BIOdry

BIOdry applies multilevel modeling to analyze dendroclimatic fluctuations in tree-ring width (TRW) and related variables, enabling multivariate comparison and transformation of hierarchical dendroclimatic datasets.

Key Features:

• Multilevel Modeling: Implements multilevel modeling workflows using the nlme R package to analyze hierarchical dendroclimatic data.
• Multivariate Comparison: Supports multivariate comparison via integration with the ecodist R package to analyze multiple variables simultaneously.
• Data Transformation: Transforms dendroclimatic fluctuations into Multilevel Dendroclimatic Data Series while preserving categorical variables and time units.
• modelFrame: Binds core-level cumulative TRWs to processed datasets and subtracts trends by fitting multilevel log-linear growth or multilevel linear formulas, and can model within-group fluctuations in aridity indices and allometric components (diameters at breast height over bark, tree basal areas, total tree biomass).
• muleMan: Compares fluctuations between modelFrame objects that share an outermost categorical variable and annual records to identify patterns across datasets.

Scientific Applications:

• Regional Dendroclimatic Modeling: Applied to model dendroclimatic relationships in northern and east-central Spain.
• Ecological Change Analysis: Used to analyze ecological relationships over space and time and assess climatic influences on tree growth.

Methodology:

Implemented as an R package using nlme and ecodist; modelFrame binds core-level cumulative TRWs, fits multilevel log-linear growth or multilevel linear formulas to subtract trends, and transforms outputs into Multilevel Dendroclimatic Data Series preserving categorical variables and time units; muleMan compares modelFrame objects that share an outermost categorical variable and annual records.