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Ohse B, Compagnoni A, Farrior CE, McMahon SM, Salguero-Gómez R, Rüger N, Knight TM. Demographic synthesis for global tree species conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:579-590. [PMID: 36822929 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.01.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Conserving the tree species of the world requires syntheses on which tree species are most vulnerable to pressing threats, such as climate change, invasive pests and pathogens, or selective logging. Here, we review the population and forest dynamics models that, when parameterized with data from population studies, forest inventories, or tree rings, have been used for identifying life-history strategies of species and threat-related changes in population demography and dynamics. The available evidence suggests that slow-growing and/or long-lived species are the most vulnerable. However, a lack of comparative, multi-species studies still challenges more precise predictions of the vulnerability of tree species to threats. Improving data coverage for mortality and recruitment, and accounting for interactions among threats, would greatly advance vulnerability assessments for conservation prioritizations of trees worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Ohse
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany.
| | - Aldo Compagnoni
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Caroline E Farrior
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Sean M McMahon
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, MD, USA
| | | | - Nadja Rüger
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Economics, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
| | - Tiffany M Knight
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany; Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany
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Markey E, Clancy JH, Martínez-Bracero M, Maya-Manzano JM, Smith M, Skjøth C, Dowding P, Sarda-Estève R, Baisnée D, Donnelly A, McGillicuddy E, Sewell G, O’Connor DJ. A comprehensive aerobiological study of the airborne pollen in the Irish environment. AEROBIOLOGIA 2022; 38:343-366. [PMID: 36199733 PMCID: PMC9526691 DOI: 10.1007/s10453-022-09751-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Respiratory allergies triggered by pollen allergens represent a significant health concern to the Irish public. Up to now, Ireland has largely refrained from participating in long-term aerobiological studies. Recently, pollen monitoring has commenced in several sampling locations around Ireland. The first results of the pollen monitoring campaigns for Dublin (urban) and Carlow (rural) concerning the period 2017-2019 and 2018-2019, respectively, are presented herein. Additional unpublished pollen data from 1978-1980 and, 2010-2011 were also incorporated in creating the first pollen calendar for Dublin. During the monitoring period over 60 pollen types were identified with an average Annual Pollen Integral (APIn) of 32,217 Pollen × day/m3 for Dublin and 78,411 Pollen × day/m3 for Carlow. The most prevalent pollen types in Dublin were: Poaceae (32%), Urticaceae (29%), Cupressaceae/Taxaceae (11%), Betula (10%), Quercus (4%), Pinus (3%), Fraxinus (2%), Alnus (2%) and Platanus (1%). The predominant pollen types in Carlow were identified as Poaceae (70%), Urticaceae (12%), Betula (10%), Quercus (2%), Fraxinus (1%) and Pinus (1%). These prevalent pollen types increased in annual pollen concentration in both locations from 2018 to 2019 except for Fraxinus. Although higher pollen concentrations were observed for the Carlow (rural) site a greater variety of pollen types were identified for the Dublin (urban) site. The general annual trend in the pollen season began with the release of tree pollen in early spring, followed by the release of grass and herbaceous pollen which dominated the summer months with the annual pollen season coming to an end in October. This behaviour was illustrated for 21 different pollen types in the Dublin pollen calendar. The correlation between ambient pollen concentration and meteorological parameters was also examined and differed greatly depending on the location and study year. A striking feature was a substantial fraction of the recorded pollen sampled in Dublin did not correlate with the prevailing wind directions. However, using non-parametric wind regression, specific source regions could be determined such as Alnus originating from the Southeast, Betula originating from the East and Poaceae originating from the Southwest. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10453-022-09751-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Markey
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jerry Hourihane Clancy
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Moisés Martínez-Bracero
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jose María Maya-Manzano
- Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Technische Universität München/Helmholtz Center Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matt Smith
- School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK
| | - Carsten Skjøth
- School of Science and the Environment, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK
| | - Paul Dowding
- Trinity Centre for the Environment, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Roland Sarda-Estève
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE), CNRS-CEA-UVSQ, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Dominique Baisnée
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l’Environnement (LSCE), CNRS-CEA-UVSQ, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Aoife Donnelly
- School of Food Science and Environmental Health, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Eoin McGillicuddy
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Gavin Sewell
- School of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - David J. O’Connor
- School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland
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George JP, Sanders TGM, Timmermann V, Potočić N, Lang M. European-wide forest monitoring substantiate the neccessity for a joint conservation strategy to rescue European ash species (Fraxinus spp.). Sci Rep 2022; 12:4764. [PMID: 35306516 PMCID: PMC8934346 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08825-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and narrow-leafed ash (F. angustifolia) are keystone forest tree species with a broad ecological amplitude and significant economic importance. Besides global warming both species are currently under significant threat by an invasive fungal pathogen that has been spreading progressively throughout the continent for almost three decades. Ash dieback caused by the ascomycete Hymenoscyphus fraxineus is capable of damaging ash trees of all age classes and often ultimately leads to the death of a tree after years of progressively developing crown defoliation. While studies at national and regional level already suggested rapid decline of ash populations as a result of ash dieback, a comprehensive survey at European level with harmonized crown assessment data across countries could shed more light into the population decline from a pan-European perspective and could also pave the way for a new conservation strategy beyond national boarders. Here we present data from the ICP Forests Level I crown condition monitoring from 27 countries resulting in > 36,000 observations. We found a substantial increase in defoliation and mortality over time indicating that crown defoliation has almost doubled during the last three decades. Hotspots of mortality are currently situated in southern Scandinavia and north-eastern Europe. Overall survival probability after nearly 30 years of infection has already reached a critical value of 0.51, but with large differences among regions (0.20–0.86). Both a Cox proportional hazard model as well as an Aalen additive regression model strongly suggest that survival of ash is significantly lower in locations with excessive water regime and which experienced more extreme precipitation events during the last two decades. Our results underpin the necessity for fast governmental action and joint rescue efforts beyond national borders since overall mean defoliation will likely reach 50% as early as 2030 as suggested by time series forecasting.
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Hebda A, Liszka A, Zgłobicki P, Nawrot-Chorabik K, Lyczakowski JJ. Transformation of European Ash ( Fraxinus excelsior L.) Callus as a Starting Point for Understanding the Molecular Basis of Ash Dieback. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:plants10112524. [PMID: 34834887 PMCID: PMC8622397 DOI: 10.3390/plants10112524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The population of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) is currently facing the risk of collapse, mainly due to ash dieback, a disease caused by a pathogenic fungus, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. To facilitate studies into the molecular basis of ash dieback and design breeding strategies for a generation of resistant trees, it is necessary to develop tools enabling the study of gene function in F. excelsior. Despite this, a method for the genetic engineering of F. excelsior is still missing. Here, we report the first successful genetic transformation of F. excelsior callus and a selection process enabling the formation of stable transgenic callus lines. The protocol relies on the use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens to transform callus tissue derived from embryos of F. excelsior. In our experiments, we used the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter system to demonstrate the transformation of callus cells and performed RT-PCR experiments to confirm the stable expression of the transgene. Since ash dieback threatens the long-term stability of many native F. excelsior populations, we hope that the transformation techniques described in this manuscript will facilitate rapid progress in uncovering the molecular basis of the disease and the validation of gene targets previously proposed to be linked to the resistance of trees to H. fraxineus pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Hebda
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; (A.H.); (A.L.); (P.Z.)
| | - Aleksandra Liszka
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; (A.H.); (A.L.); (P.Z.)
| | - Piotr Zgłobicki
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; (A.H.); (A.L.); (P.Z.)
| | - Katarzyna Nawrot-Chorabik
- Department of Forest Ecosystems Protection, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, 29-Listopada Ave. 46, 31-425 Krakow, Poland;
| | - Jan J. Lyczakowski
- Department of Plant Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Krakow, Poland; (A.H.); (A.L.); (P.Z.)
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Genetic Diversity and Differentiation of Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur L.) Populations at the Southern Margin of Its Distribution Range—Implications for Conservation. DIVERSITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/d13080371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Understanding intraspecific genetic variation is one of the principal requirements for the evaluation of tree species capacity to cope with intensive climatic changes, as well as designing long-term conservation programs. Herein, we evaluated the genetic diversity and genetic structure of seven pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) populations, located at the southern margin of its distribution range on the Balkan Peninsula (Serbia). The objective of the study was to propose future in situ conservation measures aimed at protection of pedunculate oak adaptive and neutral genetic diversity at the species rear-edge. Genetic diversity and structure were estimated using twelve highly polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. The mean expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.769, allelic richness (AR) 9.63, and private allelic richness (pAR) 0.79, indicating high genetic diversity in the studied populations. Genetic differentiation among the populations was low (Fst = 0.032). Structure analysis, the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) showed the existence of two gene pools unrelated to the populations’ area of occurrence. Taking into consideration the results of the current study and previous conservation activities on the pedunculate oak in Serbia, as well as the importance of rear-edge populations in the long-term conservation of the species genetic diversity, we suggested establishing three additional gene conservation units for securing long-term sustainability of the species.
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