The shape of leaf laminae exhibits considerable diversity and complexity that reflects adaptations to environmental factors such as ambient light and precipitation as well as phyletic legacy. Many leaves appear to be elliptical which may represent a ‘default’ developmental condition. However, whether their geometry truly conforms to the ellipse equation (EE), i.e., (x/a)2 + (y/b)2 = 1, remains conjectural

Poplar is raw material for various panel, paper and fiber products. The 12 sample trees of clone Nanlin-895 from four spacings were destructively harvested after thirteen growing seasons to assess the influence of spacing on radial growth and wood properties. Spacing significantly affected tree-ring width and wood basic density (p < 0.05) but not fiber traits. The highest diameter and wood basic density

Litter production and decomposition are critical to forest productivity, nutrient cycling, and carbon sequestration in tropical woody ecosystems. However, nutrient release and leaf litter stoichiometry in tropical legume tree plantations over the long term after outplanting are poorly understood or even unknown. Toward improving our understanding of the pattern of changes in the decomposition of N-fixing

In order to quantify within- and between-population variation in seed and seedling traits of Juglans mandshurica and reveal the relationship among genetic and environmental variations and select elite families, samples of 50 J. mandshurica families from five natural populations in Liaoning Province, northeast China, were taken to measure seed and seedling traits. The results show that all seed traits

Sustainable forest management is essential to confront the detrimental impacts of diseases on forest ecosystems. This review highlights the potential of vegetation spectroscopy in improving the feasibility of assessing forest disturbances induced by diseases in a timely and cost-effective manner. The basic concepts of vegetation spectroscopy and its application in phytopathology are first outlined

The moisture content of dead forest fuel is an important indicator of risk levels of forest fires and prediction of fire spread. Moisture distribution is important to determine wild fire rating. However, it is often difficult to predict moisture distribution because of a complex terrain, changeable environments and low cover of commercial communication signals inside the forest. This study proposes

After maturation, Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Siebold & Zucc.) seeds often cannot disperse to reach a suitable germination site. It is therefore difficult to naturally regenerate by itself and relies on animal dispersal. Squirrels hoard pine seeds as winter food and Korean pine seeds stored for overwintering might become the source of regeneration of the species. From field observations, the pine

Biologically meaningful and cost-effective indicators are needed for assessing and monitoring the impacts of tropospheric ozone (O3) on vegetation and are required in Europe by the National Emission Ceilings Directive (2016). However, a clear understanding on the best suited indicators is missing. The MOTTLES (MOnitoring ozone injury for seTTing new critical LEvelS) project set up a new generation

Plant recognition has great potential in forestry research and management. A new method combined back propagation neural network and radial basis function neural network to identify tree species using a few features and samples. The process was carried out in three steps: image pretreatment, feature extraction, and leaf recognition. In the image pretreatment processing, an image segmentation method

Ecosystem service values (ESV) are strongly influenced by the vegetation cover, which is heterogeneous across different vegetation types. We develop a dynamic evaluation model of ESV for Wuyishan National Park Pilot adjusted by the rate of inflation and the fractional vegetation cover, which is calculated by an enhanced vegetation index from 2000 to 2018. The spatio-temporal variation of vegetation

Plagiodera versicolora Laicharting is a highly damaging leaf beetle foraging on willow leaves. In willow germplasm collections, observation has shown that Salix suchowensis Cheng was severely foraged by this leaf beetle while Salix triandra L. was damage free or only slightly damaged. Results of olfactometer bioassays show that the headspace volatiles from leaves of S. triandra significantly repelled

Forest ecosystems play a crucial role in mitigating global climate change by forming massive carbon sinks. Their carbon stocks and stock changes need to be quantified for carbon budget balancing and international reporting schemes. However, direct sampling and biomass weighing may not always be possible for quantification studies conducted in large forests. In these cases, indirect methods that use

Robinia pseudoacacia is an important afforestation tree introduced to China in 1878. In the present study, we examined the genetic diversity among 687 strains representing four improved varieties and two secondary provenances, comprising 641 clones and 46 seedlings. Ninety-one simple sequence repeats (SSRs) were selected through segregation analysis and polymorphism characterization, and all sampled

Understanding how soil fertility changes due to environmental conditions and stand-age-dependent forest attributes is important for local-scale forest restoration. We evaluated the effects of stand-age-dependent forest attributes (plant community composition and litter stock) on soil and technosol fertility across two second-growth Atlantic forests (SGF) after the deposition of mining tailings in Mariana

Planting trees along urban streets is one of the most important strategies to improve the urban thermal environment. However, the net impacts of urban street trees on human thermal comfort and physiological parameters are still less clear. On three similar east–west orientated streets with different degrees of tree cover—low (13%), medium (35%), and high (75%), urban microclimatic parameters and human

Fine roots are the most active and functional component of root systems and play a significant role in the acquisition of soil resources. Density is an important structural factor in forest plantations but information on changes in fine roots along a density gradient is limited. In this study, plantations of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) and Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carr.) with four

Understanding the interaction between canopy structure and the parameters of interception loss is essential in predicting the variations in partitioning rainfall and water resources as affected by changes in canopy structure and in implementing water-based management in semiarid forest plantations. In this study, seasonal variations in rainfall interception loss and canopy storage capacity as driven

It is important to evaluate nitrogen use efficiency and nitrogen tolerance of trees in order to improve their productivity. In this study, both were evaluated for 338 Populus deltoides genotypes from six provenances. The plants were cultured under normal nitrogen (750 μM NH4NO3) and low nitrogen (5 μM NH4NO3) conditions for 3 months. Growth, chlorophyll content and glutamine synthetase activity of

In forest modeling to estimate the volume of wood, artificial intelligence has been shown to be quite efficient, especially using artificial neural networks (ANNs). Here we tested whether diameter at breast height (DBH) and the total plant height (Ht) of eucalyptus can be predicted at the stand level using spectral bands measured by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral sensor and vegetation

Pine wilt disease caused by pine wood nematodes is a deadly disease of the genus Pinus requiring strong quarantine measures. Since its discovery, it has been widely distributed throughout the world. China is one of the countries with a severe rate of infections due to its abundant pine resources. In this study, nematode-trapping fungi were collected from pine trees in Ninghai City, Zhejiang Province

The NAC transcription factor family is plant-specific with various biological functions. However, there are few studies on the NAC gene involving coniferous species. Bioinformatics research and expression analysis of NAC genes in Larix olgensis can be used to analyse the function of the NAC gene in the future. Screening of excellent genetic materials and molecular breeding have been utilized to cultivate

To promote the application of Trichoderma, many countries have collected Trichoderma resources. In the present study, nine isolates were isolated from a rhizosphere soil of Phellodendron amurense and were identified as three species: Trichoderma brevicompactum (one isolate), T. asperellum (two isolates), T. atroviride (six isolates). Dual culture experiments showed that T. asperellum T-Pa2 grew fast

Forests play a central role in the global carbon cycle. China's forests have a high carbon sequestration potential owing to their wide distribution, young age and relatively low carbon density. Forest biomass is an essential variable for assessing carbon sequestration capacity, thus determining the spatio-temporal changes of forest biomass is critical to the national carbon budget and to contribute

Species composition, structure, regeneration, and management status of Jorgo-Wato Forest (JWF) was studied. Number of individuals, diameter at breast height (dbh) and height of woody species (dbh ≥ 2.5 cm) were counted and measured in each plot. Group discussions with local farmers residing around JWF were carried out to understand the management of the JWF. Forest structural attributes were computed

In modeling forest stand growth and yield, crown width, a measure for stand density, is among the parameters that allows for estimating stand timber volumes. However, accurately measuring tree crown size in the field, in particular for mature trees, is challenging. This study demonstrated a novel method of applying machine learning algorithms to aerial imagery acquired by an unmanned aerial vehicle

Two systems of additive equations were developed to predict aboveground stand level biomass in log products and harvest residue from routinely measured or predicted stand variables for Pinus radiata plantations in New South Wales, Australia. These plantations were managed under three thinning regimes or stand types before clear-felling at rotation age by cut-to-length harvesters to produce sawlogs

Forests produce several types of benefits to both forest landowners and society. The social benefit of private forestry is equal to private benefit plus positive externalities minus negative externalities. This study developed alternative metrics for the evaluation of the social benefit of forest management. Forest management was assessed in terms of five criteria: economic, socio-cultural, environmental

With changes in global climate and land use, the area of desertified farmland in southeastern Horqin Sandy Land (HSL) has increased in recent years, and farmlands are being abandoned. These abandoned farmlands (AFs) negatively impact the local ecology. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to select suitable trees and shrubs for those AFs to prevent and control the desertification tendency. In

Natural forces and anthropogenic activities greatly alter land cover, deteriorate or alleviate forest fragmentation and affect biodiversity. Thus land cover and forest fragmentation dynamics have become a focus of concern for natural resource management agencies and biodiversity conservation communities. However, there are few land cover datasets and forest fragmentation information available for the

Coumarate 3-hydroxylase (C3h) genes participate in the synthesis of lignin and may affect the properties of wood that are important for its commercial value. A better understanding of the natural variation in C3h genes and their associations to wood properties is required to effectively improve wood quality. We used a candidate gene-based association mapping approach to identify CfC3h allelic variants

As forests in neotropical regions, particularly in developing countries, are devastated, interventions to restore biodiversity and its ecological functions are needed. Rural producers have thus been encouraged to grow trees for wood production as an economic activity. The objective of this study was to quantify the increment of wood density of four forest species from different successional classes

The stoichiometry of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorous in plants can reflect the interactions between plants and their environment. The interplay between plant nutrients, climatic factors, and soil properties and the underlying regulatory mechanisms are pillars of ecology but remain underexplored. In this study of plant C–N–P stoichiometry and nutrient resorption in Castanopsis hystrix groves in three

Plant–insect interactions are basic components of biodiversity conservation. To attain the international Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the interactions in urban and in suburban systems should be better understood to maintain the health of green infrastructure. The role of ground-level ozone (O3) as an environmental stress disrupting interaction webs is presented. Ozone mixing ratios in suburbs

To study the effect of jasmonates (JAs) on the resistance of economic forest plants to insects, Rosa rugosa ‘Plena’ leaves were treated with 1 mmol/L jasmonic acid (JA), methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and Z-jasmone, then the content of tannin and total phenol in leaves and the feeding area of Monolepta hieroglyphica adults on leaves were measured. Changes in the activities of detoxification enzymes in adult

In some urban parks in Tokyo, semi-natural habitat patches are maintained as nature reserves for birds, called bird sanctuaries. Bird censuses and vegetation surveys were conducted in eight urban parks in Tokyo from December 2015 to July 2016 to determine the effectiveness of bird sanctuaries on avian species composition. The relationship between avian species composition and environmental conditions

The positive ecological interaction between gap formation and natural regeneration has been examined but little research has been carried out on the effects of gaps on natural regeneration in forests under different intensities of disturbance. This study evaluates the composition, diversity, regeneration density and abundance of natural regeneration of tree species in gaps in undisturbed, intermittently

Larch caterpillars are widely distributed in the Great Xing’an boreal forests; however, the relationship between caterpillar defoliation dynamics and climatic factors is poorly understood. The aims of this study are to investigate the primary weather conditions that might influence forest defoliation and to identify the most important life stage of the larch caterpillar at which forest defoliation

It is important to quantify and analyze forest spatial patterns for studying biological characteristics, population interaction and the relationship between the population and environment. In this study, the forest spatial structure unit was generated based on the Delaunay triangulation model (DTM), and the weights were generated using the comprehensive values of the tree diameter at breast height

Preventing and suppressing forest fires is one of the main tasks of forestry agencies to reduce resource loss and requires a thorough understanding of the importance of factors affecting their occurrence. This study was carried out in forest plantations on Maoer Mountain in order to develop models for predicting the moisture content of dead fine fuel using meteorological and soil variables. Models

Five Larix species (L. griffithii, L. speciose, L. himalaica, L. kongboensis, and L. potaninii var. australis), have survived on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) under specific climate conditions for decades. The lack of genomic information seriously hinders research on the evolution, conservation and ecology of these Larix resources. In this study, complete chloroplast (cp) genomes of the 5 species

Mulberry is economically important and can also play a pivotal role in mitigating greenhouse gases. Leaf and shoot traits were measured for Morus alba var. Kanmasi, M. alba var. Karyansuban, M. alba var. Latifolia, and M. alba var. PFI-1 to assess aboveground biomass (AGB) and carbon sequestration. Variety-specific and multivariety allometric AGB models were developed using the equivalent diameter

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is one of the major challenges in combating global warming. Carbon, including in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2), is considered an essential greenhouse gas under human control to demonstrate success in emission reductions. However, many carbon stock quantifications in forest ecosystems still rely on the estimated 50% carbon content instead of more precise species-

Growth traits and genetic diversity of 23 provenances of Quercus rubra introduced from North America were analyzed in a provenance trial established with a randomized block design in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi, South Korea in 1993. Growth variables and survival at age 25 were compared with results from early stages. Height, DBH, volume and stem straightness of Q. rubra was better than those of the domestic

To explore the critical relationships of photosynthetic efficiency and stem sap flow to soil moisture, two-year-old poplar saplings were selected and a packaged stem sap flow gauge, based on the stem-heat balance method, and a CIRAS-2 portable photosynthesis system were used. The results show that photosynthetic rates (Pn), transpiration rates (Tr), instantaneous water use efficiency (WUE) and the

Populus spp. have long been used as model woody plant species for molecular biology research. However, tissues of poplar are often recalcitrant to experimental procedures for molecular studies. We generated a hormone autotrophic poplar suspension cell line from a hybrid of Populus alba × P. berolinensis ‘Yinzhong’, named Qu-2. Qu-2 cells are suitable as a model biological system for studying woody

The decomposition of coarse woody debris (CWD) affects the energy flow and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. Previous studies on CWD have focused on the input, decomposition, reserve dynamics, and CWD functions, but coarse woody debris decomposition is complex and the results from different regions vary considerably. It is not clear which factors affect decay rate (k), especially at different

In this study, nitrogen fluxes or flows in litterfall, nitrogen stocks and available nitrogen in soils of two plots representing evergreen broadleaf and Bulgarian fir forests were assessed. Both plots are in good quality sites and for this reason, the litterfall quantities and nitrogen fluxes were relatively high. The woody litterfall flux of nitrogen was significantly higher in the fir forest than

Toward improving reforestation of Brazilian pine (Araucaria angustifolia), two contrasting sapling sizes in either full sun or in the shade of a mixed plantation and the effect of opening the canopy were evaluated for survival, growth, gas exchange, photosynthetic pigments, and leaf anatomy 18 months after being planted. At 23 months after planting, a partial opening was made in the canopy in the mixed

Mexican beech [Fagus grandifolia subsp. mexicana (Martinez) A.E.Murray] is a subspecies endemic to the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountains and considered endangered due to the low density of its populations and high degree of habitat fragmentation and environmental specificity. Because its morphological and genetic variation is associated with its ability to adapt to changes in environmental conditions

In tropical montane forests, compositional and structural changes are commonly driven by broad-scale altitudinal variation. Here, given the lack of knowledge on small-scale vegetation changes and temporal dynamics, we address the effects of small-scale variations in soil and altitude on tree community structure, temporal dynamics and phylogenetic diversity in a semi-deciduous tropical forest of the

The effects of genetic and environmental factors on Pinus koraiensis growth were studied based on a 35 year-old progeny trial composed of open-pollinated offspring of twenty-one plus trees. Height, DBH and volume of the offspring was analyzed using restricted maximum likelihood/best linear unbiased prediction in mixed model analysis. Significant site and family effects on the three traits were observed

The recent recognition that low doses of herbicides, human and veterinary antibiotics, metallic elements, micro/nano-plastics, and various other types of environmental pollutants widely enhance chlorophylls in the framework of hormesis created the need to further evaluate the response of photosynthetic pigments and gas exchange to low doses of stresses. An analysis of about 370 values of maximum stimulatory

Patterns of gene flow and gene introgression can be used to assess the risk of genetic pollution of wild forest trees from widespread cultivated trees. A comprehensive understanding of the genetic relationships and levels of gene flow among wild and cultivated common walnut (Juglans regia) has become an urgent issue. Using twelve microsatellite markers, we investigated the genetic diversity and gene

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in over 33 million confirmed cases and over 1 million deaths globally, as of 1 October 2020. During the lockdown and restrictions placed on public activities and gatherings, green spaces have become one of the only sources of resilience amidst the coronavirus pandemic, in part because of their positive effects on psychological, physical and social cohesion and spiritual

The diversity of tree species and the complexity of land use in cities create challenging issues for tree species classification. The combination of deep learning methods and RGB optical images obtained by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provides a new research direction for urban tree species classification. We proposed an RGB optical image dataset with 10 urban tree species, termed TCC10, which is

Confocal Raman microspectroscopy (CRM) is an important tool for analyzing the compositional distribution of cell walls in situ. In this study, we improved the sample preparation method using paraffin-embedded sections combined with hexane dewaxing to obtain high resolution Raman images. We determined that the cell wall components of fiber cells were different from those of ray cells and vessel cells

Miombo woodlands near human settlements are under significant pressures from human activities, with negative consequences on their structure and composition. As studies are limited, we assessed the structure and species composition of a portion of miombo woodland along an increasing disturbance gradient from a national park, through a buffer zone to communal lands in northeast Zimbabwe. Five concentric

Vegetation is sparsely distributed in the arid regions of northwestern China, and accurately measuring and partitioning of evapotranspiration is of importance for ecosystems in such areas. In this study, we measured and analyzed diurnal and phenological variations in evapotranspiration using the eddy–covariance method based on the Penman–Monteith, Priestley–Taylor, Shuttleworth–Wallace models, a newly

The challenges of a changing climate have directed greater attention to afforestation, but the effects of afforestation on soil fertility and soil biota have not been fully clarified. To explore changes in the soil conditions in two 20-year-old forest plantations established in formerly intensively fertilized plots of agricultural land, we focused on the current developmental state of the sites that

A protective forest, including shelterbelt, windbreak, and shelter forest as its synonyms, is characterized by the protective functions of various forest types distributed or planted on ecologically fragile areas or nearby the objects that need to be protected using the ecological effects of forests. Ecological mechanisms for management practices of protective forests is one of the disciplinary orientations