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As trees worldwide experience mortality or dieback with increasing drought and low tundras grow taller with warming, understanding the link between plant height and climate is increasingly important. We show that taller plants have predictably wider water-conducting conduits, and that wider conduits within species are more vulnerable to conduction-blocking embolisms. These two observations suggest that tall plants in formerly moist areas die because their wide conduits are excessively vulnerable under novel drought conditions. Also, the cold that limits conduit diameter, and therefore height, in tundra plants is relaxed under warming, permitting wider conduits and taller plants. That plant height appears linked to climate via plant hydraulics helps explain why vegetation height differs across biomes and is altering with climate change.Understanding how plants survive drought and cold is increasingly important as plants worldwide experience dieback with drought in moist places and grow taller with warming in cold ones. Crucial in plant climate adaptation are the diameters of water-transporting conduits. Sampling 537 species across climate zones dominated by angiosperms, we find that plant size is unambiguously the main driver of conduit diameter variation. And because taller plants have wider conduits, and wider conduits within species are more vulnerable to conduction-blocking embolisms, taller conspecifics should be more vulnerable than shorter ones, a prediction we confirm with a plantation experiment. As a result, maximum plant size should be short under drought and cold, which cause embolism, or increase if these pressures relax. That conduit diameter and embolism vulnerability are inseparably related to plant size helps explain why factors that interact with conduit diameter, such as drought or warming, are altering plant heights worldwide.

Rogers, K.; Asbridge, E.A.; Goncalves, R.V.S.; Hamylton, S.M.; Kelleway, J.K.; Lovelock, C.E.; Lucas, R.M.; Mollick, P.; Owers, C.J.; Phillips, C.; Brooke; B.P.; Steven, A.D.L.; Lymburner, L., and Woodroffe, C.D., 2024. Prevalence of mangrove progradation in the Gulf of Carpentaria revealed by satellite time series. In: Phillips, M.R.; Al-Naemi, S., and Duarte, C.M. (eds.), Coastlines under Global Change: Proceedings from the International Coastal Symposium (ICS) 2024 (Doha, Qatar). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 113, pp. 864-869. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. The distribution of mangroves has been declining, predominantly driven by anthropogenic impacts, and increasingly climate change is proposed to be impacting their extent and condition. Projections of sea-level rise imply that the seaward extent of mangroves may retract with extension on the landward margin. The archive of Landsat imagery enables broad-scale regional assessment of changes through Digital Earth Australia, from 1988 to the present. Changes to the extent and condition of open coast mangroves can be interpreted using indices of vegetation and surface water conditions calculated from Landsat data. These dense timeseries data can be extracted and visualised along transects. In the Gulf of Carpentaria in northern Australia, where there are limited anthropogenic influences, we investigated shore-normal transects that were systematically spaced along a coastline of approximately 1500 km. This coastline includes a range of geomorphologically complex features such as chenier ridges, tidal creeks, spits and tide-dominated beaches. We found widespread occurrence of progradation of the seaward margin. Changes to the landward mangrove extent were highly variable. Despite the extensive dieback of mangroves in recent years, including events in the early 1990s and 2015-2016, recovery of vegetation cover was evident in subsequent years. This analytical approach offers potential to explore changes to both seaward and landward mangrove margins in open-coast settings. In contrast to highly populated coastlines where infrastructure and assets cause coastal squeeze, landward expansion of mangroves in northern Australia is anticipated across the widespread low-lying coastal plains, which offer accommodation space under a higher sea level. Observations of progradation of the mangrove seaward margin over the past three decades are contrary to expectations under sea-level rise.

Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) are major biotic factors reducing yields and limiting vineyard economic life spans. Fungi in the GTD complex cause a range of symptoms in host plants, although these pathogens are slow wood colonizers and potentially latent pathogens. Understanding has recently increased on the possible roles that GTD fungi may play as latent pathogens, and how this can be translated into disease management. This paper summarizes evidence for the latent nature of infections by these fungi in grapevines and other hosts. Abiotic and biotic stressors have been associated with symptom expression in many hosts, but limited information is available regarding their roles in symptom development in grapevines. Based on research conducted in other pathosystems, this review discusses how abiotic and/or biotic stress factors may influence the transition from the endophytic to the pathogenic phases for GTD fungi. Potential methods for stress mitigation are also outlined as alternative GTD control strategies to minimize the economic impacts that that these diseases have on grape production. Keywords. Abiotic and biotic stresses, black foot disease, Botryosphaeria dieback, endophyte, Esca, Eutypa dieback, Petri disease, Phomopsis dieback.

1. Forest dieback caused by drought-induced tree mortality has been observed world-wide. Forecasting which trees in which locations are vulnerable to drought-induced mortality is important to predict the consequences of drought on forest structure, biodiversity and ecosystem function. 2. In this paper, our central aim was to compile a synthesis of tree traits and associated abiotic variables that can be used to predict drought-induced mortality. 3. We reviewed the literature that specifically links drought mortality to functional traits and site conditions (i.e. edaphic variables and biotic conditions), targeting studies that show clear use of tree traits in drought analysis. We separated the review into five climatic zones to determine global vs. regionally restricted relationships between traits and mortality. 4. Our synthesis identifies a number of traits that have clear relationships with droughtinduced mortality (e.g. wood density at the species level and tree size and growth at the individual level). However, the lack of direct relationships between most traits and droughtinduced mortality highlights areas where future research should focus to broaden our understanding. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our synthesis highlights established relationships between traits and drought-induced mortality, presents knowledge gaps for future research focus and suggests monitoring and research avenues for improving our understanding of drought-induced mortality. It is intended to assist ecologists and natural resource managers choose appropriate and measurable parameters for predicting local and regional scale tree mortality risk in different climatic zones within constraints of time and funding availability.

Grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs) are currently among the most important health challenges for viticulture in the world. Esca, Botryosphaeria dieback, and Eutypa dieback are the most current GTDs caused by fungi in mature vineyards. Their incidence has increased over the last two decades, mainly after the ban of sodium arsenate, carbendazim, and benomyl in the early 2000s. Since then, considerable efforts have been made to find alternative approaches to manage these diseases and limit their propagation. Biocontrol is a sustainable approach to fight against GTD-associated fungi and several microbiological control agents have been tested against at least one of the pathogens involved in these diseases. In this review, we provide an overview of the pathogens responsible, the various potential biocontrol microorganisms selected and used, and their origins, mechanisms of action, and efficiency in various experiments carried out in vitro, in greenhouses, and/or in vineyards. Lastly, we discuss the advantages and limitations of these approaches to protect grapevines against GTDs, as well as the future perspectives for their improvement.

Esca disease as well as Botryosphaeria and Eutypa dieback cause considerable economic problems for vineyards worldwide, and currently, no efficient treatment is available to control these diseases. For these three grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs), the main physiological effects reported concern carbohydrate metabolism and defence responses in the different organs of vine. In the trunk, a depletion of starch reserves in woody tissues is associated with fungal colonization; in the leaves, where pathogens are not present, the carbohydrate metabolism is also affected as revealed by a decline of the photosynthetic rate. A consequence of these disturbances is a lower pool of carbon reserves that might contribute to a decrease of plant development and vigour during the subsequent year. Other metabolic activities such as lipid and amino acid metabolism are down regulated. The perturbation of these primary metabolisms is often associated with the induction of defence responses. The development of biochemical barriers resulting from the accumulation of both tyloses and gummosis is observed during the infection of the wood causing blockage of the xylem vessels and thus limiting the fungal invasion. Their progression in the wood is also inhibited by the formation of polyphenol-rich reaction zones and by the accumulation of pathogenesis-related proteins, and the oxidative burst and the production of reactive oxygen species. Additionally, detoxification processes of the vine are involved; this reaction could be linked to the production of extracellular compounds by GTD agents some of which are phytotoxic. As a consequence, the sensory quality of berries and probably the wine made from these berries decrease. This review presents an overview of the physiological modifications described in vines affected by GTDs.

Pruning wounds are the main entry points for fungi causing grapevine trunk diseases (GTDs). Several studies identified factors influencing the temporal dynamics of wound susceptibility, which include the fungal species and inoculum dose, weather conditions, grape variety, pruning date, and so forth. Here, we conducted a quantitative analysis of literature data to synthesise outcomes across studies and to identify the factors that most affect the length of pruning wound susceptibility. We extracted data on the frequency at which the inoculated wounds showed GTD symptoms or an inoculated pathogen was reisolated following artificial inoculation at the time of pruning or in the following days. A negative exponential model was fit to these data to describe changes in wound susceptibility as a function of time since pruning, in which the rate parameter changed depending on specific factors. The results show that wound susceptibility is high at the time of pruning, and they remain susceptible to invasion by GTD fungi for months after pruning. Infection incidence on wounds was higher for fungi associated with Botryosphaeria dieback than those associated with Eutypa dieback or Esca complex, and wound susceptibility decreased faster for Eutypa dieback than for other GTD agents. Grapevine variety and pruning season also affected the wound susceptibility period. Sauvignon Blanc remains susceptible to GTDs longer than other varieties. We also found that the time of pruning can affect infection dynamics, especially for more susceptible varieties. The results increase our understanding of GTD epidemiology and should help growers control infections.

No single factor produces wildfires; rather, they occur when fire thresholds (ignitions, fuels, and drought) are crossed. Anomalous weather events may lower these thresholds and thereby enhance the likelihood and spread of wildfires. Climate change increases the frequency with which some of these thresholds are crossed, extending the duration of the fire season and increasing the frequency of dry years. However, climate-related factors do not explain all of the complexity of global fire-regime changes, as altered ignition patterns (eg human behavior) and fuel structures (eg land-use changes, fire suppression, drought-induced dieback, fragmentation) are extremely important. When the thresholds are crossed, the size of a fire will largely depend on the duration of the fire weather and the extent of the available area with continuous fuels in the landscape.

Forest ecosystems in the Mediterranean Basin are mostly situated in the north of the Basin (mesic). In the most southern and dry areas, the forest can only exist where topography and/or altitude favor a sufficient availability of water to sustain forest biomass. We have conducted a thorough review of recent literature (2000–2021) that clearly indicates large direct and indirect impacts of increasing drought conditions on the forests of the Mediterranean Basin, their changes in surface and distribution areas, and the main impacts they have suffered. We have focused on the main trends that emerge from the current literature and have highlighted the main threatens and management solution for the maintenance of these forests. The results clearly indicate large direct and indirect impacts of increasing drought conditions on the forests of the Mediterranean Basin. These increasing drought conditions together with over-exploitation, pest expansion, fire and soil degradation, are synergistically driving to forest regression and dieback in several areas of this Mediterranean Basin. These environmental changes have triggered responses in tree morphology, physiology, growth, reproduction, and mortality. We identified at least seven causes of the changes in the last three decades that have led to the current situation and that can provide clues for projecting the future of these forests: (i) The direct effect of increased aridity due to more frequent and prolonged droughts, which has driven Mediterranean forest communities to the limit of their capacity to respond to drought and escape to wetter sites, (ii) the indirect effects of drought, mainly by the spread of pests and fires, (iii) the direct and indirect effects of anthropogenic activity associated with general environmental degradation, including soil degradation and the impacts of fire, species invasion and pollution, (iv) human pressure and intense management of water resources, (v) agricultural land abandonment in the northern Mediterranean Basin without adequate management of new forests, (vi) very high pressure on forested areas of northern Africa coupled with the demographic enhancement, the expansion of crops and higher livestock pressure, and the more intense and overexploitation of water resources uses on the remaining forested areas, and (vii) scarcity and inequality of human management and policies, depending on the national and/or regional governments and agencies, being unable to counteract the previous changes. We identified appropriate measures of management intervention, using the most adequate techniques and processes to counteract these impacts and thus to conserve the health, service capacity, and biodiversity of Mediterranean forests. Future policies should, moreover, promote research to improve our knowledge of the mechanisms of, and the effects on, nutrient and carbon plant-soil status concurrent with the impacts of aridity and leaching due to the effects of current changes. Finally, we acknowledge the difficulty to obtain an accurate quantification of the impacts of increasing aridity rise that warrants an urgent investment in more focused research to further develop future tools in order to counteract the negative effects of climate change on Mediterranean forests.