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"FOREST TREES"
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Can you hear the trees talking? : discovering the hidden life of the forest
\"Did you know that trees have parents, and tree grandparents with wrinkles? That tree kids go to school for hundreds of years? That there is such a thing as the forest internet? And that trees make us healthy and strong. Sometimes, even trees get sick, but we can help them heal. Can You Hear the Trees Talking? shares the mysteries and magic of the forest in language kids will love and understand.\"--Provided by publisher.
Book
Linking size-dependent growth and mortality with architectural traits across 145 co-occurring tropical tree species
Tree architecture, growth, and mortality change with increasing tree size and associated light conditions. To date, few studies have quantified how size-dependent changes in growth and mortality rates co-vary with architectural traits, and how such size-dependent changes differ across species and possible light capture strategies. We applied a hierarchical Bayesian model to quantify size-dependent changes in demographic rates and correlated demographic rates and architectural traits for 145 co-occurring Malaysian rain-forest tree species covering a wide range of tree sizes. Demographic rates were estimated using relative growth rate in stem diameter (RGR) and mortality rate as a function of stem diameter. Architectural traits examined were adult stature measured as the 95-percentile of the maximum stem diameter (upper diameter), wood density, and three tree architectural variables: tree height, foliage height, and crown width. Correlations between demographic rates and architectural traits were examined for stem diameters ranging from 1 to 47 cm. As a result, RGR and mortality varied significantly with increasing stem diameter across species. At smaller stem diameters, RGR was higher for tall trees with wide crowns, large upper diameter, and low wood density. Increased mortality was associated with low wood density at small diameters, and associated with small upper diameter and wide crowns over a wide range of stem diameters. Positive correlations between RGR and mortality were found over the whole range of stem diameters, but they were significant only at small stem diameters.
Associations between architectural traits and demographic rates were strongest at small stem diameters. In the dark understory of tropical rain forests, the limiting amount of light is likely to make the interspecific difference in the effects of functional traits on demography more clear. Demographic performance is therefore tightly linked with architectural traits such as adult stature, wood density, and capacity for horizontal crown expansion. The enhancement of a demographic trade-off due to interspecific variation in functional traits in the understory helps to explain species coexistence in diverse rain forests.
Journal Article
The hidden life of trees : what they feel, how they communicate : discoveries from a secret world
\"Are trees social beings? In this international bestseller, forester and author Peter Wohlleben ... makes the case that, yes, the forest is a social network. He draws on ... scientific discoveries to describe how trees are like human families: tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, support them as they grow, share nutrients with those who are sick or struggling, and even warn each other of impending dangers\"--Dust jacket flap.
Book
Genomic Selection for Forest Tree Improvement: Methods, Achievements and Perspectives
The breeding of forest trees is only a few decades old, and is a much more complicated, longer, and expensive endeavor than the breeding of agricultural crops. One breeding cycle for forest trees can take 20–30 years. Recent advances in genomics and molecular biology have revolutionized traditional plant breeding based on visual phenotype assessment: the development of different types of molecular markers has made genotype selection possible. Marker-assisted breeding can significantly accelerate the breeding process, but this method has not been shown to be effective for selection of complex traits on forest trees. This new method of genomic selection is based on the analysis of all effects of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) using a large number of molecular markers distributed throughout the genome, which makes it possible to assess the genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) of an individual. This approach is expected to be much more efficient for forest tree improvement than traditional breeding. Here, we review the current state of the art in the application of genomic selection in forest tree breeding and discuss different methods of genotyping and phenotyping. We also compare the accuracies of genomic prediction models and highlight the importance of a prior cost-benefit analysis before implementing genomic selection. Perspectives for the further development of this approach in forest breeding are also discussed: expanding the range of species and the list of valuable traits, the application of high-throughput phenotyping methods, and the possibility of using epigenetic variance to improve of forest trees.
Journal Article
Phenolic root exudate and tissue compounds vary widely among temperate forest tree species and have contrasting effects on soil microbial respiration
Root–soil interactions fundamentally affect the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle and thereby ecosystem feedbacks to climate change. This study addressed the question of whether the secondary metabolism of different temperate forest tree species can affect soil microbial respiration. We hypothesized that phenolics can both increase and decrease respiration depending on their function as food source, mobilizer of other soil resources, signaling compound, or oxin.
We analyzed the phenolic compounds from root exudates and root tissue extracts of six tree species grown in a glasshouse using high-performance liquid chromatography. We then tested the effect of individual phenolic compounds, representing the major identified phenylpropanoid compound classes, on microbial respiration through a 5-d soil incubation.
Phenolic root profiles were highly species-specific. Of the eight classes identified, flavonoids were the most abundant, with flavanols being the predominating sub-class. Phenolic effects on microbial respiration ranged from a 26% decrease to a 46% increase, with reduced respiration occurring in the presence of compounds possessing a catechol ring.
Tree species variation in root phenolic composition influences the magnitude and direction of root effects on microbial respiration. Our data support the hypothesis that functional group rather than biosynthetic class determines the root phenolic effect on soil C cycling.
Journal Article
The human dimensions of forest and tree health : global perspectives
\"This book explores the specifically human dimensions of the problem posed by a new generation of invasive pests and pathogens to tree health worldwide. The growth in global trade and transportation in recent decades, along with climate change, is allowing invasive pests and pathogens to establish in new environments, with profound consequences for the ecosystem services provided by trees and forests, and impacts on human wellbeing. The central theme of the book is to consider the role that social science can play in better understanding the social, economic and environmental impacts of such tree disease and pest outbreaks. Contributions include explorations of how pest outbreaks are socially constructed, drawing on the historical, cultural, social and situated contexts of outbreaks; the governance and economics of tree health for informing policy and decision-making; stakeholder engagement and communication tools; along with more philosophical approaches that draw on environmental ethics to consider 'non-human' perspectives. Taken together the book makes theoretical, methodological and applied contributions to our understanding of this important subject area and encourages researchers from across the social sciences and humanities to bring their own disciplinary perspectives and expertise to address the complexity that is the human dimensions of forest and tree health. Chapter 5 and 11 are open access under a CC BY 4.0 license via link.springer.com\"-- Page 4 of cover.
Book
Tree by Tree
Tree by Tree is a warning and a toolkit for the future of forest recovery. Scott J. Meiners investigates the critical biological threats endangering tree species native to the forests of eastern North America, providing a needed focus on this plight. Meiners suggests that if we are to save our forests, the first step is to recognize the threats in front of us.
Meiners focuses on five familiar trees—the American elm, the American chestnut, the eastern hemlock, the white ash, and the sugar maple—and shares why they matter economically, ecologically, and culturally. From outbreaks of Dutch elm disease to infestations of emerald ash borers, Meiners highlights the challenges that have led or will lead to the disappearance of these trees from forests. In doing so, he shows us how diversity loss often disrupts intricately balanced ecosystems and how vital it is that we pay more attention to massive changes in forest composition.
With practical steps for the conservation of native tree species, Tree by Tree offers the inspiration and insights we need to begin saving our forests.
eBook
The busy tree
Many different types of wildlife live in and around a tree that is their home, from chipmunks and woodpeckers to ants and spiders.
Book
Genotype by environment interactions in forest tree breeding: review of methodology and perspectives on research and application
Genotype by environment interaction (G×E) refers to the comparative performances of genotypes differing among environments, representing differences in genotype rankings or differences in the level of expression of genetic differences among environments. G×E can reduce heritability and overall genetic gain, unless breeding programmes are structured to address different categories of environments. Understanding the impact of G×E, the role of environments in generating G×E and the problems and opportunities is vital to efficient breeding programme design and deployment of genetic material. We review the current main analytical methods for identifying G×E: factor analytic models, biplot analysis and reaction norm. We also review biological and statistical evidence of G×E for growth, form and wood properties in forest species of global economic importance, including some pines, eucalypts, Douglas-fir, spruces and some poplars. Among these species, high levels of G×E tend to be reported for growth traits, with low levels of G×E for form traits and wood properties. Finally, we discuss possible ways of exploiting G×E to maximise genetic gain in forest tree breeding. Characterising the role of environments in generating interactions is seen as the basic platform, allowing efficient testing of candidate genotypes. We discuss the importance of level-of-expression interaction, relative to rank-change interaction, as being greater than in many past reports, especially for deployment decisions. We examine the impacts of G×E on tree breeding, some environmental factors that cause G×E and the strategies for dealing with G×E in tree breeding, and the future role of genomics.
Journal Article