Quantitative analysis of growth rings and their applications on fossil conifer wood

Trees faithfully record the physiological responses to climatic and environmental changes during their life spans, which can be obtained by using quantitative analysis of the anatomical characteristics of growth rings. Thus, quanti-tative analysis of growth rings is widely used in modern forestry, geography, palaeoclimatology and palaeontology. In this paper, we systematically compared different parameters and methods of quantitative analysis of growth rings, in-cluding the identification of Growth Ring Type, Growth-ring Width, Annual Sensitivity, Mean Sensitivity, Ring Markedness Index, Percentage Latewood, Percentage Diminution, Vulnerability Index, Mesomorphy Index, and the cumulative algebraic sum of each cell's deviation from the mean of the radial diameters (CSDM). The application of these parameters and methods on fossil conifer wood not only provides an unique opportunity to assess the leaf lon-gevity and phenology of ancient conifer plants, but also provides comprehensive understandings of the palaeoenvi-ronmental and palaeoclimatic conditions during the geological past. Therefore, quantitative analysis of growth rings has irreplaceable advantages in the study of fossil conifer wood.

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