Wood anatomy

The typical microstructure of Pine wood with plenty of tracheids
The anatomy of oak wood, full of vessels and two-sized rays
Typical bordered pits as in a coniferous wood species
Radial section of wood in which rays are shown

Wood anatomy is a scientific sub-area of wood science,[1] which examines the variations in xylem anatomical characteristics across trees, shrubs, and herbaceous species to explore inquiries related to plant function, growth, and the environment.[2][3]

Extensive study of the wood structure helps also in macroscopically or microscopically identifying the exact wood species for a variety of scientific, technical, historical, economical and other reasons. In recent years, wood anatomy also helps developing new techniques in preventing the illegal logging of forests,[4] that is the harvest, transportation, purchase, or sale of timber in violation of laws, leading to a number of environmental issues such as deforestation, soil erosion and biodiversity loss.

Commonly studied features include the dimensions of lumens and the thickness of walls in the conducting cells (tracheids, vessels), fibers, and various ray properties. The structural attributes of each xylem anatomical feature are largely predetermined upon formation and significantly influence its functionality, encompassing the transport and storage of water, nutrients, sugars, hormones, and mechanical support provision.[5]

These anatomical features are localized within (annual) growth rings, facilitating the establishment of intra-annual structure-function relationships and sensitivity to environmental fluctuations. However, generating large datasets of xylem anatomical data poses numerous methodological challenges.[6]

  1. ^ Wiedenhoeft, Alex (2010). "Structure and function of wood". Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material: Chapter 3. Centennial ed. General Technical Report FPL; GTR-190. Madison, WI: U.S. Dept. Of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, 2010: P. 3.1-3.18. 190: 3.1–3.18. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Anatomy, Organization, Wood". Encyclopedia Britannica. 20 July 1998. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  3. ^ von Arx, Georg; Crivellaro, Alan; Prendin, Angela L.; Čufar, Katarina; Carrer, Marco (2016). "Quantitative Wood Anatomy—Practical Guidelines". Frontiers in Plant Science. 7: 781. doi:10.3389/fpls.2016.00781. PMC 4891576. PMID 27375641.
  4. ^ "Wood anatomy - the role of macroscopic and microscopic wood identification against illegal logging" (PDF). Retrieved 31 March 2024. presentation by Dr. Gerald Koch
  5. ^ "Wood Anatomy". careforwood.wordpress.com. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  6. ^ "Structure of Wood" (PDF). Retrieved 14 December 2023.