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The increasing con'. ;ern for the serious problems of forest decline that occurred in the Northern Hemisphere in the late 1970's and early 1980 's led to an emphasis on the necessity of promoting and setting up investigations into the basic physiological mechanisms of forest trees. Since then, the concern about rapid changes has decreased along with the increase of monitored data on European forests health status. But tree physiology has faced new questions about changing climate and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Advances in plant molecular biology and forest genetics have opened up new avenues in the research on forest tree physiology. At the same, time it has become evident that molecular and genetic tools give only a basis for further research on tree structure and function, which needs basic tree physiology again. On the other hand, the problems of forest decline in Europe are not over. They are no longer discussed daily in the media, but stress is an everyday phenomenon experienced by European forest trees. For instance, in southern Europe and mountainous regions, drought stress and many other abiotic or biotic factors are stressors and cause problems to forests with many important social and protective functions. Stress physiology is a branch of everyday physiology in traditional forestry. How to grow a forest with maximal carbon binding functions and optimal wood quality and rich in biodiversity.
List of contents
Cambial cell biology comes of age.- Physiology of cambial growth, storage of reserves and heartwood formation.- Insights into bud development and dormancy in poplar.- Physiology of tree root/fungus symbiosis.- Understanding the role of ozone stress in altering belowground processes.- Ozone-induced cell death.- Signalling and antioxidant defence mechanisms in higher plants.- Effect of ozone on conifers in the timberline ecotone.- Ageing as an influence on tree response to ozone: theory and observations.- Ozone and UV B responses of trees and the question of forest sustainability.- Investigations on the action of fungal toxins on plants.- Effects of atmospheric CO2 on growth and branchiness of different poplar (Populus) genotypes in the POPFACE experiment.- Biotic interactions.- The influence of the environment during sexual reproduction on adaptations of conifers along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients.- Tree physiology goes genomics.- Water, nutrients and carbon; altitude and ageing.- Trends in forest tree physiological research.- Author index.
Summary
The increasing con'. ;ern for the serious problems of forest decline that occurred in the Northern Hemisphere in the late 1970's and early 1980 's led to an emphasis on the necessity of promoting and setting up investigations into the basic physiological mechanisms of forest trees. Since then, the concern about rapid changes has decreased along with the increase of monitored data on European forests health status. But tree physiology has faced new questions about changing climate and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Advances in plant molecular biology and forest genetics have opened up new avenues in the research on forest tree physiology. At the same, time it has become evident that molecular and genetic tools give only a basis for further research on tree structure and function, which needs basic tree physiology again. On the other hand, the problems of forest decline in Europe are not over. They are no longer discussed daily in the media, but stress is an everyday phenomenon experienced by European forest trees. For instance, in southern Europe and mountainous regions, drought stress and many other abiotic or biotic factors are stressors and cause problems to forests with many important social and protective functions. Stress physiology is a branch of everyday physiology in traditional forestry. How to grow a forest with maximal carbon binding functions and optimal wood quality and rich in biodiversity.
