Annual cyclicity in high-resolution stable carbon and oxygen isotope ratios in the wood of the mangrove tree Rhizophora mucronata

In the present study, the high-resolution stable carbon ( 13 C/ 12 C) and oxygen ( 18 O/ 16 O) isotope ratio profiles in the wood of the mangrove Rhizophora mucronata Lam., a tropical tree species lacking distinct growth rings, were investigated. Variations of both isotope ratios revealed a remarkable annual cyclicity with lowest values occurring at the latewood/earlywood boundary (April–May) and highest values during the transition from earlywood to latewood (October–November). Based on the current knowledge of the physiology of this mangrove species, as well as on the current literature available on high-resolution profiles of stable isotope ratios in tree rings, possible driving forces responsible for this seasonal pattern are discussed. The annual cyclicity, together with a conspicuous isotope pattern appearing in the El-Niño year 1997, promises great potential for tropical dendrochronology. Key-words : d 13 C; d 18 O; dendrochronology; El-Niño; East Africa; high-resolution sampling; seasonal pattern; tree rings; tropical tree.