Article
Forestry
Qiulu Meng, Feng Fu, Jie Wang, Tuo He, Xiaomei Jiang, Yonggang Zhang, Yafang Yin, Ning Li, Juan Guo
Summary: Ray traits significantly differ between juvenile wood and mature wood in Pinus massonia and Cunninghamia lanceolata. Juvenile wood generally has more rays, larger ray spacing and ray number, smaller ray height and shorter ray cells compared to mature wood. Positive correlations between ray parenchyma cell length and ray tracheid length, and negative correlations of ray number and ray spacing with uniseriate ray height were found. Axial tracheid cell wall thickness also correlated with ray spacing, ray number, and ray parenchyma cell length.
Article
Materials Science, Paper & Wood
Funda Ersen Bak, Derya Cesur
Summary: This study compared the wood anatomy of four Atraphaxis taxa in Turkey, measuring various wood characteristics and determining qualitative features. The results showed differences in growth rings, vessel grouping, ray height and density, number of vessels, among other parameters.
Review
Forestry
Flavio Ruffinatto, Francesco Negro, Alan Crivellaro
Summary: Understanding the macroscopic structure and formation of wood is crucial for wood identification and quality evaluation. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the macroscopic structure of wood and the features that can be observed to identify wood. It starts by illustrating the planes of observations and outlining the key differences between softwoods and hardwoods. It then presents various cell characteristics, arrangements, and distributions that can be macroscopically observed, along with their impact on wood figure, texture, and non-anatomical features.
Article
Agronomy
Debora Porfiria Furtado de Lima Maidana, Jane Rodrigues da Silva, Augusto Cesar de Aquino Ribas, Edna Scremin-Dias
Summary: Our study found that trees in sites with higher water and nutrient availability exhibited wood with larger vessels, lower density, higher potential hydraulic conductivity, taller and wider rays, a higher fraction of vessels and parenchyma cells, and a lower fraction of fibers. Additionally, these trees had lower specific leaf area and higher leaf dry matter content in the trial site with better soil conditions.
Article
Ecology
Kasia Zieminska, Silvia Bibbo, Samuel Farrar, Jill Thompson, Maria Uriarte, Emanuele Ziaco, Jess K. Zimmerman, Robert Muscarella
Summary: Trait variation across individuals and species influences the resistance and resilience of ecosystems to disturbance. In this study, the researchers investigated how hurricanes affect the wood anatomy of tropical trees and found significant shifts in xylem traits after the hurricane. They also observed variation within individuals and weak evidence for an association between xylem traits and growth rates.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Yunpeng Wang, Rui Zhang, Zhichun Zhou
Summary: Schima superba is a valuable broadleaf tree species with systematic radial variation in wood anatomical properties. Different growth stages exhibit varying degrees of variability, with mature wood forming after the 16th year.
Article
Plant Sciences
Domen Arnic, Luka Krajnc, Jozica Gricar, Peter Prislan
Summary: This study analyzed the relationship between wood structure and density in Norway spruce and European beech. Significant correlations were found between tree-ring and wood-anatomical features in both species, although the specific correlations varied between species.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Giulia Resente, Alexander Gillert, Mario Trouillier, Alba Anadon-Rosell, Richard L. Peters, Georg Von Arx, Uwe Von Lukas, Martin Wilmking
Summary: Recent developments in artificial intelligence, specifically the use of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs), have shown potential in revolutionizing research methods in ecology, particularly in the field of wood anatomical analysis. The training of DCNNs with target cell areas and the use of Mask-RCNN architecture have proven to be effective in accurately detecting and segmenting cells in wood anatomical images. Additionally, the comparison of DCNNs with other model architectures such as U-Net and traditional image analysis techniques like ROXAS, highlights the superior performance and accuracy of Mask-RCNN in identifying target cells and segmenting specific areas in angiosperms.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
K. E. Frankiewicz, J. H. Chau, J. Baczynski, A. Wdowiak, A. Oskolski
Summary: We investigated the relationship between the appearance and microscopic structure of bark by studying butterfly bushes. Smooth stems with visible lenticles develop when periderms are few, cells originate superficially, and limited sclerification occurs. Barks that slough off show division of labour at the anatomical level, with sclerified cells serving as protection and thin-walled cells acting as separation layers. The relationship between macroscopic bark appearance and microscopic structure is not well understood, hindering its use in plant taxonomy and other botanical fields.
Article
Forestry
Luis Garcia Esteban, Paloma de Palacios, Alberto Garcia-Iruela, Francisco Garcia-Fernandez, Lydia Garcia-Esteban, David Gonzalez de Vega
Summary: The wood anatomy of 132 species from various genera within the Pinaceae family was studied to identify characteristics that distinguish each genus. The study identified two main groups within the Pinaceae family based on wood structure: Pinoideae and Abietoideae, which align with molecular phylogeny. Differences in wood structure, such as the presence or absence of certain features like ray tracheids, resin canals, and resin canal types, help distinguish between these two groups.
Article
Plant Sciences
Anna Stepanova, Anastasia A. Odintsova, Alena Rybkina, Yuliana Rostovtseva, Alexei A. Oskolski
Summary: This study described a fossil wood of the Juniperus genus from the Popov Kamen section in South Russia, providing insights into the taxonomic position and phytogeographic history of the genus. The fossil wood, well-preserved by mummification, showed similarities to the extant Mediterranean species J. excelsa. This is the first reliable macrofossil evidence of the sect. Sabina from Eurasia, and the age of the wood aligns with molecular dating of juniper species in Europe, Asia, and eastern Africa.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Nadieh de Jonge, Jan Struckmann Poulsen, Nathalia Thygesen Vechi, Michael Vedel Wegener Kofoed, Jeppe Lund Nielsen
Summary: Biogas production from organic waste has the potential to significantly contribute to sustainable energy production through waste-to-energy technology. In this study, metagenome-resolved protein stable isotope probing was used to gain insight into microbial activities during CO2-reduction in biomethanation reactors. The findings deepen our understanding of microbial communities in biomethanation systems and contribute to the development of better strategies for biogas upgrading and microbial management.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Eyob Gebrehiwot Gebregeorgis, Justyna Boniecka, Marcin Piatkowski, Iain Robertson, Cyrille B. K. Rathgeber
Summary: The article presents a program called SabaTracheid that provides fine-resolution QWA and dendroanatomic data, which will help develop dendroanatomical studies in tropical, Mediterranean, and temperate regions.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Jiangtao Shi, Haizhe Zhang, Yuhan Liu, Chongyang Xia, Yaoli Zhang
Summary: It is proposed to use the transpiration of bionic trees to assemble inorganic precursors, forming wood-inorganic composites. By diffusing solvent or sol containing SiO2 precursor into the xylem of a 10-year-old poplar, hydrolysis, polycondensation, and self-assembly reactions were induced to create the composites. The inorganic substances were observed to be present in vessels, wood fibers, and ray cells in a yellowish brown color. The composition and structure of the wood were modified by the formation of the composites, with changes in fiber-tissue ratio, cell wall thickness, and vessel diameter.
Article
Forestry
Samuel Oluyinka Olaniran, Sophie Loening, Andreas Buschalsky, Holger Militz
Summary: The research showed that liquid uptake and penetration in gmelina wood are low, making impregnation of chemicals into its microstructure next to impossible. Therefore, alternative treatment methods should be sought to enhance its durability.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ajaree Thonglim, Sylvain Delzon, Maximilian Larter, Omid Karami, Arezoo Rahimi, Remko Offringa, Joost J. B. Keurentjes, Salma Balazadeh, Erik Smets, Frederic Lens
Summary: This study investigated embolism resistance in inflorescence stems of four Arabidopsis thaliana accessions and evaluated vulnerability to xylem embolism using detailed anatomical observations and the centrifuge technique. The results showed that intervessel pit membrane thickness is the key functional trait underlying the variation in embolism resistance amongst the accessions studied.
Article
Forestry
Georg von Arx, Marco Carrer, Alan Crivellaro, Veronica De Micco, Patrick Fonti, Frederic Lens, Angela Luisa Prendin, Sabine Rosner, Ute Sass-Klaassen
Summary: Quantitative wood anatomy (QWA) is a dynamic research approach with growing interest, but the lack of common protocols and knowledge gaps have hindered its full potential. The establishment of Q-NET as an interdisciplinary platform for exchange and research around QWA is crucial in fostering international cooperation and collaboration in this field.
Article
Ecology
Francesco Maria Sabatini, Jonathan Lenoir, Tarek Hattab, Elise Aimee Arnst, Milan Chytry, Juergen Dengler, Patrice De Ruffray, Stephan M. Hennekens, Ute Jandt, Florian Jansen, Borja Jimenez-Alfaro, Jens Kattge, Aurora Levesley, Valerio D. Pillar, Oliver Purschke, Brody Sandel, Fahmida Sultana, Tsipe Aavik, Svetlana Acic, Alicia T. R. Acosta, Emiliano Agrillo, Miguel Alvarez, Iva Apostolova, Mohammed A. S. Arfin Khan, Luzmila Arroyo, Fabio Attorre, Isabelle Aubin, Arindam Banerjee, Marijn Bauters, Yves Bergeron, Erwin Bergmeier, Idoia Biurrun, Anne D. Bjorkman, Gianmaria Bonari, Viktoria Bondareva, Jorg Brunet, Andraz Carni, Laura Casella, Luis Cayuela, Tomas Cerny, Victor Chepinoga, Janos Csiky, Renata Custerevska, Els De Bie, Andre Luis de Gasper, Michele De Sanctis, Panayotis Dimopoulos, Jiri Dolezal, Tetiana Dziuba, Mohamed Abd El-Rouf Mousa El-Sheikh, Brian Enquist, Joerg Ewald, Farideh Fazayeli, Richard Field, Manfred Finckh, Sophie Gachet, Antonio Galan-de-Mera, Emmanuel Garbolino, Hamid Gholizadeh, Melisa Giorgis, Valentin Golub, Inger Greve Alsos, John-Arvid Grytnes, Gregory Richard Guerin, Alvaro G. Gutierrez, Sylvia Haider, Mohamed Z. Hatim, Bruno Herault, Guillermo Hinojos Mendoza, Norbert Hoelzel, Juergen Homeier, Wannes Hubau, Adrian Indreica, John A. M. Janssen, Birgit Jedrzejek, Anke Jentsch, Norbert Juergens, Zygmunt Kacki, Jutta Kapfer, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Ali Kavgaci, Elizabeth Kearsley, Michael Kessler, Larisa Khanina, Timothy Killeen, Andrey Korolyuk, Holger Kreft, Hjalmar S. Kuehl, Anna Kuzemko, Flavia Landucci, Attila Lengyel, Frederic Lens, Debora Vanessa Lingner, Hongyan Liu, Tatiana Lysenko, Miguel D. Mahecha, Corrado Marceno, Vasiliy Martynenko, Jesper Erenskjold Moeslund, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Ladislav Mucina, Jonas V. Muller, Jerome Munzinger, Alireza Naqinezhad, Jalil Noroozi, Arkadiusz Nowak, Viktor Onyshchenko, Gerhard E. Overbeck, Meelis Partel, Anibal Pauchard, Robert K. Peet, Josep Penuelas, Aaron Perez-Haase, Tomas Peterka, Petr Petrik, Gwendolyn Peyre, Oliver L. Phillips, Vadim Prokhorov, Valerijus Rasomavicius, Rasmus Revermann, Gonzalo Rivas-Torres, John S. Rodwell, Eszter Ruprecht, Solvita Rusina, Cyrus Samimi, Marco Schmidt, Franziska Schrodt, Hanhuai Shan, Pavel Shirokikh, Jozef Sibik, Urban Silc, Petr Sklenar, Zeljko Skvorc, Ben Sparrow, Marta Gaia Sperandii, Zvjezdana Stancic, Jens-Christian Svenning, Zhiyao Tang, Cindy Q. Tang, Ioannis Tsiripidis, Kim Andre Vanselow, Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Kiril Vassilev, Eduardo Velez-Martin, Roberto Venanzoni, Alexander Christian Vibrans, Cyrille Violle, Risto Virtanen, Henrik von Wehrden, Viktoria Wagner, Donald A. Walker, Donald M. Waller, Hua-Feng Wang, Karsten Wesche, Timothy J. S. Whitfeld, Wolfgang Willner, Susan K. Wiser, Thomas Wohlgemuth, Sergey Yamalov, Martin Zobel, Helge Bruelheide
Summary: Assessing global biodiversity status and trends in plant communities is essential for understanding the impact of global change on ecosystems. The sPlotOpen dataset, compiled through resampling vegetation plots and obtaining permissions from data holders, provides valuable information for exploring global plant community diversity, remote sensing applications, and biodiversity monitoring.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Julia S. Joswig, Christian Wirth, Meredith C. Schuman, Jens Kattge, Bjorn Reu, Ian J. Wright, Sebastian D. Sippel, Nadja Rueger, Ronny Richter, Michael E. Schaepman, Peter M. van Bodegom, J. H. C. Cornelissen, Sandra Diaz, Wesley N. Hattingh, Koen Kramer, Frederic Lens, Ulo Niinemets, Peter B. Reich, Markus Reichstein, Christine Roemermann, Franziska Schrodt, Madhur Anand, Michael Bahn, Chaeho Byun, Giandiego Campetella, Bruno E. L. Cerabolini, Joseph M. Craine, Andres Gonzalez-Melo, Alvaro G. Gutierrez, Tianhua He, Pedro Higuchi, Herve Jactel, Nathan J. B. Kraft, Vanessa Minden, Vladimir Onipchenko, Josep Penuelas, Valerio D. Pillar, Enio Sosinski, Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia, Evan Weiher, Miguel D. Mahecha
Summary: The study reveals that variation in plant size is mainly influenced by latitudinal gradients in water or energy limitation, while variation in leaf economics traits is primarily influenced by climate, soil fertility, and their interactions. These findings help improve predictions and understanding of biodiversity patterns and the impacts of climate change on biogeochemical cycles.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Horticulture
Dewi Pramanik, Marlies Spaans, Twan Kranenburg, Diego Bogarin, Reinout Heijungs, Frederic Lens, Erik Smets, Barbara Gravendeel
Summary: Phalaenopsis is an important ornamental pot plant for the global horticultural market. This study investigated the lignification patterns and orientation of Phalaenopsis inflorescence stems and found significant differences among different species and hybrids. The study also revealed a positive correlation between inflorescence orientation and the degree of lignification.
SCIENTIA HORTICULTURAE
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Rutger A. Vos, Catharina A. M. Van der Veen-van Wijk, M. Eric Schranz, Klaas Vrieling, Peter G. L. Klinkhamer, Frederic Lens
Summary: The study developed a Gene Ontology-mediated approach to investigate key genes within QTLs, applied to flowering time in giant woody Jersey kale, identifying genes regulating flowering time through enrichment of the circadian rhythm pathway. Results show that the ontology-mediated approach aids in gene exploration and discovery.
Article
Plant Sciences
Vicky Beckers, Alessandro Rapini, Erik Smets, Frederic Lens
Summary: This study provides a wood anatomical overview of the Apocynaceae subfamilies Secamonoideae and Asclepiadoideae, and also presents a list of derived woody species. The findings reveal that these subfamilies have undergone multiple transitions in growth form and degree of woodiness, with drought possibly being the main driver of these transitions.
Article
Plant Sciences
Dale L. Forrister, Maria-Jose Endara, Abrianna J. Soule, Gordon C. Younkin, Anthony G. Mills, John Lokvam, Kyle G. Dexter, R. Toby Pennington, Catherine A. Kidner, James A. Nicholls, Oriane Loiseau, Thomas A. Kursar, Phyllis D. Coley
Summary: Plants are chemical factories that produce unique secondary metabolites, shaping their interactions with natural enemies. This study explores the evolutionary patterns of plant chemical diversity, showing that Inga species have unrelated compounds and high phytochemical diversity. Close species have divergent chemical profiles without phylogenetic signal, and a species' chemical profile shows a signature of divergent adaptation. Maintaining a unique chemical profile is advantageous for sympatric species, and these patterns are integrated into a model for chemical diversity evolution. Overall, phytochemical diversity is fundamental to the ecology and evolution of plants.
Review
Plant Sciences
Frederic Lens, Sean M. Gleason, Giovanni Bortolami, Craig Brodersen, Sylvain Delzon, Steven Jansen
Summary: Studying hydraulic failure in plants is crucial for understanding reduced productivity and mortality. There is a need to reevaluate the relationship between vessel diameter and vulnerability caused by drought-induced embolism. Nanoscale biophysical processes play a key role in determining the formation and spread of embolism.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alexander Zizka, Renske E. Onstein, Roberto Rozzi, Patrick Weigelt, Holger Kreft, Manuel J. Steinbauer, Helge Bruelheide, Frederic Lens
Summary: Insular woodiness (IW), the transition from herbaceousness to woodiness, is a distinctive feature of island floras. Previous studies have proposed several drivers of IW, including competition for sunlight, drought, increased lifespan, and reduced herbivory. This study identified 1,097 insular woody species on 375 islands and inferred at least 175 evolutionary transitions on 31 archipelagos. Structural equation models revealed the correlation between insular woody species richness and favorable climate, drought, and island isolation. The results highlight the importance of archipelagos as natural laboratories for studying convergent evolution.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Ajaree Thonglim, Giovanni Bortolami, Sylvain Delzon, Maximilian Larter, Remko Offringa, Joost J. B. Keurentjes, Erik Smets, Salma Balazadeh, Frederic Lens
Summary: The synergy between drought-responsive traits across different organs is crucial in influencing drought resilience at the whole-plant level. This study investigated the response to drought in Arabidopsis thaliana genotypes by analyzing the stems and leaves. The findings reveal that anatomical, ecophysiological, and molecular adaptations across organs are intertwined and determine the drought response strategies.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Thore Engel, Helge Bruelheide, Daniela Hoss, Francesco M. Sabatini, Jan Altman, Mohammed A. S. Arfin-Khan, Erwin Bergmeier, Tomas Cerny, Milan Chytry, Matteo Dainese, Juergen Dengler, Jiri Dolezal, Richard Field, Felicia M. Fischer, Dries Huygens, Ute Jandt, Florian Jansen, Anke Jentsch, Dirk N. Karger, Jens Kattge, Jonathan Lenoir, Frederic Lens, Jaqueline Loos, Ulo Niinemets, Gerhard E. Overbeck, Wim A. Ozinga, Josep Penuelas, Gwendolyn Peyre, Oliver Phillips, Peter B. Reich, Christine Roemermann, Brody Sandel, Marco Schmidt, Franziska Schrodt, Eduardo Velez-Martin, Cyrille Violle, Valerio Pillar
Summary: This study evaluates the effects of dominance and niche partitioning on biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships in grassland systems worldwide. The results indicate that dominance effects, related to the traits of the dominant species, have a significant impact on BEF relationships, while functional diversity (FD) does not affect primary productivity (NDVI).
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Dmitry A. German, Kasper P. Hendriks, Marcus A. Koch, Frederic Lens, Martin A. Lysak, C. Donovan Bailey, Klaus Mummenhoff, Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz
Summary: Based on recent phylogenetic studies, a new classification system for Brassicaceae is proposed, with improvements at the subfamilial and supertribal levels. The family is now divided into two subfamilies, Aethionemoideae and Brassicoideae. The Brassicoideae is further divided into five supertribes, including Arabodae, Camelinodae, Heliophilodae, and Hesperodae. Additionally, several newly recognized tribes are described, and clarifications are provided for 17 other tribes.
Article
Plant Sciences
Nikolai M. Hay, Michael D. Windham, Terezie Mandakova, Martin A. Lysak, Kasper P. Hendriks, Klaus Mummenhoff, Frederic Lens, Kathleen M. Pryer, C. Donovan Bailey
Summary: This study successfully resolved the phylogeny of the Boechera tribe using sequence data from target enrichment approaches. The results provide a foundation for a new taxonomy and further research on Boechera as a model system.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kasper P. Hendriks, Christiane Kiefer, Ihsan A. Al-Shehbaz, C. Donovan Bailey, Alex Hooft van Huysduynen, Lachezar A. Nikolov, Lars Nauheimer, Alexandre R. Zuntini, Dmitry A. German, Andreas Franzke, Marcus A. Koch, Martin A. Lysak, Oscar Toro-Nunez, Baris Ozudogru, Vanessa R. Invernon, Nora Walden, Olivier Maurin, Nikolai M. Hay, Philip Shushkov, Terezie Mandakova, M. Eric Schranz, Mats Thulin, Michael D. Windham, Ivana Resetnik, Stanislav Spaniel, Elfy Ly, J. Chris Pires, Alex Harkess, Barbara Neuffer, Robert Vogt, Christian Brauchler, Heimo Rainer, Steven B. Janssens, Michaela Schmull, Alan Forrest, Alessia Guggisberg, Sue Zmarzty, Brendan J. Lepschi, Neville Scarlett, Fred W. Stauffer, Ines Schonberger, Peter Heenan, William J. Baker, Felix Forest, Klaus Mummenhoff, Frederic Lens
Summary: This study presents the most complete genus-level family phylogenies of the Brassicaceae family to date, based on nuclear and plastome data. The study reveals cytonuclear discordance and evaluates the impact of hybridization on nuclear phylogeny reconstruction. The results support a recently published new family classification and provide an essential tool for biodiversity and plant biology research.