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

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

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

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

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

In Europe, tropospheric ozone pollution appears as a major air quality issue, and ozone concentrations remain potentially harmful to vegetation. In this study we compared the trends of two ozone metrics widely used for forests protection in Europe, the AOT40 (Accumulated Ozone over Threshold of 40 ppb) which only depends on surface air ozone concentrations, and the Phytotoxic Ozone Dose which is the

Traditional fire smoke detection methods mostly rely on manual algorithm extraction and sensor detection; however, these methods are slow and expensive to achieve discrimination. We proposed an improved convolutional neural network (CNN) to achieve fast analysis. The improved CNN can be used to liberate manpower. The network does not require complicated manual feature extraction to identify forest

Fires are an important factor impacting forest ecosystems of Daxing’anling and have a significant effect on soil microbial community structure. In this study, high-throughput sequencing for 16S rDNA and ITS rDNA were applied to analyze the changing characteristics and driving factors of bacterial and fungal community structures in burned areas with different fire severity. PICRUSt2 software was used

Change in land-use practices can result in major shifts in the cycling of various elements, particularly nitrogen (N), which is prone to anthropogenic perturbations. For quantifying these shifts, accurate measurements of rates of biogeochemical transformations of N are needed. We used the (15N) isotope dilution technique to understand the effects of the types of forest alteration on (N) transformation

As determined through 11 subcultures of Taxus cuspidata callus, the growth in FW and level of Taxol production were stable by the ninth generation.

The canopy of subtropical natural forests usually consists of several co-dominant populations (CDPs), which play a crucial role in forest structure, formation of the forest environment, and ecological function. However, little attention has been given to changes in spatial patterns in CDPs during natural succession. Cyclobalanopsis glauca (Thunb.) Oerst., Quercus variabilis Blume, and Pinus yunnanensis

Chinquapin (Castanea henryi) is a dual-purpose tree species in China valued for as a source of timber and starch. We investigated the effect of four cutting mediums (pure vermiculite; peat:river sand at 3:1 v/v; peat:krasnozem at 1:1 v/v; and pure krasnozem) and three stem cutting periods (March, May, and July) on rooting performance of C. henryi cuttings. Different cutting periods and cutting mediums

Stocking and structural composition of a deciduous broad-leaved forest were determined to predict coarse woody debris quantity by quantifying the empirical relationships between these two attributes. The most ecologically significant families by stem density were Salicaceae, Betulaceae, Fagaceae, and Aceraceae. Populus davidiana was the most dominant species followed by Betula dahurica, Quercus mongolica

We determined the response of tree community structure to logging disturbance and topography, and the patterns of tree-habitat associations in Tano Offin Forest Reserve, Ghana. We sampled trees in 27 20 m × 20 m plots randomly and equally distributed in three topographic habitats (slope, valley, and hilltop) in each of two forests: logged and unlogged. Two topographic features, altitude and degree

Understanding the effects of disturbance on seed rain is critical to predict changes in forest species composition and diversity. Logging effects on seed rain in a mixed conifer-hardwood forest complex in southern Brazil were evaluated. One year of seed rain data were collected from a large-scale observational experiment in logged and protected forests and quantity and average seed size weighted by

Forest management may have significant effects on forest connectivity and natural population sizes. Harvesting old-growth single trees may also change natural patterns of genetic variation and spatial genetic structure. This study evaluated the impacts of forest management using a silvicultural system of seed trees on the genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure of Eremanthus erythropappus (DC

Microtubules and their regulatory proteins are involved in the regulation of plant cell morphology. SPIRAL1 (SPR1), a plant-specific microtubule-binding protein, is critical in regulating the anisotropic growth of plant cells. Our previous study showed that overexpressed Salix SmSPR1 genes in Arabidopsis thaliana caused right-handed spiral elongation in etiolated seedlings, but there were no morphological

Transparent wood has potential application in intelligent building, solar cell, electronics, and other advanced materials, while its single functionability hinders its further development. Flexible transparent wood (FTW) was prepared by alkaline pretreatment and bleaching treatment of paulownia wood followed by impregnation of epoxy resin and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EDGE). The effect of delignification

Spatial heterogeneity of fuel moisture content determines the spread rate and direction of a forest fire. Research on the spatial heterogeneity of the moisture content of dead fuel of Larix gmelinii Rupr. showed that: (1) fuel moisture content in litter layer < semi-humus layer < humus layer, and the coefficient of variation decreased with sampling depth; (2) the sill value of the semi-humus layer

Stochastic frontier analysis and quantile regression are the two econometric approaches that have been commonly adopted in the determination of the self-thinning boundary line or surface in two and higher dimensions since their introduction to the field some 20 years ago. However, the rational for using one method over the other has, in most cases, not been clearly explained perhaps due to a lack of

Water availability is a limiting factor for the establishment and development of forest species. To understand the appropriate conditions for the initial post-transplanting phase, it is necessary to understand the specific morphophysiological characteristics of the species, such as the leaf water potential and the efficiency of photosystem II. We aimed to identify the influence of different water regimes

Minquartia guianensis Aubl. is a slow-growing species with several uses. In the juvenile state, it is well-adapted to low light conditions of the forest understory. However, it is still unknown how climate variability affects transpiration of this species, particularly under drought stress. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of climatic variability on sap flow rates (SFR). SFR and radial

Somatic embryogenesis of Fraxinus mandshurica has the problems of low somatic embryo (SE) yield, unsynchronized SE development, and a high percentage of deformed SEs. We aimed to improve F. mandshurica SE production by synchronizing SE development, improving SE quality, and inducing root formation to obtain complete regenerated plants. Cotyledons of immature zygotic embryos of F. mandshurica were induced

Subtropical forest in China has received much attention due to its complex geologic environment and bioclimatic heterogeneity. There have been very few studies addressing which climatic factors have shaped both distribution patterns and niche differentiation of species from this region. It also remains unclear whether phylogenetic niche conservatism retains in plant species from this biodiversity-rich

We used the cotyledons and cotyledonary nodes of Toona ciliata (Chinese mahogany) as explants to examine callus and adventitious shoot induction when exposed to different ratios of hormones. We also investigated the effects of seedling age, inoculation method, and genotype on the efficient regeneration of T. ciliata. The results showed that different genotypes exhibited significantly different callus

To understand and improve the stability of the insecticidal activity of tobacco extract, the 3rd instar larvae of Malacosoma neustria testacea was determined by the leaf film method. Spectrophotometry identified extract effects on activities of several enzymes. In addition, to improve the stability of the extract, microcapsules were prepared by complex coacervation and phase separation with the extract

The European MOTTLES project set-up a new-generation network for ozone (O3) monitoring in 17 plots in France, Italy and Romania. These monitoring stations allowed: (1) estimating the accumulated exposure AOT40 and stomatal O3 fluxes (PODY) with an hourly threshold of uptake (Y) to represent the detoxification capacity of trees (POD1, with Y = 1 nmol O3 m−2 s−1 per leaf area); and (2) collecting data

This study aimed to investigate the effect of LyPB on the intestinal microflora of giant pandas with indigestion, using high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technology. The species distribution and microfloral density and diversity before and after administration of the LyPB probiotic agent were analyzed. LyPB evidently has the ability to adjust the floral imbalance in the panda’s intestine. To test the

Evidence-based selective cutting at prescribed intervals as part of good forest management can enhance the carbon sequestration capacity of the forest. The effect of forest management on carbon sequestration has, however, not been quantified. Thus, carbon content of various organs was measured for 323 tree species, 247 shrub species, and 233 herb species in seven temperate coniferous and broad-leaved

We investigated the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) status of ten nurseries suitable for restoration of dry evergreen Afromontane forests in Ethiopia. We quantified AMF root colonization (RC) and spore abundance (SA) in seedlings of nine native tree species namely Acacia abyssinica Hochst. ex Benth., Cordia africana Lam., Dovyalis abyssinica (A. Rich.) Warb., Hagenia abyssinica J.F. Gmel., Juniperus

Mulberry (Morus alba L.) seedlings were used to test hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) as a potential systemic messenger in photosynthetic induction. The upper leaf of mulberry was dark-adapted for 45 min and then illuminated with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) of 1000 μmol m−2 s−1. Photosynthetic induction and H2O2 content in the lower leaf was measured. The results show that pre-illumination of

Considering the expansion of forest plantations over the Brazilian territory and the imminent increase in air temperatures due to global warming, the search for technologies that ensure high levels of productivity and high quality plants in clonal nurseries is essential. Applying kaolin-based particle films (KBPF) has been used as a physical barrier to reduce the negative effects of excessive solar

Fuel moisture content is one of the important factors that determine ignition probability and fire behaviour in forest ecosystems. In this study, ignition and fire spread moisture content thresholds of 40 dead fuel were performed in laboratory experiments, with a focus on the source of ignition and wind speed. Variability in fuel moisture content at time of ignition and during fire spread was observed

The decay rate of standing Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) in natural forests can be as high as 50% and is likely influenced by the soil properties and nutrient and water status of the site. To clarify the relationship between the severity of tree decay and soil properties in order to prevent decay in a natural mixed forest in the Xiaoxing’an Mountains, wood strength of standing trees was nondestructively

To study the effect of manganese exposure on the herbivorous insect Lymantria dispar asiatica, fourth-instar larvae were fed a MnCl2-amended diet (LdMn) for 84 h (0.40 mmol MnCl2/g diet). Larvae were weighed before and after the diet administration to assess larval gain in mass under manganese exposure. The whole bodies of half of the survivors were ground in liquid nitrogen for measuring enzyme activities

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), one of the earliest remote sensing analytical products used to simplify the complexities of multi-spectral imagery, is now the most popular index used for vegetation assessment. This popularity and widespread use relate to how an NDVI can be calculated with any multispectral sensor with a visible and a near-IR band. Increasingly low costs and weights

Cloud forest ecosystems of the Latin American tropics are highly threatened by changes in land-use such as expanding croplands and livestock pastures that promote shifts in the structure and composition of plant communities in these forests. However, shade coffee plantations represent a forest management alternative that has been shown to maintain biodiversity in these ecosystems. In this study, we

Accurate prediction of stem diameter is an important prerequisite of forest management. In this study, an appropriate stem taper function was developed for upper stem diameter estimation of white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev) in ten sub-regions of the Daxing’an Mountains, northeast China. Three commonly used taper functions were assessed using a diameter and height dataset comprising 1344 trees

In terrestrial ecosystems, deep soils (below 30 cm) are major organic carbon (C) pools. The labile carbon input could alter soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization, resulting in priming effect (PE), which could be modified by nitrogen (N) availability, however, the underlying mechanism is unclear for deep soils, which complicates the prediction of deep soil C cycling in response to N deposition. A

Malonyl-CoA synthetases may modulate cell responses to abiotic stress by regulating stress-related signaling transduction pathways or activating expression of transcription factors. However, the molecular mechanism of cold stress tolerance enhanced by malonyl-CoA synthetase is not fully understood. Here, we report that overexpression of the Arabidopsis thaliana malonyl-CoA synthetase gene AAE13.1 resulted

Eucalypts are important forest resources in southwestern China, and may be tolerant to elevated ground-level ozone (O3) concentrations that can negatively affect plant growth. High CO2 may offset O3-induced effects by providing excess carbon to produce secondary metabolites or by inducing stomatal closure. Here, the effects of elevated CO2 and O3 on leaf secondary metabolites and other defense chemicals

Cyclocarya paliurus is widely distributed in subtropical areas of China. Secondary metabolites in the leaves, including flavonoids and triterpenoids, provide protection against diseases such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and hypoimmunity. In this study, 343 C. paliurus leaves were collected from 32 distinct populations covering most of the main distribution, to deduce the response of flavonoids

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form a near-ubiquitous mutualistic association with roots to help plants withstand harsh environments, and play a key role in the establishment of coastal beach plant communities. Yet little is known about the structure and composition of AMF communities on coastal beaches of eastern China. In this study, we investigated the occurrence, community composition and diversity

The basic leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factor family is one of the largest and most diverse families in plants, regulating plant growth and development and playing an essential role in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. However, little is known about the biological functions of bZIP proteins in yellowhorn (Xanthoceras sorbifolium). Recently, 64 XsbZIP genes were identified in the yellowhorn

The application of phosphorus (P) to soil can increase its availability to plants and alter P fractions in annual and perennial organs of Cordia trichotoma. If a portion of P accumulates in perennial organs in organic fractions it can be used in the next growth season, possibly decreasing plant dependence on P derived from soil fertilization. However, if P is preferentially accumulated in inorganic

Betula platyphylla is a native tree species in northern China that has high economic and medicinal value. We developed an efficient protocol for the induction of somatic embryogenesis in B. platyphalla from immature zygotic embryos and assessed the effects of explant type, genotype, and plant growth regulators (PGRs) on embryogenic callus induction. Among the various explants evaluated, embryogenic

The Brazilian state of Acre has an extensive natural reserve of bamboo, making it one of the largest in loco gene banks. The aim of this study was to characterize the structure and genetic diversity of Guadua weberbaueri Pilg. in two populations, one native (FAPB) and the other anthropized (FAPBA), using ISSR markers. The results show that the FAPB population exhibited higher values for all estimates

As the energizing and therapeutic effects of infusions of mate (Ilex paraguariensis A.St.-Hil) leaves are increasingly recognized, rising global consumption is also increasing the demand for plantlets with high genetic and morphological qualities. Mini-cuttings are an alternative for clonal plantlets; however, more details are needed on factors that affect the success of this technique. Here, toward

Populus euphratica Oliv., the Euphrates poplar, is the tallest tree species in the arid desert areas of Northwest China. Investigation of its drought-resistance genes is valuable to increase understanding of drought resistance mechanisms. RNA-seq of leaves and roots under drought simulation by 25% polyethylene glycol-6000 (PEG 6000) were performed at 0, 4, and 12 h. Leaves and roots responded differently