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Popović Z, Bojović S, Marković M, Cerdà A. Tree species flammability based on plant traits: A synthesis. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 800:149625. [PMID: 34399329 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The occurrence of large and recurring forest fires has long been associated with fire-prone environments, but this perception has been shifted rapidly in recent decades as Earths' landscapes have become increasingly threatened by severe and unpredictable fires as a result of climate changes. In this regard, the flammability of trees is a topic of great interest for ecology, management, and the development of sustainable restoration and rehabilitation plans. Tree species differ in regard to flammability, and many plant functional traits contribute to flammability at species, community and vegetation level. The relationship between plant traits and flammability at species level is important for a broader understanding of the vegetation-fire dynamic at the local and landscape scales. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding the impact of individual plant traits of tree species on flammability components. By keywords-based searching of academic databases, 85 research papers were collected and analyzed. The literature synthesis shows: i) main issues addressed in studies on plant trait-based tree flammability, ii) general research output and biogeographic regions studied, iii) inventory of tree taxa investigated, iv) relationships between plant traits and flammability components, v) the most relevant plant traits that determine the flammability-related differences between species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zorica Popović
- Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of The Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade 11000, Serbia.
| | - Srdjan Bojović
- Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of The Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade 11000, Serbia.
| | - Milena Marković
- Department of Ecology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković" - National Institute of The Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade 11000, Serbia.
| | - Artemi Cerdà
- Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Departament de Geografia, Universitat de València, Blasco Ibàñez, 28, 46010 Valencia, Spain.
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Rodríguez S, Rocha J, Fernandes M, Ravishankar AP, Steinbrück N, Cruz R, Bacelar E, Kickelbick G, Anand S, Crespí AL, Casal S, de Zea Bermudez V. The Surfaces of the Ceratonia siliqua L. (Carob) Leaflet: Insights from Physics and Chemistry. LANGMUIR : THE ACS JOURNAL OF SURFACES AND COLLOIDS 2021; 37:2011-2028. [PMID: 33533623 DOI: 10.1021/acs.langmuir.0c02806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The production of superhydrophobic coatings inspired by the surface of plant leaves is a challenging goal. Such coatings hold a bright technological future in niche markets of the aeronautical, space, naval, building, automobile, and biomedical sectors. This work is focused on the adaxial (top) and abaxial (bottom) surfaces of the leaflet of the Ceratonia silique L. (carob), a high-commercial-value Mediterranean tree cultivated in many regions of the world. The adaxial and abaxial surfaces feature hydrophobic and superhydrophobic behaviors, respectively. Their chemical composition is very simple: monopalmitin ester and palmitic acid are protuberant in the epicuticular and intracuticular wax layers of the adaxial surface, respectively, whereas 1-octacosanol dominates in the abaxial wax layers. In both surfaces, epicuticular wax is organized along a randomly oriented and intricate network of nanometer-thick and micrometer-long plates, whose density and degree of interconnection are significantly higher in the abaxial surface. The measured tilting angles for the abaxial surface (12-70°) reveal unusual variable density and water adhesion of the nanostructured plate-based texture. Optical measurements demonstrate that light reflectance/absorbance of the glaucous abaxial surface is significantly higher/lower than that of the nonglaucous adaxial surface. In both surfaces, diffuse reflectance is dominant, and the absorbance is weakly dependent on the light incidence angle. We show that the highly dense nanostructured platelike texture of the epicuticular abaxial layer of the C. siliqua leaflet works as a sophisticated light and water management system: it reflects solar radiation diffusely to lower the surface temperature, and it has superhydrophobic character to keep the surface dry. Such attributes enable efficient gas exchange (photosynthesis and respiration), transpiration, and evaporation. To mimic for the first time the abaxial surface, a templation approach was adopted using poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)/poly(methylphenylsiloxane) (PMPS) positive/negative replicas and a soft polymer/siloxane negative replica produced by the sol-gel process. Because high topographical variations of the biotemplate and wax adhesion to the biohybrid film affected the replication quality, the reproduction of the wax texture via the synthesis of 1-octacosanol-grafted siloxane-based hybrid materials is proposed as a suitable route to duplicate the abaxial surface with high fidelity. The natural chemical/physical strategy adopted by the C. siliqua leaflet to face the harsh Mediterranean climate is a powerful source of bioinspiration for the development of diffuse reflecting and superhydrophobic material systems with foreseen applications as dual-functional antiglare and water-repelling coatings.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Rodríguez
- CQ-VR, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - J Rocha
- CQ-VR, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
- Herbarium and Botanical Garden, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - M Fernandes
- CQ-VR, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
- Department of Chemistry, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - A P Ravishankar
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Engineering Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Albanova University Centre, Roslagstullsbacken 21, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - N Steinbrück
- Inorganic Solid State Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus Building C4 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - R Cruz
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - E Bacelar
- CITAB, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - G Kickelbick
- Inorganic Solid State Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus Building C4 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - S Anand
- Department of Applied Physics, School of Engineering Sciences, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Albanova University Centre, Roslagstullsbacken 21, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A L Crespí
- Herbarium and Botanical Garden, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
- CITAB, Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - S Casal
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Laboratory of Bromatology and Hydrology, University of Porto, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal
| | - V de Zea Bermudez
- CQ-VR, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
- Department of Chemistry, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, 5000-811 Vila Real, Portugal
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