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The Effects of Stresses and Disturbances on Forest Trees: Ecosystem...
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The Effects of Stresses and Disturbances on Forest Trees: Ecosystem and Physiological Responses

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 December 2025 | Viewed by 643

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Nenad Potočić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Division of Forest Ecology, Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Interests: tree mineral nutrition; crown condition and foliar injury; biochemical stress indicators
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mia Marušić

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Division of Forest Ecology, Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Interests: forest ecology; climate variability; tree ecophysiology; forest monitoring; soil nutrients; physiological responses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The physiological responses of forest trees, as well as the response of forest ecosystems to environmental changes, are complex and multifaceted. Understanding the impact of environmental change on forests through the individual and combined effects of environmental drivers is crucial for predicting forest vitality and resilience. We are looking for research dealing with various stress factors and disturbances impacting tree physiology and forest health, preferably as a part of complex interactions such as the following: combined heat and drought stress; hail, storms, and windbreaks; atmospheric deposition and climate change; and forest fires and erosion. Tree and forest ecosystem responses differ across environmental gradients. For instance, differing water availability and/or temperature conditions impact water transport, chemical defences, and the dynamics of non-structural carbohydrates to different degrees, accordingly affecting the overall tree vitality. Interactions with pests and pathogens further complicate the ecological dynamics within forest stands and ecosystems. We welcome submissions investigating forest tree responses and physiological response mechanisms based on data from controlled environments, field studies, and monitoring that use novel experimental and modelling approaches. 

Dr. Nenad Potočić
Guest Editor

Dr. Mia Marušić
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • photosynthetic response
  • water use
  • nutritional balance
  • tree vitality and productivity

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 1455 KiB  
Article
Effects of Simulated Nitrogen Deposition on the Physiological and Growth Characteristics of Seedlings of Two Typical Subtropical Tree Species
by Zhenya Yang and Benzhi Zhou
Plants 2025, 14(14), 2153; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14142153 - 11 Jul 2025
Abstract
Amid global environmental change, the intensification of nitrogen (N) deposition exerts critical impacts on the growth of forest vegetation and the structure and function of ecosystems in subtropical China. However, the physiological and growth response mechanisms of subtropical tree species remain poorly understood. [...] Read more.
Amid global environmental change, the intensification of nitrogen (N) deposition exerts critical impacts on the growth of forest vegetation and the structure and function of ecosystems in subtropical China. However, the physiological and growth response mechanisms of subtropical tree species remain poorly understood. This study explored adaptive mechanisms of typical subtropical tree species to N deposition, analyzing biomass accumulation, root plasticity, and nutrient/photosynthate allocation strategies. One-year-old potted seedlings of Phyllostachys edulis (moso bamboo) and Cunninghamia lanceolata (Chinese fir) were subjected to four N-addition treatments (N0: 0, N1: 6 g·m−2·a−1, N2: 12 g·m−2·a−1, N3: 18 g·m−2·a−1) for one year. In July and December, measurements were conducted on seedling organ biomass, root morphological and architectural traits, as well as nutrient elements (N and phosphorus(P)) and non-structural carbohydrate (soluble sugars and starch) contents in roots, stems, and leaves. Our results demonstrate that the Chinese fir exhibits stronger tolerance to N deposition and greater root morphological plasticity than moso bamboo. It adapts to N deposition by developing root systems with a higher finer root (diameter ≤ 0.2 mm) ratio, lower construction cost, greater branching intensity and angle, and architecture approaching dichotomous branching. Although N deposition promotes short-term biomass and N accumulation in both species, it reduces P and soluble sugars contents, leading to N/P imbalance and adverse effects on long-term growth. Under conditions of P and photosynthate scarcity, the Chinese fir preferentially allocates soluble sugars to leaves, while moso bamboo prioritizes P and soluble sugars to roots. In the first half of the growing season, moso bamboo allocates more biomass and N to aboveground parts, whereas in the second half, it allocates more biomass and P to roots to adapt to N deposition. This study reveals that Chinese fir enhances its tolerance to N deposition through the plasticity of root morphology and architecture, while moso bamboo exhibits dynamic resource allocation strategies. The research identifies highly adaptive root morphological and architectural patterns, demonstrating that optimizing the allocation of elements and photosynthates and avoiding elemental balance risks represent critical survival mechanisms for subtropical tree species under intensified N deposition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Stresses and Disturbances on Forest Trees: Ecosystem and Physiological Responses)
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19 pages, 4035 KiB  
Article
Impact of Short-Term and Prolonged (Multi-Year) Droughts on Tree Mortality at the Individual Tree and Stand Levels
by Goran Češljar, Zvonimir Baković, Ilija Đorđević, Saša Eremija, Aleksandar Lučić, Ivana Živanović and Bojan Konatar
Plants 2025, 14(13), 1904; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14131904 - 20 Jun 2025
Viewed by 335
Abstract
Droughts accompanied by high temperatures are becoming increasingly frequent across Europe and globally. Both individual trees and entire forest ecosystems are exposed to drought stress, with prolonged drought periods leading to increased tree mortality. Therefore, continuous monitoring, data collection, and analysis of tree [...] Read more.
Droughts accompanied by high temperatures are becoming increasingly frequent across Europe and globally. Both individual trees and entire forest ecosystems are exposed to drought stress, with prolonged drought periods leading to increased tree mortality. Therefore, continuous monitoring, data collection, and analysis of tree mortality are essential prerequisites for understanding the complex interactions between climate and trees. This study examined the effects of short-term and prolonged (multi-year) droughts on the mortality of individual trees and forests in Serbia. The analysis was based on datasets from our previous research on the influence of drought and drought duration on individual tree mortality in Serbian forest ecosystems, supplemented with new data collected through the International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests (ICP Forests). Additionally, we incorporated data from the public enterprise (PE) “Srbijašume”, which manages forests in Central Serbia, focusing on random yields resulting from natural disasters (droughts). These data enabled a comparative assessment of the findings on increased mortality and drought impact at both the individual tree level and the stand level. This study identifies key similarities and differences in tree mortality trends based on drought duration and examines their correlations within the same time frame (2004–2023). By analysing climatic conditions across Serbia, we provide evidence of the interaction between drought periods and increased forest mortality, which we further confirmed by calculating the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). We also address the tree species that were most sensitive to the effects of drought. Our findings indicate that prolonged (multi-year) droughts, accompanied by high temperatures, have significantly contributed to increased tree mortality over the past decade. Successive multi-year droughts pose a substantial threat to both individual trees and entire forests, producing more severe and persistent responses compared to those caused by single-year droughts, which forests and individual trees are generally more capable of tolerating. Moreover, due to prolonged drought stress, trees weaken, leading to delayed mortality that may manifest several years after the initial drought event. The observed increase in tree mortality has been found to correlate with rising temperatures and the growing frequency of prolonged droughts over the past decade. Especially, intense droughts in the growing season (April–September) have a very negative impact on forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Stresses and Disturbances on Forest Trees: Ecosystem and Physiological Responses)
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