Inter-tree competition and small-scale pattern in monoculture of Eucalyptus obliqua L'Herit

The pattern of spatial arrangement of trees at scales up to 20 m is examined in 12 plots of even-aged monoculture of tall-open Eucalyptus obliqua L'Herit. forest, aged 30–57 years, in Tasmania. In general, trees were randomly arranged on the plots. In four plots there was a tendency towards regular spacing amongst the 50% largest diameter trees of the plots, these trees being the more successful competitors. There was evidence that this occurred simply because crown spread prevents dominant trees being too close together. There were slight tendencies in some plots for larger trees to be further from their nearest neighbouring tree than smaller trees and to have smaller nearest neighbours than smaller trees. These results are considered in relation to suggestions that competition in monoculture should impose spatial regularity on successful competitors and that dominant trees suppress near by trees. It is suggested that inter-tree root grafting or variability in the shape of root and crown systems may reduce the tendency for these effects to apply, consistent with the results of the present work.     

油松优树选择方法的研究

论述了优树选择应遵循优良种源区选择优良林分,优良林分中的选择优良单株的系统选择原则。提出了标准差法选择方法和标准,要求优树胸径大于林分平均胸径加２倍标准差,且优树年平均出长量：胸径大于０．９ｃｍ、树高大于０．５ｍ。根据１９株人工林优树周转的标准地每木实测数据,对小标准地法和大树选优法作了比较;根据３２株优树的选优结果,比较了１－５株大树法选优法之间的相关关系,大树法间相关都显著,但以３株法为最好;     

The utilization of dead wood resources by woodpeckers in Britain

Dead wood is important for woodpeckers, providing foraging, roost and nest-sites. In this paper, data from long-term studies of woodpeckers and dead wood in oakwoods in southern England are used to examine the dead wood requirements of the three British resident woodpecker species. Both Great Dendrocopos major and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos minor select dead trees for nest-sites although the former is able to nest in living trees too. On the other hand a smaller fraction of Lesser Spotted Woodpecker nests are in living trees. Green Woodpecker Picus viridis shows no selection for dead nesting trees. Hence the smallest woodpecker species appears to be most dependent on dead and decaying trees for nest-sites. Great and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers show no preference for foraging on dead trees although they both make use of dead branches on living trees. Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers forage on smaller branches higher in the tree than Great Spotted Woodpeckers. There has been a trend for increasing dead wood resources in the study woods with both dead wood on the ground and standing dead trees (snags) increasing in the last 20 years. The levels of dead wood are shown to be the result of continual processes of creation and decay. Around 0.5% of oak Quercus spp., Ash Fraxinus excelsior and Hornbeam Carpinus betulus and 3.4% of the birch Betula spp. trees die each year in the woods resulting in a continuity of new dead snags and fallen trees. There is a high turnover of standing dead snags of oak and birch with 95% and 80% annual survival, respectively. Snags are only suitable for nesting Great Spotted Woodpeckers for a few years after their creation. It is suggested that these stand and dead wood dynamics are likely to provide habitats more favourable for the Great Spotted than the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.     

Host plant associations, diversity and species—area relationships of mesophyll-feeding leafhoppers of trees and shrubs in Britain

Abstract. 1. Sixty-two British species of Typhlocybine leafhoppers are known to feed on the leaf-mesophyll tissue of trees and shrubs. British host records for fifty-five of these are given.
2. The leafhopper faunas of thirty-six species of native and introduced trees and shrubs are described.
3. The Shannon-Wiener equation was used to calculate species diversity for adult samples collected from twenty different species at sixteen different localities in Wales, southern England and northern Scotland.
4. Sørensen's coefficients were calculated for rearing data from Britain generally, and subjected to cluster analysis. Most trees have low similarities with respect to leafhopper faunas and are quite distinct. Taxonomic relationships of trees appear to be relatively unimportant in determining the similarities of their leaf-hopper faunas.
5. Using the same data, species—area relationships were calculated for thirty-four different tree and shrub species and their associated leaf-hoppers. A significant regression was obtained, but it explained only 16% of the variation. It is thus suggested that host plant range is relatively unimportant in determining the numbers of these species associated with different trees in Britain.
6. Some introduced species of trees, particularly the recently planted Nothofagus , have acquired large leafhopper faunas.     

Factors limiting the distribution of deciduous broadleaved trees in warm-temperate mountainous riparian forests

We examined differences in the responses of deciduous and evergreen broadleaved trees to fluvial disturbance and light environment near a river-facing forest edge in order to identify the factors limiting the distribution of deciduous trees, which are important components of warm-temperate mountainous riparian forests. Deciduous trees tended to be distributed on lower terraces of less than 2-m relative elevation from the water level, which corresponded with sites suffering from strong bank erosion due to high flood frequency. On the other hand, evergreen trees showed an opposite trend of distribution, indicating that high flood frequency associated with strong erosion-dominated soil disturbances might be a constraint for their establishment and/or survival. Furthermore, crowns of deciduous trees tended to be in the canopy layer at the forest edge, with fewer individuals observed beneath the canopy of evergreen trees, even at the forest edge. In contrast, evergreen trees were concentrated in the understory of the forest interior. These observations suggested that the light environment is the predominant factor affecting the establishment and survival of deciduous trees in warm-temperate mountainous riparian forests; however, the river-facing forest edge beneath the evergreen canopy is not a suitable habitat for deciduous trees. We concluded that erosion-dominated soil disturbance on lower terraces provides suitable habitats for deciduous trees by facilitating their reaching the canopy layer by limiting the establishment and/or survival of evergreen trees.

     

Congruence of Morphological and Molecular Phylogenies

When phylogenetic trees constructed from morphological and molecular evidence disagree (i.e. are incongruent) it has been suggested that the differences are spurious or that the molecular results should be preferred a priori. Comparing trees can increase confidence (congruence), or demonstrate that at least one tree is incorrect (incongruence). Statistical analyses of 181 molecular and 49 morphological trees shows that incongruence is greater between than within the morphological and molecular partitions, and this difference is significant for the molecular partition. Because the level of incongruence between a pair of trees gives a minimum bound on how much error is present in the two trees, our results indicate that the level of error may be underestimated by congruence within partitions. Thus comparisons between morphological and molecular trees are particularly useful for detecting this incongruence (spurious or otherwise). Molecular trees have higher average congruence than morphological trees, but the difference is not significant, and both within- and between-partition incongruence is much lower than expected by chance alone. Our results suggest that both molecular and morphological trees are, in general, useful approximations of a common underlying phylogeny and thus, when molecules and morphology clash, molecular phylogenies should not be considered more reliable a priori.     

Seasonal bulk xylem pressure in temperate broadleaf eudicot trees: a case study for sugar long-distance transport and signaling

Sugars regulate growth, development, and defense in trees. Sugars are also important signaling molecules and are transported over long distances via xylem and phloem. Sucrose loading to tracheids and vessels is associated with bulk xylem pressure and occurs seasonally in temperate broadleaf eudicot trees. Following restoration of xylem hydraulic conductivity in spring, sugars are unloaded from xylem sap at apical branches and deposited as starch before growth of shoot apical meristems. Growth of cambia and shoot apical meristems leads to starch catabolism that yields hexose-phosphates to fuel cell growth and regulate other signal networks. The contrast between cell molecular biology of Arabidopsis and physiology of temperate broadleaf eudicot trees indicates the importance of phosphorylation in long-distance sugar signaling. Hexokinase, acting as a hub for signal and hormone networks, is likely an important regulator of sugar signaling in response to stimuli such as energy status, sugar status, and environmental conditions. The comparative analysis suggested here could help bridge physiology and detailed molecular mechanisms regarding physiology of trees.     

A biomechanical analysis of skull form in gum-harvesting galagids

Among primates, some highly gummivorous species habitually gouge trees to elicit exudate flow whereas others scrape the hardened gums from trees. These foraging behaviors are thought to require high external forces at the anterior dentition. In this study, we test whether skull form in gouging and scraping galagids corresponds to this suggested need to produce these higher external forces and to resist increased internal loads in the jaws. We find few consistent morphological patterns linking skull form and the generation of high forces during gouging. However, there is some tendency for gougers and scrapers to show increased load resistance capabilities in their mandibles. Future research on the mechanical properties of trees exploited by these species and on jaw function during gouging and scraping will improve our understanding of the mechanical demands of gum feeding on the galagid skull form.     

Variability in essential oils and needle resin canals of Pinus longaeva from Eastern California and Western Nevada in relation to other members of subsection Balfourianae

Mono- and sesquiterpenoids from wood and leaves of Pinus longaeva trees collected in various localities of eastern California and western Nevada were quantitatively analyzed by GLC. Concurrently the number and size of resin canals in foliage of the same trees and as well as Pinus aristata trees from Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico were determined. While some monoterpenes (mainly α-pinene and 3-carene) suggest that P. longaeva trees from the Panamint Mountains of California are P. aristata-like, the total chemical data and morphological data indicate that Panamint trees should be grouped with P. longaeva. A chemical latitudinal gradient is evidenced by the appearance of trees producing 3-carene in large amounts along the line joining the Panamint, Inyo and White Mountains of California. Pinus rzedowskii, well separated geographically and morphologically from the accepted members of subsection Balfourianae, is shown to be sufficiently distinct chemically, as to leave its suggested membership in the subsection an open question.     

实生和嫁接槐树的枝梢生长与光合特性

测定槐树实生树和嫁接树叶片的光合光响应特性、比叶重和叶绿素含量及枝梢生长的结果表明,嫁接树枝梢基径和高度增长趋势与实生树一致,但嫁接树一次、二次梢基径和高度增长量均大于实生树。嫁接树的最大净光合速率、光饱和点、比叶重和单位重量的叶绿素含量均显著高于实生树,高的光合能力与其单位面积叶片重量增加和单位重量叶绿素含量增高有关。嫁接槐树的类胡萝卜素与叶绿素比值高于实生槐树,叶绿素a,b比值和单位重量类胡萝卜素含量显著高于实生槐树,表明其对强光的适应性强。     

Evolution of life history in balsam fir (Abies balsamea) in subalpine forests

Subalpine forests in North America and Japan dominated by Abies spp. show an unusual pattern of regeneration in which recruitment is confined to a narrow window in time and space that just precedes the death of the largest trees. Previously, Silvertown suggested that selection in such forests should favour delayed reproduction. A graphical model supporting this prediction also suggests that trees in ''normal'' forests should benefit from precocious reproduction when they are taller than their neighbours, while trees in wave populations should not. Here, we present a field test of the two hypotheses based upon a comparison of the life history of trees in adjacent wave and non-wave populations at Whiteface Mountain, New York. The results show that reproduction commences at a similar age in both kinds of forest, and that trees in the subalpine zone reproduce later and die earlier than conspecifics in lowland forests. The failure of the first hypothesis can be explained by modifying our original assumptions about how reproductive costs and benefits vary with age in the model. In our test of the second hypothesis, we find that the reproductive behaviour of individual trees in the two kinds of forest is different and consistent with our prediction. Phenotypic plasticity for age at first reproduction appears to be present only in the population where it is adaptive.     

Breakage of hollow tree stems

Stems of trees hollowed by agents such as fungal decay, fire or termites have reduced strength and increased likelihood of breakage. This may pose a serious hazard when hollow trees are growing near public places. Previous theoretical studies and field studies of hollow trees, of both hardwood and softwood species, in Europe and America have suggested rules to quantify the risk of breakage of hollow trees. These rules are confirmed and expanded here, using data collected from hollow trees of several species of the hardwood genus Eucalyptus in Australia. It is concluded that where the ratio of the minimum wall thickness of a stem hollow to the total radius of the hollow exceeds 0.3–0.35 and at least one-half of the girth of the tree stem is intact, it is extremely unlikely that the stem of the hollow tree will break. These rules appear to apply for a wide range of tree species throughout the world.     

蔷薇科果树类受体激酶的研究进展

类受体激酶(receptor like kinase,RLK)参与调控植物几乎所有的生命活动,是植物生长发育和环境适应的“中央处理器”。该文对近年来国内外有关蔷薇科果树RLK基因鉴定、进化特征及其在各器官生长发育、非生物和生物逆境中的作用及调控机制等方面的研究进展进行了综述。蔷薇科果树基因组中存在数目庞大的RLKs,不同树种间的RLK数目和各亚家族成员数目都存在较大差异,而且蔷薇科果树RLK存在极为普遍的部分重复和串联重复现象,是导致家族成员迅速变化的重要原因。有研究发现,一些RLKs调控蔷薇科果树器官发育和对环境的适应性。在器官发育方面,LRR RLK亚家族成员调控根系发育,CrRLK1L、LysM RLK和LRR RLK亚家族部分成员参与调控果实发育,CrRLK1L亚家族成员参与调控花粉管发育,LRR RLK、LysM RLK、L LEC RLK和B Lectin RLK亚家族部分成员调控蔷薇科果树对生物逆境的适应。今后RLK功能研究可侧重于蔷薇科果树特色性状,通过提高目标基因的筛选和验证的效率,加速主效RLKs的筛选进程,并通过筛选主效RLKs诱导方式和加速分子育种进程等途径,将研究成果应用于实际生产。     

Phytohormones in needles of healthy and declining silver fir (Abies alba Mill.): I. Indole-3-acetic acid

 Levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) were determined in needles from silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) trees in the northern Black Forest. IAA was quantified by gas chromatography (GC) as 1-heptafluorobutyryl-IAA-methylester (HFB-IAA-ME) using electron capture detection. Prior to GC analysis, extensive purification of needle extracts was performed employing two HPLC steps. Peak identity of HFB-IAA-ME was confirmed by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in selected samples. Levels of IAA in needles belonging to different needle age-classes exhibited a cyclic seasonal pattern with highest concentrations in winter and lowest levels in spring when bud-break occurred. Such a cyclic seasonal pattern of IAA levels was also observed in needles from declining fir trees or fir trees suffering from a strong sulfur impact (S-impact) in the field due to a local SO₂ source. Levels of IAA increased with increasing needle age. This age dependency of IAA concentrations was most pronounced in late autumn when IAA levels were high and nearly disappeared in spring when IAA levels reached their minimum. In needles from declining fir trees or fir trees suffering from a strong S-impact in the field, IAA levels hardly increased with increasing needle age. It is suggested that in healthy trees high levels of IAA protect older needles from abscission and that the considerable losses of older needles of declining fir trees or of fir trees under S-impact are a consequence of the low levels of IAA found in older needles of such trees. Received: 4 May 1995 / Accepted: 29 August 1995     

Kinetics of Freezing Damage in Apple Bark and Pine Needles

The time course of freezing damage in pine needles and in bark of apple trees was followed at different subzero temperatures. From these data the killing rate by freezing was determined for trees which differed in degree of cold hardiness. The activation energy of the killing reaction was also calculated. The killing rate was lowest in cold-acclimated trees, but the activation energy of the killing reaction was very high indicating a high degree of structured water in the cells. Non-acclimated trees showed uniform low values of the activation energy of the killing reaction at all subzero temperatures studied. It is suggested that intracellular supercooling could be a part of the mechanism of frost protection in cold-acclimated apple trees within the – 30 to – 20°C range, but not in the –20 to –10°C range.     

A Study on Manganese Content in Soils and Leaves of Rubber Trees in Rubber Plantation Areas of China

The present paper deals with the status of manganese (Mn) in rubber trees on 110 rubber plantation at 46 counties in the rubber tree growing regions of China. The content of Mn in rubber tree leaves ranges from 31 to 2167 ppm, averaging 390 ppm which is higher than that in the leaves of normal rubber trees (150–300 ppm). Thus it can be concluded that the present status of Mn in China's rubber trees is higher. Nevertheless, the content of Mn of soil of rubber plantations in China varies significantly according to different soil types, fertilization and management. The difference between the highest and the lowest contents of total Mn could be as high as 140 times and an even greater difference of 200–1240-fold between the highest and the lowest contents of replaceable and reducible Mn has been observed. The storage of reducible Mn is generally insufficient in the soil. Therefore, the symptom of leaf yellowing due to deficiency of Mn has developed in rubber trees in certain parts of rubber tree growing regions in China. The essential oure for leaf yellowing of rubber trees is to raise Mn content in the tree by proper application of fertilizer. The procedures, dosage and timing of the fertilizer for leaf yellowing treatments are suggested.     

Wood formation in rolC transgenic aspen trees

Wood formation and structure of 3-year-old 35S-rolC transgenic aspen (Populus tremula L. × tremuloides Michx.) were compared with the situation in non-transformed control aspen trees. The transgenics are characterized by reduced shoot growth and an earlier bud break. Their wood formation did not immediately follow bud break and leaf development but occurred after some delay, about the same time as wood formation was initiated in the control trees. Quantitatively, the wood structure of the transgenics and of the non-transformed controls was not significantly different; therefore the dwarfism of the transgenics is very likely due to a reduction in cell number. Atypical formation of latewood led to the assumption that the differentiation of cells is decelerated. Additionally, cells lacked both secondary walls and normal lignification, and discoloration of the wood and the formation of tyloses were conspicuous in all transgenics. In contrast, they did not occur in the non-transformed control aspen trees. The observations are discussed in relation to the widely accepted auxin hypothesis. It is suggested that 35S-rolC transgenic aspen trees may be a useful model to study the regulatory mechanisms of wood formation. Received: 17 August 1999 / Accepted: 9 December 1999     

Spatial pattern of seedlings 1 year after fire in a Mediterranean pine forest

Summary The spatial distribution of seedlings of the dominant perennial plant species (Pinus halepensis, Cistus salviifolius, Rhus coriaria) and may annual species was studied after a wild fire in an eastern Mediterranean pine forest. The spatial distribution of all seedlings is affected by the location of the old burned pine trees. Seedling density of Pinus and Cistus is higher at a distance from the burned pine canopy and lower near the burned pine trunk. It is also higher beneath small burned pine trees than under big ones. Rhus seedling density is higher under big burned pine trees and also near the burned trunks. Seedlings of Pinus, Cistus and Rhus growing under the burned canopy of big pine trees tend to be taller than seedlings under small ones or outside the burned canopy. Most annual species germinate and establish themselves outside the burned canopies, and only a few annual species are found beneath them. It is suggested that variation in the heat of the fire, in the amount of ash between burned pine trees of different sizes, and in the distance from the burned canopy are responsible for the observed pattern of seedling distribution. The possible ecological significance of the spatial pattern of seedlings distribution and their differential growth rate are discussed.     

Estimation of carbon storage based on individual tree detection in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus densiflora</Emphasis> stands using a fusion of aerial photography and LiDAR data

The objective of this study was to estimate the carbon storage capacity of Pinus densiflora stands using remotely sensed data by combining digital aerial photography with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. A digital canopy model (DCM), generated from the LiDAR data, was combined with aerial photography for segmenting crowns of individual trees. To eliminate errors in over and under-segmentation, the combined image was smoothed using a Gaussian filtering method. The processed image was then segmented into individual trees using a marker-controlled watershed segmentation method. After measuring the crown area from the segmented individual trees, the individual tree diameter at breast height (DBH) was estimated using a regression function developed from the relationship observed between the field-measured DBH and crown area. The above ground biomass of individual trees could be calculated by an image-derived DBH using a regression function developed by the Korea Forest Research Institute. The carbon storage, based on individual trees, was estimated by simple multiplication using the carbon conversion index (0.5), as suggested in guidelines from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The mean carbon storage per individual tree was estimated and then compared with the field-measured value. This study suggested that the biomass and carbon storage in a large forest area can be effectively estimated using aerial photographs and LiDAR data.