title: AMS Radiocarbon Dating of Large Za Baobabs (Adansonia za) of Madagascar.
abstract: The article reports the radiocarbon investigation of Anzapalivoro, the largest za baobab (Adansonia za) specimen of Madagascar and of another za, namely the Big cistern baobab. Several wood samples collected from the large inner cavity and from the outer part/exterior of the tree were investigated by AMS (accelerator mass spectrometry) radiocarbon dating. For samples collected from the cavity walls, the age values increase with the distance into the wood up to a point of maximum age, after which the values decrease toward the outer part. This anomaly of age sequences indicates that the inner cavity of Anzapalivoro is a false cavity, practically an empty space between several fused stems disposed in a ring-shaped structure. The radiocarbon date of the oldest sample was 780 ± 30 bp, which corresponds to a calibrated age of around 735 yr. Dating results indicate that Anzapalivoro has a closed ring-shaped structure, which consists of 5 fused stems that close a false cavity. The oldest part of the biggest za baobab has a calculated age of 900 years. We also disclose results of the investigation of a second za baobab, the Big cistern baobab, which was hollowed out for water storage. This specimen, which consists of 4 fused stems, was found to be around 260 years old.
authors.affiliation: Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of Chemistry, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patrut
authors.affiliation: Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Roxana T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Patrut
authors.affiliation: Cirad, UPR BSEF, Montpellier, France.|Direction régionale du CIRAD, Antananarivo, Madagascar.|DP Forêt et Biodiversité, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Danthu
authors.affiliation: DP Forêt et Biodiversité, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Leong Pock-Tsy
authors.affiliation: Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of Biology and Geology, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
authors.forename: Laszlo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rakosy
authors.affiliation: Nova University, Alexandria Campus, Alexandria, Virigina, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lowy
authors.affiliation: NOSAMS Facility, Dept. of Geology&Geophysics, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors.forename: Karl F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: von Reden
mesh_terms: D035162:Adansonia; D002138:Calibration; D004463:Ecology; D065928:Forests; D005843:Geography; D008270:Madagascar; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D055110:Radiometric Dating / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014197:Trees; D014934:Wood