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Forests
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Response of Forest Trees to Drought
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Response of Forest Trees to Drought

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecophysiology and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2024) | Viewed by 2357

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Laura Suarez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (INIBIOMA-CONICET), San Carlos de Bariloche 8400, Argentina
Interests: dendroecology; forest dieback; drought-induced mortality; drought resilience; forest ecology
Dr. Ester González-de-Andrés

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: forest ecology; global change; drought resilience; forest decline; dendroecology; ecological stoichiometry; intraspecific variability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ongoing global warming has boosted the occurrence of severe droughts around the world, creating new risks for forest ecosystems that are already threatened by deforestation and fragmentation. In particular, short- and long-lasting droughts induced by climate change have detrimental effects on forest trees, triggering the decline in vigor and growth, which leads to losses in forest productivity and drives dieback processes worldwide. The negative effects of droughts on tree performance can last for years, leading to so-called “legacy effects”, which ultimately determine changes in forest structure and functioning, and drive large-scale shifts in forest composition and species distribution. Therefore, studies that detect the impact of droughts on tree health are crucial for understanding the extent to which forest systems are threatened and for quantifying what ecosystem services will be lost through drought-induced dieback and mortality. This topic has emerged as one of the major challenges for forest communities, and is the main focus of this Special Issue, “Response of Forest Trees to Drought”. Original research and reviews aimed at understanding the triggers of drought-induced dieback, characterization of factors involved in growth decline, tipping points, tree growth response across a geographical range, and early warnings that help to predict tree dieback are welcome.

Dr. Maria Laura Suarez
Dr. Ester González-de-Andrés
Guest Editors

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. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2600 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

  • tree dieback
  • drought: growth trends
  • vulnerability
  • early warning metrics

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 15192 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Effects of Mistletoe Removal on Radial Growth of Semi-Arid Aleppo Pine Forests
by Ester González de Andrés, Cristina Valeriano and J. Julio Camarero
Forests 2024, 15(7), 1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15071113 - 27 Jun 2024
Viewed by 816
Abstract
Mistletoes are hemiparasites that modify how trees cope with drought by impairing the relationships between water, carbon, and nutrients within the tree. Thus, mistletoes endanger the vitality and persistence of trees in drought-prone regions, such as the Mediterranean Basin. Here, we evaluated radial [...] Read more.
Mistletoes are hemiparasites that modify how trees cope with drought by impairing the relationships between water, carbon, and nutrients within the tree. Thus, mistletoes endanger the vitality and persistence of trees in drought-prone regions, such as the Mediterranean Basin. Here, we evaluated radial growth patterns and drought sensitivity of Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) trees from which mistletoe was removed ca. two decades ago (MRTs) with control; currently infested trees (MCTs) from a semi-arid region in NE Spain. Growth showed negative trends in both tree classes since the 1980s concurrent with progressive aridification and aggravated by mistletoe infestation, as indicated by the positive effect of mistletoe removal on the growth of MRT trees. Water availability during the previous autumn and winter and current spring and early summer drove growth. Climate–growth correlations were similar between tree classes before treatment, but after mistletoe removal, precipitation became significant in MCT trees but not in MRT trees. Likewise, the impact of drought on growth changed through time: it increased until the late 20th century and then decreased in the MRT trees, which showed higher resistance and resilience against post-treatment droughts. This study provides evidence of the long-term positive effect of mistletoe removal on radial growth in semi-arid pine forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Response of Forest Trees to Drought)
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15 pages, 3462 KiB  
Article
Effects of Nitrate Assimilation in Leaves and Roots on Biomass Allocation and Drought Stress Responses in Poplar Seedlings
by Weifeng Wang, Jiazhou Shang, Anders Ræbild, Tianhui Gao and Qihao Xie
Forests 2024, 15(5), 779; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15050779 - 29 Apr 2024
Viewed by 928
Abstract
Knowledge of tree biomass allocation is fundamental for estimating forest acclimation and carbon stock for global changes in the future. Optimal partitioning theory (OPT) and allometric partitioning theory (APT) are two major patterns of biomass allocation, and occurrences have been tested on taxonomical, [...] Read more.
Knowledge of tree biomass allocation is fundamental for estimating forest acclimation and carbon stock for global changes in the future. Optimal partitioning theory (OPT) and allometric partitioning theory (APT) are two major patterns of biomass allocation, and occurrences have been tested on taxonomical, ontogenetic, geographic and environmental scales, showing conflicting results and unclear ecophysiological mechanisms. Here, we examine the biomass allocation patterns of two young poplar (Populus) clones varying greatly in drought resistance under different soil water and nitrogen availabilities and the major physiological processes involved in biomass partitioning. We found that Biyu, a drought-sensitive hybrid poplar clone, had significant relations among biomass of leaf, stem and root, showing allometric partitioning. Xiaoye, a drought-tolerant poplar clone native to semi-arid areas, on the contrary, showed tightly regulated biomass allocation following optimal partitioning theory. Biyu had higher nitrate reductase activity in the fine roots, while Xiaoye had higher nitrate reductase activity in the leaves. Biochemical analyses and measurements of fluorescence and gas exchange showed that Xiaoye maintained more stable chloroplast membranes and photosystem electron flow, showing higher water use efficiency and a higher resistance to drought. A nitrogen addition could improve leaf photosynthesis and growth both in Biyu and Xiaoye seedlings under drought conditions. We concluded that the two poplar clones showed different biomass allocation patterns and suggest that the site of nitrate assimilation may play a role in biomass partitioning under varying water and nitrogen availabilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Response of Forest Trees to Drought)
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