Plasticity is vital for plants to rapidly acclimate to environmental changes, especially under the climate change. Global warming could advance bud break and extend the growing season, but it also ...increases the risk of frost damage to developing leaves. In this study, we explored the phenological plasticity of bud burst of half-sib family sugar maple (
Acer saccharum
Marsh.) seedlings from 11 seed origins in two common gardens at the center and the northern edge of the species distribution in Quebec, Canada. Results showed that the phenological plasticity of sugar maple originating from inland was significantly higher than those from coastal areas at the beginning of leaf development. This discrepancy may result from the long-term frost change frequency of seed origins. Our study suggests that in the context of climate warming, the higher plasticity observed in sugar maple originating from inland areas may benefit from the phenological adaptation of sugar maple and the survival of local populations. It also suggests that inland populations may have a higher potential regarding to assisted migration, but this needs to be confirmed for other functional traits than phenology.
Fraxinus excelsior L. is threatened by a variety of environmental factors causing a decline of the species. The most important biotic factors negatively affecting the condition of the F. excelsior ...population are fungi such as the pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. Abiotic factors with potentially harmful effect to the F. excelsior population are the accumulation of heavy metals and salinity in soils. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the impact of selected biotic and abiotic stress factors to determine which of them pose a threat to European ash. The study was conducted using in vitro techniques based on callus and seedlings regenerated via indirect organogenesis. Tissue cultures exclude the influence of other factors, including the environmental impact on ash extinction. The results confirmed very strong pathogenic potential of H. fraxineus in which after 14 days the callus tissue cells died as the tissue failed to activate its defense mechanisms. Experiments showed the high toxicity of cadmium in concentration of 0.027 mmol/L. Salinity caused the activity of oxidation enzymes to vary among seedlings and calluses in the control suggesting the enzymes play a role in controlling the morphogenetic development of tissue cultures.
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is a widespread species in Eurasia, but its natural range can be significantly altered by a variety of stressors. The ability of pine to regenerate naturally is ...significantly reduced by its occurrence in unsuitable habitats. The processes of natural selection of pine from select habitats can be followed in stands of national parks where forestry activities are excluded. The possibility of pine regeneration is influenced by the following factors: characteristics of produced seeds, competition, and genetic characteristics. In the present study, selected factors associated with limiting the natural regeneration potential of pine were analysed. The present work generated important information related to the natural regeneration potential of pine in Central and Eastern Europe. The main objective of the analyses was to discuss the possibility of the natural regeneration of pine stands without human intervention. In addition, the genetic diversity of naturally germinating seedlings was analysed. The obtained results confirmed the high reproductive potential of pine despite the advanced age of the studied trees. The obtained seeds produced by old growth Scots pine trees had high viability, while a significant difference was observed in terms of the average number of cones per dominant tree between studied stands. Thus, the number of cones was the main element determining the regeneration potential of the stands. It should be emphasised that the number of cones did not influence the occurrence of natural regeneration. Based on the obtained results, the regeneration potential of pine stands depends mainly on the habitat and the competitive pressure. In addition, a correlation between genetic parameters and the regeneration potential of stands should be established, which may be the beginning of further research on the process discussed in this publication.
Global changes affect the growing conditions of terrestrial ecosystems, causing a mismatch between plant phenology and local climates in Northern regions. Due to their long lifespan and irregular ...regeneration periods, trees cannot respond quickly enough to climate variability through long-term genetic adaptation. In this study, we explored the phenological plasticity and genetic variation among populations of bud burst in sugar maple (
Acer saccharum
Marsh.) seedlings from 30 Canadian provenances with contrasting climates planted in two common gardens near and at the northern limit of the species’ range. We tested the hypothesis that phenotypic plasticity and genetic variation among populations affect bud phenology. We expect that phenotypic plasticity is more important in regulating bud phenology due to the high variability in short-term weather events characterizing this part of North America. Bud development and leafing occurred in April–May, with complete bud burst lasting between 21 and 29 days. On average, bud swelling differed by 12 days between common gardens. Both factors site (common gardens) and provenance significantly affected bud burst, demonstrating phenological plasticity and genetic variation of sugar maple, respectively. A significant interaction between site and provenance was also found. Overall, the site (11.8–90.3%) contributed more than provenance (0–3.1%) to the variance in timings of bud burst, indicating a dominant role of plasticity in regulating spring phenology. Our study demonstrated the concurring effects of genetic variation and phenological plasticity of sugar maple and revealed the dominant role of the latter factor. The high plasticity observed in sugar maple has a crucial role in the phenological adaptation of maple and the survival of its local populations in a context of changing climate.
Forest trees facing climate change may persist in a short term through acclimation within the limits of their phenotypic plasticity. In the longer term, however, evolutionary adaptation would be ...needed for populations to thrive in the changed climate, or species may migrate to new areas as climate becomes favorable there. European beech is one of the most important tree species in western and central Europe, and projections indicate that it may contract its southern range and migrate towards northern and north-eastern Europe in the future climates. It is therefore important to recognize the level of variation in climatic adaptation and climatic responsiveness of populations which are likely the source of genetic material for expanding the species range. In this study we examined variation in growth and productivity among 39 European beech populations, which represent the north-eastern margin of the species distribution range. We employed the transfer function and the Universal Response Function approaches to analyze populations’ performance in response to the climatic transfer across five provenance test sites and in relationship to climate at the populations’ origin and planting sites. We found significant but low variation among tested populations in tree diameter (DBH; cm) and Volume index (m3 ha−1) and significant population × site interaction at age 30 years. That variation, however, was only weakly related to gradients of climatic variables represented by the set of sampled populations. The variable performance of populations across planting sites, and the importance of planting sites’ climate in explaining traits’ variation in this experiment confirm the plastic response of examined populations to climate change. Our findings indicate that beech populations from the analyzed region have a high acclimation potential to the projected changes in climate, although for high-altitude populations (from > 600 m a.s.l) the negative effect of transfers to warmer and drier conditions was observed. Detailed knowledge of the plasticity of response and adaptive potential of marginal beech populations in the longer term would be needed to guide management decisions to help future forests to cope with climate change.
•Beech populations at species north-east margin would contribute to range expansion.•Those populations vary in diameter growth and productivity across planting sites.•Variation was related more to the climate of planting site than population origin.•The pattern on variation reflects plastic response to climate change.•Beech populations from analyzed region have overall a high acclimation potential.
In Poland, the tree improvement programme was initiated in 2004, but the trials for European larch (
Mill.) did not start until 2021. Our aim is to present certain aspects of the methodological ...approach of progeny testing for this species. The European larch, known for its rapid growth among native coniferous trees in Europe, holds great promise for forest breeding. Unfortunately, its natural range in Poland is limited, with rare but well-known valuable provenances. In 2023, six progeny tests were established using the same 130 open-pollinated families, derived from plus trees originating from valuable seed regions (Md51, Md61, Md71) and areas below 52° N latitude. After a decade of growth, the results will be used to identify valuable genotypes and establish advanced-generation seed orchards.
The history and dynamics of the introduction of red oak into forest plantations in Ukraine are presented. The positive and negative consequences of this artificially introduced species are ...characterised. The anthropogenic factor of a broad representation of the species and the probability of low natural spread out outside the existing plantations are highlighted. The current data on the area of red oak plantations by administrative regions, forest categories, types of forest site conditions and age classes in Ukraine are indicated. The possibility of controlling and limiting the adverse invasive effects of red oak representation in forest stands is pointed out. It is recommended to conduct detailed and systematic interdisciplinary research on the degree of red oak invasiveness impact in Ukraine and effective forest care treatments for controlling its negative role.
English yew is one of the most endangered species in Europe. Due to the specificity of this species, its natural regeneration is quite difficult. The aim of the study was to present the current ...situation of distribution, protection and restoration of the species in Ukraine. The study presents some characteristics of largest natural and artificial yew populations in the country and their protection. In situ and ex situ yew populations are quite different, in terms of bioclimatic conditions what does not affect to the growth characteristics of the populations. In addition, the activities related to the natural and artificial renaturalisation of the yew were analysed. Thus, tending of tree stands, where the natural regeneration of yew was inventoried can be recommended but it should be planned very individually regarding requirements of the site. The introduction of yew seedlings in the conditions of the managed forest is very difficult. Despite the complication of obtaining planting material and high cost, it is important measure to preserve the species. In Ukraine are successful examples of the seed transfer of yew populations by about 450 km in North-East direction (Carpathian yew population) and 700 km in North direction (Crimean yew population). It is an evidence of high ecological plasticity of the species. Moreover, some recommendations that could be useful for increasing the popularization of this species throughout the country were given in conclusions. The wider use of yew in public areas across the country due to unique value of species and more convenient protection of young seedlings. It is worth to continue the inventory of yew locations at the national level and study the possibilities to use as local sources to conservation of this species throughout the country.
The introduction of tree species raises the question of whether they find suitable conditions in their secondary range and whether they can successfully adapt to the new conditions in the context of ...an unstable climate. Stem secondary growth of trees and the changes in xylem cell structure make it possible to trace the adaptation process to the new climate on an inter- and intra-seasonal scale. The objective of this study was to determine whether the seven non-native conifer species in Central Europe differ in climate sensitivity and to what extent late frost and spring-summer drought can influence xylem changes. In our study, we investigated the growth pattern and xylem cell structure modifications of seven introduced conifer species Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus strobus, Tsuga canadensis, Abies grandis, Pinus banksiana, Pinus rigida, Pinus nigra, growing under uniform conditions in Poland. To determine species-specific temporal variations in climate sensitivity, we used stationary and non-stationary correlations of ring width with daily climate variables: mean, minimum, and maximum temperatures, precipitation sum, and SPEI, supported by a pointer-year analysis. Changes in xylem structure (frost rings and intra-annual density fluctuations) were analyzed using light and fluorescence microscopy. Warming of the winter-spring period benefits both southern European and North American introduced conifers, as reflected in the extended responsiveness period. However, as the growing season warms and the risk of late frosts increases, the potential for acclimatization of non-native species decreases, especially with respect to their juvenile growth phase. Negative precipitation and evapotranspiration balance at spring-summer period can lead to reduced growth and anomalies in earlywood xylem structure, commonly referred to as intra annual density fluctuations. P. strobus, the species that loses both frost-induced cambium damage and drought-induced xylem anomalies in summer is the fastest growing non-native species, along with P. menziesii. Although the results presented here show the potential and the limitations in the acclimatization of coniferous species, the obvious limitations related to local environmental conditions and the different ages of the trees make us cautious in generalizing the conclusions. Therefore, we call for the creation of a pan-European dendro-network of sites of non-native coniferous species.
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