Dendrochronological potential of sad pine (Pinus lumholtzii B.L. Rob. & fernald) in the sierra madre occidental for seasonal rainfall reconstructions

Abstract

A network of seven Pinus lumholtzii chronologies was developed for the Sierra Madre Occidental for seasonal rainfall reconstruction. Some dendrochronological parameters such as average mean sensitivity (0.25-0.38), series inter-correlation (0.52-0.66), signal-to-noise ratio (1.16-18.51) and first-order autocorrelation (0.01-0.30) had similar values as compared to other chronologies from associated conifer species. The first principal component values (PC1) explained over 80% of the seasonal November-June rainfall data and a precipitation reconstruction was developed for the common period (1890-2001). Similarly, the longest chronology (El Sauz) was used to reconstruct seasonal rainfall for the last 346 years (1668-2013), detecting extreme droughts in the periods 1665-1688, 1695-17118, 1890-1896, and 1948-1963. The association between the ring-width indices of the P. lumholtzii regional chronology and El Niño Southern Oscillation indices was similar to the ones obtained with other conifer species from the region. The advantage of expanding the network of P. lumholtzii chronologies is that its dendroclimatic potential is comparable to those of species better known for this purpose; its wide ecological distribution, and the existence of stands with low anthropogenic disturbances, favors the presence of old specimens. For its suitable climatic response the P. lumholtzii dendrochronological network is fundamental to reconstruct climate in sites with poor climatic data.