Disentangling how forests respond to aridification in terms of carbon storage and use, including bimodal growth, is critical to forecast their mitigation potential. Bimodality, characteristic of Mediterranean trees, refers to the potential to produce a second growth peak after the dry summer, often accompanied by intra-annual wood density fluctuations (IADF). To induce IADF formation, we performed a girdling experiment on Spanish juniper (Juniperus thurifera) branches in a semi-arid site, and monitored changes in branch diameter, and measured non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations in sapwood and leaves. IADFs were formed in response to wet conditions in late summer in girdled and non-girdled branches. After girdling, the extraordinarily dry 2022 growing season hampered branch radial increment and IADF production. Girdled branches swelled more than control branches after rain pulses. This suggests girdled branches were osmotically more active. Girdled branches presented higher starch leaf concentrations, suggesting that osmolytes could proceed from starch hydrolysis upstream. Girdling did neither trigger bimodal growth nor IADF formation during a very dry year.

Magnesium (Mg2+) is essential for plant growth and metabolism, acting as a cofactor in numerous enzymatic and structural processes. This review outlines the main physiological and biochemical functions of Mg2+ and summarizes current knowledge on its transport and homeostatic regulation. We examine how Mg2+ homeostasis intersects with broader signalling networks and metabolic pathways, including its crosstalk with other mineral nutrients, where antagonistic and synergistic interactions influence nutrient acquisition, allocation and stress responses. Emerging evidence further suggests that, beyond its classical roles, Mg2+ may function as a regulatory ion with signalling properties reminiscent of secondary messengers in animal systems. Finally, we highlight recent findings linking Mg2+ dynamics to circadian regulation, suggesting reciprocal interactions between temporal control mechanisms and nutrient fluxes. These insights underscore the central importance of Mg2+ in plant biology and identify key gaps in understanding its regulatory and integrative roles.

Wood density (WD) is a crucial anatomical trait influencing forest carbon storage. However, dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) typically assume a fixed species-level WD, neglecting environment-driven variability. In this proof-of-concept study, we explore the potential impact of dynamic WD on tree- and forest-level carbon storage by integrating a simple temperature-response function of WD into the DGVM LPJ-GUESS from Smith et al., 2014. Simulations along a temperature gradient show that incorporating environmentally responsive WD can substantially alter simulated stand structure and carbon stocks. Overall, our model experiments illustrated that sites with higher WD had more, but smaller trees, which stored less carbon compared to the standard model. The strongest effects were predicted to appear before canopy closure, where per-tree carbon deviated by up to 32%. This exploratory study suggests the need to represent a mechanism for dynamic WD to better assess ecological feedbacks to forest carbon storage predictions, particularly in young and regenerating forests.

Advances in LED lighting technologies enable increasingly complex light regimes, providing greater insight into plants' responses to dynamic light - such as seasonality and fluctuating conditions - rather than the traditional discrete (i.e., on/off) lighting. However, current methods of programming such regimes are time-consuming and/or limited to 1-2 wavebands. Robust methods are therefore needed to accurately programme multichannel/waveband LED lighting systems. We present a multistep, multidimensional algorithm to accurately programme multi-waveband LED lights. This algorithm accounts for non-linearity between intensity settings and measured light quantity output, as well as optical crosstalk between channels of different wavebands. It outperforms methods that treat waveband channels as independent variables, allowing users to more accurately programme multichannel light regimes. This will allow the community to probe plant responses to dynamically changing light spectra. We have made this algorithm available as an R package, LightFitR (installable from CRAN with 'install.packages("LightFitR")'.

Understanding wood formation is critical for interpreting tree growth and carbon allocation under changing environmental conditions. While major progress has been made for gymnosperms, harmonized approaches for studying xylogenesis in angiosperms remain limited. Here, we present practical recommendations for observing and analysing xylogenesis in angiosperm trees, illustrated from examples from temperate and sub-Mediterranean forests. The perspective includes guidance on identifying xylem cell types in histological sections, defining developmental phenophases and establishing a workflow for data collection (and analysis). Annotated images are provided to support reproducibility and inter-observer consistency. We also discuss key challenges unique to angiosperms, including cell-type-specificities and wood type differences. Future research priorities include conserving histological images, extending xylogenesis to branches and coarse roots, enabling cross-biome comparisons and advancing kinetic analysis. This framework supports the coordinated expansion of angiosperm xylogenesis studies, enabling deeper insights into tree functioning in a changing world.

Agronomic research has long prioritized efficiency - optimizing resource use to maximize yield under stable conditions. However, as climate variability intensifies, efficiency alone might be insufficient to sustain agricultural production in the future. Instead, robustness - the ability to maintain function across diverse and unpredictable environments - emerges as a critical trait. Robustness is not a simple metric but an emergent property, arising from the interplay of redundancy, heterogeneity and plasticity across biological scales. We examine how the components of robustness (redundance, heterogeneity and plasticity) express themselves at the anatomical, architectural and genomic scale. A major challenge is the lack of a unified framework to measure robustness. We propose integrating empirical metrics - such as vessel grouping indices, root trait heterogeneity and gene expression plasticity - with computational models to quantify redundancy, heterogeneity and plasticity. By synthesizing insights from physiology, genomics and modelling, we outline a path towards designing crops that thrive in ideal settings and under environmental uncertainty.

Agronomic research has long prioritized efficiency – optimizing resource use to maximize yield under stable conditions. However, as climate variability intensifies, efficiency alone might be insufficient to sustain agricultural production in the future. Instead, robustness – the ability to maintain function across diverse and unpredictable environments – emerges as a critical trait. Robustness is not a simple metric but an emergent property, arising from the interplay of redundancy, heterogeneity and plasticity across biological scales. We examine how the components of robustness (redundance, heterogeneity and plasticity) express themselves at the anatomical, architectural and genomic scale. A major challenge is the lack of a unified framework to measure robustness. We propose integrating empirical metrics – such as vessel grouping indices, root trait heterogeneity and gene expression plasticity – with computational models to quantify redundancy, heterogeneity and plasticity. By synthesizing insights from physiology, genomics and modelling, we outline a path towards designing crops that thrive in ideal settings and under environmental uncertainty.

Numerous studies have investigated the impact of climate change on tree growth and carbon sequestration, exploring the effect of climatic factors on the onset and cessation of wood formation. Some studies used microcores for histological observations of xylem, while many others used dendrometer recordings to infer stem growth. However, the reliability of dendrometers in providing accurate estimates of growth phenology has yet to be fully assessed. We compared the phenology estimated using dendrometer- and microcore-based approaches for six tree species growing in contrasted site conditions and exhibiting contrasted tree-ring structures (non-porous, diffuse-porous and ring-porous) and bark types (smooth, scaled, fissured). Our results show that dendrometer estimate accuracy is poor and varied according to several factors, including species life traits, climate and site conditions. These results highlight the limitations of dendrometers in evaluating wood phenology in trees, and advocate for the concurrent monitoring of xylogenesis.