, and their physiological and morphological changes.. Obviously I am aware that an acorn turns into a seedling etc, but also looking for info on the hormonal changes, cell development, and physical changes to leaves and tree structure.

 

Struggling to find what I need to answer a question in my coursework.

 

I have been looking at: Trees : Their Natural History, Physiology of Woody Plants and The Physiological Ecology of Woody Plants, but really I want something which describes this process in a chronological order. Seems like it should be simple but I've been searching for.. well.. ages.

 

Any links or books would be great

[Jesse]

Will try and dig out some of my old reading list, its a great subject. Growth regulators , you can find a lot on a simple google search.

Chapter 5 - Growth Regulators - Forest Biology and Ecology ...

[sloth]

What level are you studying? It could have quite a bearing on what details you need...

[Fredward]

Level 6

 

I'm finding everything I read is too in depth (level 7 plus) or too basic!

 

Looking for a chronological order of growth stages and changes which occur.

[Fredward]

Will try and dig out some of my old reading list, its a great subject. Growth regulators , you can find a lot on a simple google search.

Chapter 5 - Growth Regulators - Forest Biology and Ecology ...

 

Jesse, thanks for the link.. I understand the role of growth hormes in general, looking for more specifics on how the hormones change through the life cycle and the effect on morphology of the treee.g. branches changing to a downward inclination due to hormonal changes etc.

[daltontrees]

Seems like it should be simple but I've been searching for.. well.. ages. t

 

It is am immensely complicated business. Time and time again I have tried to simplify in my own mind the processes and stages. There are loads of books dealing with physiology, loads with morphology and plenty of info available about the outward appearance of growth responses, but I have never come across a single discourse covering what you are looking for.

 

I only really get 3 stages, germination, pre-maturity and post-maturity. Apart from that ther don't seem to be any other stages when growth and form are affected by the appearance or disappearance of specialist cell development. Everything else is a combination of size increase by annual increment, various tropisms, adaptive growth, defense, mutations, wounding, soil, climate, exposure, reaction to self-weight etc.

 

Physiology books seem too general, concentrating on evidence from experiments on simpler and mostly non-woody plants. Tree books don't seem to come far enough towards the subject from the other direction. There is a fair amout of stuff around about 'morphogenesis' but it concentrates on changes within a growing season rahter than over the life of perennials.

 

If you can get a copy of 'The Physiology of Flowering Plants' 3rd ed., p.153 et seq and chapters 11 and 12 might help, but the book is written for biologists who speak the language a bit. You might be disappointed if all it does is confirm that branch primordia are initiated by hormonal or other substance control, though, if you are looking for specific chemical names.

[treeseer]

Ted Green talks of this a bit

Immortality-PLANT SYMBIOSIS AND PATHOLOGY - Alan Rayner.pdf

immortality del tredici 1999.pdf

Grove_deadwood_2009.pdf

Growing_Downwards_ancient_trees_Jan_05.pdf

[KTSmith]

Thanks Guy for posting those references concerning the veteran stage of tree ontogeny. On first reading of the original post, I thought Fredward was asking about physiological/anatomical shifts from seedling--sapling--pole-stage--sawtimber--overmaturity/decadence...Yes, quite right, those terms are from commercial forestry and extractive timber production. I'm not trying to be provocative, just to point out that those stages are generally the province of silviculture rather than tree care or nature conservation. They don't have to be restricted to silviculture and timber production, though. Nursery production also concerns itself with some of the earlier transitional stages.

Excellent question from Fredward. I don't know of a single work that sketches ontogeny from beginning to end--or to immortality if that is the case.

Silviculture and traditional physiology can contribute to an understanding of some of these transitions, say from a seedling's tap root to a more spreading system (perhaps) as trees grow in size and age. My personal interest has been in the shift from the plant being mostly foliage (by mass) to being mostly wood. Branch shedding in native stands as the canopy closes is definitely an interesting story and the source of one view of proper pruning. I'd be happy to be shown to be wrong about the lack of a single guide covering Fredward's topic!

[treeseer]

Right; the question is so broad, and trees so variable, the best we can do is generalise.

 

I hope the del Tredici paper is of use--it sure was to me!

[Fredward]

Great thanks guys, I haven't had a chance to read the information above yet, glad to know I'm not the only one who found the subject difficult.

 

The word ontogeny came up in my various searches, does that accurately describe what I'm looking for? Its not a term I've heard in my studies thus far.

 

I think I may be complicating the answer to the question, I have spoken to my tutor and he referred me to 'Trees: Their Natural History' but he wasn't certain if it held the answers to what I was searching for.

 

I think I may pick a specific species local to NZ and try and explain what happens during the life cycle, although I think I have too many gaps, the above post about root systems, I hadn't even considered this.

 

Unfortunately I don't have long to do this and I'm busy with work, I just want to do it right and understand it properly!