A protocol for high-quality sectioning for tree-ring anatomy.

Abstract

Quantitative wood anatomy (QWA), which involves measuring wood cell anatomical characteristics commonly on dated tree rings, is becoming increasingly important within plant sciences and ecology. This approach is particularly valuable for studies that require processing a large number of samples, such as those aimed at millennial-long climatic reconstructions. However, the field faces significant challenges, including the absence of a publicly available comprehensive protocol for efficiently and uniformly producing high-quality wood thin sections for QWA along dated tree-ring series. This issue is especially critical for more brittle subfossil wood, in addition to fresh material from living trees. Our manuscript addresses these challenges by providing a detailed protocol for producing thin anatomical sections of wood and digital images, specifically tailored for long chronologies of tree-ring anatomy with an emphasis on conifer wood. The protocol includes step-by-step procedures for sample preparation, sectioning, and imaging, ensuring consistent and high-quality results. By offering this well-tried-and-tested protocol, we aim to facilitate reproducibility and accuracy in wood anatomical studies, ultimately advancing research in this field. It aims to serve as a reference for researchers and laboratories engaged in similar work, promoting standardized practices and enhancing the reliability of QWA data.

Plant phenotyping relevance

樹木年輪の木材解剖学的形質を定量化するための試料調製・薄切・デジタル画像化プロトコルが論文の中心であり、植物形質取得の再現性と標準化を目的としている。

Code and data availability

This is a methods/protocol paper for wood thin-sectioning. It cites pre-existing video protocols (footnotes 1-5) and third-party tools (ROXAS, CooRecorder, R) but deposits no paper-specific phenotype data, images, code, or models. Supplementary material is referenced but not shown to contain datasets or analysis code;

No evidence-backed public reproduction asset is currently recorded.