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Advances in Forest Ecophysiology: Stress Response and Ecophysiological Indicators of...
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Advances in Forest Ecophysiology: Stress Response and Ecophysiological Indicators of Tree Vitality–Volume II

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2024) | Viewed by 9791

Special Issue Editor

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

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Due to your high interest and the large number of papers published in Volume I, we are opening the second volume of this Special Issue.

The initial SI framework, as defined by the Volume I title and suggested topics of interest, has been broadened thanks to your valuable submissions, adding terms such as heavy metal-induced stress, carbon isotopes, water use efficiency, polyamines, antioxidants, or plant hormones to the list of subjects, which already included photosynthetic activity and other biochemical stress indicators; nutrients in different tree compartments; tree growth; tree leaf loss and mortality; visible symptoms of stress in foliage; and microscopical markers of stress. However, the initial concerns that instigate the use of indicators as means of measuring tree stress response are still with us, and will continue to cause a loss of tree vitality in the foreseeable future.

The changing climate and air pollution are among the greatest threats to the health and functioning of forest ecosystems, jeopardizing their ecological and economic functions and services. The impact of increasing temperatures and extreme weather events (droughts, storms, and temperature and precipitation extremes) on the vitality of forest trees is often difficult to separate from the impact of nitrogen deposition and tropospheric ozone, as they can exhibit synergistic effects. For example, forest soil acidification, atmospheric N deposition, and climate change are all partly responsible for the continuous decrease in foliar P concentrations in Europe, causing reduced tree growth.

A better understanding of physiological processes influencing tree vitality under the changing climate and air pollution pressures requires considerable research efforts and constant advancements in research methods and approaches.

The use of indicators is elementary in modern forest ecophysiology research, as they help us estimate the level of damage to trees and forest ecosystems.

For this Special Issue, we welcome original research papers dealing with ecophysiological indicators of the response of forest trees to environmental stress. Examples of such indicators are photosynthetic activity and other biochemical stress indicators; nutrients in different tree compartments; leaf loss, tree growth, and tree mortality; visible symptoms of stress in foliage; and microscopical markers of stress. We also welcome reviews of recent advances in forest ecophysiology. Thank you for your continued interest!

Dr. Nenad Potočić
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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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

  • climate change
  • air pollution
  • dieback
  • leaf injury
  • growth
  • water and nutrient uptake
  • photosynthesis
  • oxidative stress

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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14 pages, 3044 KiB  
Article
Does Pre-Acclimation Enhance the Tolerance of Quercus ilex and Arbutus unedo Seedlings to Drought?
by Angela Balzano, Chiara Amitrano, Carmen Arena, Antonio Pannico, Rosanna Caputo, Maks Merela, Chiara Cirillo and Veronica De Micco
Plants 2025, 14(3), 388; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14030388 - 27 Jan 2025
Viewed by 746
Abstract
Mediterranean forests are severely threatened by increasing seedling mortality due to harsh environmental conditions, especially drought. In this study, we investigate whether seedlings of Quercus ilex and Arbutus unedo, previously exposed to water deficit, acquired tolerance to summer drought. Seedlings of the [...] Read more.
Mediterranean forests are severely threatened by increasing seedling mortality due to harsh environmental conditions, especially drought. In this study, we investigate whether seedlings of Quercus ilex and Arbutus unedo, previously exposed to water deficit, acquired tolerance to summer drought. Seedlings of the two species were grown from April to September in a plastic tunnel greenhouse and exposed to two irrigation regimes (control, 100% water holding capacity; water-stressed, 50% of control). In mid-August, the irrigation of all plants was suspended for three weeks. The response of the species was analyzed to evaluate survival, growth, ecological, and anatomical traits of wood produced under stressful conditions and marked through the pinning technique. The results suggest that both species show pre-acclimation to drought, with Q. ilex demonstrating a marked increase in survival percentage. This is likely due to a reduction in vessel size in response to previous water stress. In contrast, in A. unedo, the higher frequency of narrower vessels allowed safer water transport compared to Q. ilex, thus explaining the slight increase in survival. Overall results indicated that the two species adopt different strategies to overcome drought, providing valuable insights for managing seedlings in natural ecosystems and urban green spaces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Forest Ecophysiology: Stress Response and Ecophysiological Indicators of Tree Vitality–Volume II)
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18 pages, 21354 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Monitored Norway Spruce Plots in the Ore Mountains—30 Years of Changes in Forest Health, Soil Chemistry and Tree Nutrition after Air Pollution Calamity
by Radek Novotný, Věra Fadrhonsová and Vít Šrámek
Plants 2024, 13(17), 2379; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13172379 - 26 Aug 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 874
Abstract
The Ore Mountains were historically one of the most polluted areas in Europe, where high sulphur dioxide concentrations and a high level of atmospheric deposition led to a vast decline in Norway spruce stands in the mountain ridge plateau. In this article, we [...] Read more.
The Ore Mountains were historically one of the most polluted areas in Europe, where high sulphur dioxide concentrations and a high level of atmospheric deposition led to a vast decline in Norway spruce stands in the mountain ridge plateau. In this article, we evaluate the trends in the atmospheric deposition load, soil chemistry, tree nutrition, crown defoliation and height increment in a network of twenty research plots monitored for last thirty years in this region. The decrease in sulphur and nitrogen deposition was most pronounced at the end of 1990s. Extreme values of sulphur deposition (100–200 kg.ha−1.year−1) were recorded in throughfall under mature Norway spruce stands in the late 1970s, and after felling of the damaged stand, the deposition levels were comparable to open plot bulk deposition. Nitrogen deposition decreased more slowly compared with sulphur, and a decrease in base cation deposition was observed concurrently. The current deposition load is low and fully comparable to other mountain areas in central Europe. Accordingly, the health of young spruce stands, as assessed by defoliation and height increment, has improved and now corresponds to the Czech national average. On the other hand, no significant changes were observed in the soil chemistry, even though some of the plots were limed. Acidic or strongly acidic soil prevails, often with a deficiency of exchangeable calcium and magnesium in the mineral topsoil, as well as decreases in available phosphorus. This is reflected in the foliage chemistry, where we see an imbalance between a relatively high content of nitrogen and decreasing contents of phosphorus, potassium and calcium. Despite the observed positive trends in air quality and forest health, the nutritional imbalance on acidified soils poses a risk for the future of forest stands in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Forest Ecophysiology: Stress Response and Ecophysiological Indicators of Tree Vitality–Volume II)
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14 pages, 6404 KiB  
Article
The Growth–Climate Relationships of Three Dominant Subalpine Conifers on the Baima Snow Mountain in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau
by Siyu Xie, Yun Zhang, Yaoyao Kang, Tao Yan and Haitao Yue
Plants 2024, 13(12), 1645; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13121645 - 14 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 948
Abstract
The impact of climates on the radial growth of muti-species remains insufficiently understood in the climate-sensitive southeastern Tibetan Plateau, and this hampers an effective assessment of forest growth under the background of global warming. Here, we studied the growth–climate relationships of three major [...] Read more.
The impact of climates on the radial growth of muti-species remains insufficiently understood in the climate-sensitive southeastern Tibetan Plateau, and this hampers an effective assessment of forest growth under the background of global warming. Here, we studied the growth–climate relationships of three major species (Abies georgei, Larix potaninii, and Picea likiangensis) on the Baima Snow Mountain (BSM) by using dendrochronology methods. We constructed basal area increment (BAI) residual chronologies based on the dated ring-width measurements and correlated the chronologies with four climate factors. We also calculated the contributions of each climate factor to species growth. We found that photothermal conditions played a more important role than moisture in modulating radial growth, and P. likiangensi presented the strongest sensitivity to climate change among the three species. The growing season (June and July) temperature positively affected the radial growth of three species. Winter (previous December and current January) SD negatively impacted the tree growth of A. georgei and P. likiangensis. Significant correlations between growth and precipitation were detected only in A. georgei (January and May). Warming since the beginning of the 1950s promoted the growth of A. georgei and P. likiangensis, while the same effect on L. potaninii growth was found in the recent 50 years. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Forest Ecophysiology: Stress Response and Ecophysiological Indicators of Tree Vitality–Volume II)
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14 pages, 1264 KiB  
Article
“Mortality, or not mortality, that is the question …”: How to Treat Removals in Tree Survival Analysis of Central European Managed Forests
by Paweł Lech and Agnieszka Kamińska
Plants 2024, 13(2), 248; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13020248 - 15 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1753
Abstract
Tree mortality is an objective forest health criterion and is particularly suitable for long-term and large-scale studies of forest condition. However, it is impossible to determine actual tree mortality in Central European managed forests where trees are removed for various reasons. In this [...] Read more.
Tree mortality is an objective forest health criterion and is particularly suitable for long-term and large-scale studies of forest condition. However, it is impossible to determine actual tree mortality in Central European managed forests where trees are removed for various reasons. In this case, the only way to approximate tree mortality is to define the range in which it occurs. This can be carried out by including in the mortality calculations either dead trees that remain in the stand at the end of the assessment period or additionally trees that have been removed from the stand. We used data from the annual forest monitoring surveys in Poland from 2009 to 2022 for pine, spruce, oak and birch to perform a survival analysis in which we included all removals or sanitary cuttings either as censored or complete observations. The differences between the calculated mortality rates were significant, indicating the importance of how removals are treated in the analysis. To assess which method used for mortality calculation was more appropriate, we compared values for last recorded defoliation and severity of damage from live, dead and thinned or salvaged trees. For all species studied, significant differences were found between dead trees or trees removed by sanitation cuts and living trees or trees removed by thinning, suggesting that not only dead trees remaining in the forest, but also trees removed by sanitation cuts, should be considered when calculating mortality in managed stands. We also recommend the use of survival analysis in forest monitoring as a routine method for assessing the health of stands. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Forest Ecophysiology: Stress Response and Ecophysiological Indicators of Tree Vitality–Volume II)
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15 pages, 2500 KiB  
Article
Declining Radial Growth in Major Western Carpathian Tree Species: Insights from Three Decades of Temperate Forest Monitoring
by Jergus Rybar, Zuzana Sitková, Peter Marcis, Pavel Pavlenda and Jozef Pajtík
Plants 2023, 12(24), 4081; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12244081 - 6 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1429
Abstract
This study investigates the radial growth response of five key European forest tree species, i.e., Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Abies alba, Quercus petraea, and Pinus sylvestris, to dry years in the West Carpathians, Slovakia. Utilizing data from ICP Forests [...] Read more.
This study investigates the radial growth response of five key European forest tree species, i.e., Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Abies alba, Quercus petraea, and Pinus sylvestris, to dry years in the West Carpathians, Slovakia. Utilizing data from ICP Forests Level I plots, we identified species-specific growth declines, particularly in Pinus sylvestris and Fagus sylvatica, with milder radial growth declines for Quercus petraea and Picea abies. Abies alba exhibited a growth peak in the mid-2000s, followed by a decline in the end of the observed period. Elevation emerged as the only significant environmental predictor, explaining 3.5% of growth variability during dry periods, suggesting a potential mitigating effect. The scope of this study was limited by the complex interplay of ecological factors that influence tree growth, which vary across the ICP Forests Level I monitoring sites. Nonetheless, our findings enhance the understanding of species-specific growth responses and offer insights for the climate-smart management of temperate forests under changing conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Forest Ecophysiology: Stress Response and Ecophysiological Indicators of Tree Vitality–Volume II)
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22 pages, 5073 KiB  
Article
Radial Increment of Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Is under a Strong Impact of Climate in the Continental Biogeographical Region of Croatia
by Tom Levanič, Damir Ugarković, Ivan Seletković, Mladen Ognjenović, Mia Marušić, Robert Bogdanić and Nenad Potočić
Plants 2023, 12(13), 2427; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12132427 - 23 Jun 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1722
Abstract
European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is an important component of forests in the alpine and continental biogeographical regions of Croatia. This study aimed to (1) analyze the long-term response of beech to climate, (2) identify potentially critical climatic conditions that could negatively [...] Read more.
European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is an important component of forests in the alpine and continental biogeographical regions of Croatia. This study aimed to (1) analyze the long-term response of beech to climate, (2) identify potentially critical climatic conditions that could negatively affect the radial increment (RI) and vitality of beech, and (3) evaluate differences in the response of beech between the two biogeographical regions in Croatia. We used the 16 × 16 km Croatian ICP Forests Level 1 network. On a total of 25 plots, we cored between 5 and 24 trees for dendrochronological analysis. Tree-ring widths (TRW) were measured and standardized using cubic spline. TRW chronologies for the two regions were calculated and correlated to the temperature and precipitation data and Standardized Precipitation and Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) using bootstrapped correlations. Continental region precipitation from April to August and alpine region precipitation from June to August were significantly important for RI. Temperature was less important for RI than precipitation in both regions, but the importance of the negative impact of above-average temperatures in the continental region and the positive impact of above-average precipitation in the alpine region has increased over the last two decades. A comparison with the 3-month SPEI confirmed the significant influence of high temperatures and the lack of precipitation in August on the RI of beech trees in both regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Forest Ecophysiology: Stress Response and Ecophysiological Indicators of Tree Vitality–Volume II)
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19 pages, 3901 KiB  
Article
Alleviation of Shade Stress in Chinese Yew (Taxus chinensis) Seedlings with 5-Aminolevulinic Acid (ALA)
by Liuliu Wu, Linlin Song, Lifan Cao and Li Meng
Plants 2023, 12(12), 2333; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12122333 - 15 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1393
Abstract
5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a novel regulator that can promote plant growth, nitrogen uptake, and abiotic stress tolerance. Its underlying mechanisms, however, have not been fully investigated. In this study, the effects of ALA on morphology, photosynthesis, antioxidant systems, and secondary metabolites in [...] Read more.
5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a novel regulator that can promote plant growth, nitrogen uptake, and abiotic stress tolerance. Its underlying mechanisms, however, have not been fully investigated. In this study, the effects of ALA on morphology, photosynthesis, antioxidant systems, and secondary metabolites in two cultivars of 5-year-old Chinese yew (Taxus chinensis) seedlings, ‘Taihang’ and ‘Fujian’, were examined under shade stress (30% light for 30 days) using different doses of ALA (0, 30, and 60 mg/L). The findings from our study show that shade stress significantly reduced plant height, stem thickness, and crown width and increased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. However, the application of 30 mg/L ALA effectively mitigated these effects, which further induced the activity of antioxidant enzymes under shade stress, resulting in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) being increased by 10%, 16.4%, and 42.1%, and 19.8%, 20.1%, and 42% in ‘Taihang’ and ‘Fujian’, respectively. It also promoted their role in the absorption, conversion, and efficient use of light energy. Additionally, the use of 30 mg/L ALA caused a significant increase in the concentration of secondary metabolites, including polysaccharide (PC), carotenoid (CR), and flavonoids (FA), with increases of up to 46.1%, 13.4%, and 35.6% and 33.5%, 7.5%, and 57.5% in both yew cultivars, respectively, contributing to nutrient uptake. With ALA treatment, the yew seedlings showed higher chlorophyll (total chlorophyll, chlorophyll a and b) levels and photosynthesis rates than the seedlings that received the shade treatment alone. To conclude, the application of 30 mg/L ALA alleviated shade stress in yew seedlings by maintaining redox balance, protecting the photorespiratory system, and increasing organic metabolites, thus increasing the number of new branches and shoots and significantly promoting the growth of the seedlings. Spraying with ALA may be a sustainable strategy to improve the shade-resistant defense system of yew. As these findings increase our understanding of this shade stress response, they may have considerable implications for the domestication and cultivation of yew. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Forest Ecophysiology: Stress Response and Ecophysiological Indicators of Tree Vitality–Volume II)
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