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Internationally renowned for its pioneering role in the ecological restoration of tallgrass prairies, savannas, forests, and wetlands, the University of Wisconsin Arboretum contains the world’s oldest and most diverse restored ecological communities. A site for land restoration research, public environmental education, and enjoyment by nature lovers, the arboretum remains a vibrant treasure in the heart of Madison’s urban environment. Pioneers of Ecological Restoration chronicles the history of the arboretum and the people who created, shaped, and sustained it up to the present. Although the arboretum was established by the University of Wisconsin in 1932, author Franklin E. Court begins his history in 1910 with John Nolen, the famous landscape architect who was invited to create plans for the city of Madison, the university campus, and Wisconsin state parks. Drawing extensive details from archives and interviews, Court follows decades of collaborative work related to the arboretum’s lands, including the early efforts of Madison philanthropists and businessmen Michael Olbrich, Paul E. Stark, and Joseph W. “Bud” Jackson. With labor from the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s Depression, University of Wisconsin scientists began establishing both a traditional horticultural collection of trees and plants and a completely new, visionary approach to recreate native ecosystems. Hundreds of dedicated scientists and staff have carried forward the arboretum’s mission in the decades since, among them G. William Longenecker, Aldo Leopold, John T. Curtis, Rosemary Fleming, Virginia Kline, and William R. Jordan III. This archival record of the arboretum’s history provides rare insights into how the mission of healing and restoring the land gradually shaped the arboretum’s future and its global reputation; how philosophical conflicts, campus politics, changing priorities, and the encroaching city have affected the arboretum over the decades; and how early aspirations (some still unrealized) have continued to motivate the work of this extraordinary institution.

Oxford Botanic Garden is the oldest surviving botanic garden in Britain and has occupied its site in central Oxford since 1621. Conceived as a place to grow medicinal plants, born in the turmoil of civil war and nurtured during the restoration of the monarchy, the garden has, unsurprisingly, a curious past. By tracing the work and priorities of each of the garden's keepers, this book explores its importance as one of the world's oldest scientific plant collections. It tells the story of the planting of the garden by its first keeper, Jacob Bobart, and his son, together with how they changed the garden to suit their own needs. The story develops during the eighteenth century as the garden grew exotic plants under glass and acquired a fine succulent collection but then experienced a downturn under the stewardship of the eccentric Professor Humphrey Sibthorp (famous for giving just one lecture in thirty-seven years). Finally, the narrative throws light on the partnership of gardener William Baxter and academic Charles Daubeny in the early nineteenth century, which gave the garden its glasshouses and ponds and contributed to its survival to the present day. This generously illustrated book is the first history of the garden and arboretum for more than a century and provides an essential introduction to one of Oxford's much-loved haunts.

The biodiversity of botanical gardens and arboreta is typically assessed by vegetation, birds, and insects such as beetles and butterflies. At the same time, most of the invertebrate animals live in litter and soil, while remaining hidden and poorly studied. Here we present the results of studies of two classes of myriapods in Southern Cultures Park, Adler, Krasnodar Province, Russia. During 2021, the diversity and abundance of myriapods were assessed by quantitative data obtained using pitfall traps. From these traps, 20 species of diplopods and 14 species of chilopods were recorded. Alpha diversity of myriapods was significantly higher (p=0.043) in the spring-summer season in comparison to summer-fall. Beta diversity also significantly differed (p≤0.031) between these seasons. The abundance of Brachyiulus lusitanus (p=0.018), Polydesmus mediterraneus (p=0.047), Julus colchicus (p=0.020), and Cylindroiulus placidus (p=0.047) was significantly higher in the spring season, while in the summer season, the abundance of Anthroleucosomatidae Gen. sp.1 (p=0.047) was significantly dominant. Also, from 2018 to 2024, using hand collection from litter, 2 additional species of diplopods and 7 species of chilopods were recorded. Species of myriapods that were not previously recorded in Russia and introduced species were identified and illustrated.

Premise of the Study Plant phenology is a critical trait, as the timings of phenophases such as budburst, leafout, flowering, and fruiting, are important to plant fitness. Despite much study about when individual phenophases occur and how they may shift with climate change, little is known about how multiple phenophases relate to one another across an entire growing season. We test the extent to which early phenological stages constrain later ones, throughout a growing season, across 25 angiosperm tree species. Methods We observed phenology (budburst, leafout, flowering, fruiting, and senescence) of 118 individual trees across 25 species, from April through December 2015. Key Results We found that early phenological events weakly constrain most later events, with the strongest constraints seen between consecutive stages. In contrast, interphase duration was a much stronger predictor of phenology, especially for reproductive events, suggesting that the development time of flowers and fruits may constrain the phenology of these events. Conclusions Much of the variation in later phenological events can be explained by the timing of earlier events and by interphase durations. This highlights that a shift in one phenophase may often have cascading effects on later phases. Accurate forecasts of climate change impacts should therefore include multiple phenophases within and across years.

Salinity is not only a major environmental factor which limits plant growth and productivity, but it has also become a worldwide problem. However, little is known about the genetic basis underlying salt tolerance in cotton. This study was carried out to identify marker-trait association signals of seven salt-tolerance-related traits and one salt tolerance index using association analysis for 215 accessions of Asiatic cotton. According to a comprehensive index of salt tolerance (CIST), 215 accessions were mainly categorized into four groups, and 11 accessions with high salinity tolerance were selected for breeding. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) revealed nine SNP rich regions significantly associated with relative fresh weight (RFW), relative stem length (RSL), relative water content (RWC) and CIST. The nine SNP rich regions analysis revealed 143 polymorphisms that distributed 40 candidate genes and significantly associated with salt tolerance. Notably, two SNP rich regions on chromosome 7 were found to be significantly associated with two salinity related traits, RFW and RSL, by the threshold of −log10P ≥ 6.0, and two candidate genes (Cotton_A_37775 and Cotton_A_35901) related to two key SNPs (Ca7_33607751 and Ca7_77004962) were possibly associated with salt tolerance in G. arboreum. These can provide fundamental information which will be useful for future molecular breeding of cotton, in order to release novel salt tolerant cultivars.

The research presents the response of Japanese larch ( Gord) radial growth to climate change in the conditions of the forest-steppe of Ukraine in the Arboretum planting at the State Biotechnological University. The article develops local-tree chronologies of early, late and annual wood, considering three periods: 1979–1993, 1994–2008, and 2009–2022. The authors emphasize that the sensitivity of the radial growth of trees to climate variations increased in the third period, as evidenced by the increase in the number of significant correlation coefficients between index tree-ring chronologies and climatic factors (temperatures and precipitation), as well as hydrothermal coefficients (O , O and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI)). This indicates the weakening of the plantation because of temperature increase. Early wood turned out to be the most sensitive to climate variations. The radial increment trend stabilized in 2020–2022.

Botanic gardens and arboreta have evolved significantly from their origins as oases reserved for the elite, to the conservation powerhouses they are today, visited by over half a billion people annually. Now, with their sophisticated facilities and botanical expertise, gardens are uniquely positioned to address many of the challenges associated with preserving plant diversity for the benefit of people and the planet. Globally, however, resources for and awareness of these efforts are limited. Funders, governments, corporations, and global citizens need to greatly increase their support of gardens, recognizing the critical role they play in a scientifically informed, coordinated, global effort to save plants from extinction – because all life depends on plants. Social Impact Statement Botanic gardens and arboreta have evolved significantly from their origins as oases reserved for the elite, to the conservation powerhouses they are today, visited by over half a billion people annually. Now, with their sophisticated facilities and botanical expertise, gardens are uniquely positioned to address many of the challenges associated with preserving plant diversity for the benefit of people and the planet. Globally, however, resources for and awareness of these efforts are limited. Funders, governments, corporations, and global citizens need to greatly increase their support of gardens, recognizing the critical role they play in a scientifically informed, coordinated, global effort to save plants from extinction – because all life depends on plants. Summary Over centuries, botanic gardens and arboreta have evolved considerably in purpose and audience, from a historic focus on teaching and reference collections to championing plant conservation today; gardens fill a major global conservation need at the intersection of horticulture, living collections, plant science, and public education. With a sixth global mass extinction event underway, we are losing plant species before they can even be described, and over 20% of plant species are threatened with extinction. In response to this crisis, gardens are increasingly placing the conservation of plant diversity at the center of their missions, programming, and collections. However, there are significant challenges to preserving the world's vast plant diversity, and plant conservation efforts remain chronically underfunded. We envision a future where gardens have the resources, coordination, and capacity needed to reverse the plant extinction crisis. With sufficient resources, the garden community could: (a) operate an active network of globally coordinated gardens with capacity to carry out integrated plant conservation focused in biodiverse regions; (b) complete threat assessments for all plant species, to inform and prioritize conservation efforts; (c) conserve all “exceptional species” in genetically diverse living collections; and (d) ensure more informed, resilient, and productive landscape restoration efforts are successfully sequestering carbon and supporting biodiversity globally. The garden community is poised to lead these global efforts to preserve and protect plant diversity. Gardens have the expertise, tools, facilities, and networks in place to be the strongest force for plant conservation – they just need the resources to match the global need.

Universitas Sumatera Utara Arboretum has a wide variety of tree collections. Spondias pinnata, Terminalia catappa, and Neolamarckia cadamba are the three trees with the largest populations in the arboretum. This study aims to identify the types and test the potential of phosphate-solubilizing fungi qualitatively in the rhizosphere of Spondias pinnata, Terminalia catappa, and Neolamarckia cadamba. Soil samples were collected compositely at a depth of 0–20 cm in the rhizosphere of the three tree stands. Soil sampling was conducted by creating three plots measuring 20 m × 20 m for each tree species. Phosphatesolubilizing fungi were isolated using Pikovskaya selective medium. Identification was performed morphologically through macroscopic and microscopic observations down to the genus level. Qualitative testing of potential was conducted by calculating the phosphate solubilization index. The isolation yielded 36 isolates (8 isolates from the rhizosphere of Spondias pinnata, 16 isolates from the rhizosphere of Terminalia catappa, and 12 isolates from the rhizosphere of Neolamarckia cadamba). The identification results revealed 2 genera: Aspergillus (34 isolates) and Penicillium (2 isolates). The phosphate solubility index obtained ranged from 2.02 to 2.95, which is classified as moderate.

The results of research into the phytosanitary condition of age-old trees in the historical part of the V.V. Pashkevych arboretum are presented. The small triangular-shaped arboretum occupies an area of 1.87 ha, which was founded in 1889–1891 by professor V.V. Pashkevych. As a result of the inventory assessment of the territory (as of 2024), it was established that the taxonomic composition of the arboretum is represented by 90 species and forms of tree species, including 44 from the period of the creation of the arboretum itself. A total of 102 taxa aged 100–135 years were identified. It was determined that representatives of dendroflora belong to 12 families, including 14 taxa from the Pinophyta division and 90 taxa from the Magnoliophyta division. In terms of quantity, the largest number of age-old trees in the arboretum plantings are from the families Malvaceae Juss. (30.75%), Sapindaceae Juss. (13.46%), Fagaceae Dumort. (11.5%), and Pinaceae L. (10.57%), and the smallest number of age-old trees are from Simaroubaceae DC., Ulmaceae Mirb., and Cannabaceae Mart. (0.96%). Rapid climate change significantly reduces the resilience of plantations in the Right-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine and contributes to outbreaks of epiphytoses of bacterioses, the reproduction of pests, and drying out of the surface root system. A set of diseases and pest infestations were found in tree species within the research area, which significantly affected their growth and development and their resistance to current climatic factors. The most common are local necrotic-cancer diseases, caused by the fungi Nectria ditissima; damage by xylotrophic fungi (Poliporus squarnosus and Fomes fomentarius); rot; frost cracks; leaf damage by powdery mildew, the course of which is chronic. A decrease in the esthetic condition of the stand was noted: a sparse and asymmetrical crown, leaves and needles damaged by pests, a trunk tilt from 10° to 40°, a dry tree top, hollowness, etc. According to the sanitary rules in the forests of Ukraine, it was determined that trees of category I of sanitary condition (without signs of weakening) accounted for 31%, trees of category II (weakened) accounted for 36.4%, category III (very weakened) accounted for 25.9%, and category IV (dying) accounted for 6.7%. It was noted that one of the reasons for deterioration in the condition of trees in the stands is colonization by the semi-parasite Viscum album L. As a result of the research, 22 trees with varying degrees of Viscum album damage were identified. Of these, 4.9% were slightly damaged, 6.9% were moderately damaged, 5.9% were severely damaged, and 3.9% were very severely damaged. It was determined that 32 trees required sanitary pruning, 25 trees required pest and disease treatment, and one 130-year-old Robinia psevdoacacia L. tree was recommended for removal.