Higher Radial Growth Rates Research Articles

Growth Rate Assessed by Vascular Deformation Mapping predicts Type B Aortic Dissection in Marfan Syndrome.

Patients with Marfan syndrome (MFS) are at a high risk of type B dissection (TBAD). Aortic growth and elongation have been suggested as risk factors for TBAD. Vascular deformation mapping (VDM) is an image analysis technique for mapping 3D aortic growth on rouine computed tomography angiography (CTA) scans. We aimed to use VDM to examine the value of aortic growth rate in the descending thoracic aorta (DescAo), among other imaging biomarkers, to identify the factors associated with risk of TBAD in MFS. CTA scans spanning 2004-2023 from adult MFS patients with native DescAo were analyzed by VDM. Other measurements included multi-level thoracoabdominal aortic diameters and the length of the DescAo by centerline analysis. Among the 105 MFS patients analyzed, 63.8% were male, with median age of 40 years (range 18-73) and a median surveillance interval of 5.3 years (range 2.0-18.3). During surveillance, 12 (11.4%) patients developed TBAD. Patients with TBAD had higher radial growth rate (0.63 vs. 0.23 mm/year; p < 0.001) and elongation rate (2.4 vs. 0.5 mm/year; p < 0.001), on univariate and multivariable analysis, but pre-dissection descending aortic diameter was not significantly different. Predictors of growth rate included younger age, higher baseline maximal diameter of the DescAo, smoking history and warfarin use. Radial growth and elongation rates of the DescAo were independent predictors of TBAD occurrence in MFS. TBAD often occurred in at non-aneurysmal diameters. These findings emphasize the role of growth over absolute diameter in risk stratification for TBAD in MFS.

Effects of Topography on Radial Growth of Tree Species with Different Mycorrhizal Types

In the dynamic monitoring fixed sample plot of 25 ha of coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest in the temperate zone of Northeast China, we used the data from two surveys (2013 and 2018) and microtopography data of the sample plot, and the mycorrhizal type data of tree species to explore whether the different microtopography types and single terrain factors will affect the radial growth of tree species with different mycorrhizal types on a regional scale. We studied the adaptability of tree species with different mycorrhizal types in the north end of Changbai Mountain and the south slope of Laoyeling mountain, and which provided basis for further revealing the response mechanism of tree species with different mycorrhizal types to the microtopography in this area. We found that: the tree species with different mycorrhizal types have higher radial growth rates on gentle slopes than on steep slopes. Tree species on sunny slopes have higher growth rates and survival rates than tree species of the same mycorrhizal type on shady slopes. The quantity and radial growth of AM (Arbuscular mycorrhiza) type, EcM (Ectomycorrhiza) type, and ErM (Ericoid mycorrhiza) type tree species were significantly positively correlated with different microtopography types. The quantity and radial growth of AM type tree species and EcM type tree species were significantly positively correlated with slope. The quantity of AM type tree species, EcM type tree species and the radial growth of EcM type tree species were significantly negatively correlated with slope aspect. The quantity and radial growth of ErM type tree species and radial growth of EcM type tree species the were significantly positively correlated with slope position. We believe that the reasons for these conclusions may be caused by the differences in soil temperature, humidity, and water distribution caused by different slopes.

Foliar nutrient concentrations of six northern hardwood species responded to nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization but did not predict tree growth.

Foliar chemistry can be useful for diagnosing soil nutrient availability and plant nutrient limitation. In northern hardwood forests, foliar responses to nitrogen (N) addition have been more often studied than phosphorus (P) addition, and the interactive effects of N and P addition have rarely been described. In the White Mountains of central New Hampshire, plots in ten forest stands of three age classes across three sites were treated annually beginning in 2011 with 30 kg N ha−1 y−1 or 10 kg P ha−1 y−1 or both or neither–a full factorial design. Green leaves of American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.), pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica L.f.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), sugar maple (A. saccharum Marsh.), white birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.), and yellow birch (B. alleghaniensis Britton) were sampled pre-treatment and 4–6 years post-treatment in two young stands (last cut between 1988–1990), four mid-aged stands (last cut between 1971–1985) and four mature stands (last cut between 1883–1910). In a factorial analysis of species, stand age class, and nutrient addition, foliar N was 12% higher with N addition (p < 0.001) and foliar P was 45% higher with P addition (p < 0.001). Notably, P addition reduced foliar N concentration by 3% (p = 0.05), and N addition reduced foliar P concentration by 7% (p = 0.002). When both nutrients were added together, foliar P was lower than predicted by the main effects of N and P additions (p = 0.08 for N × P interaction), presumably because addition of N allowed greater use of P for growth. Foliar nutrients did not differ consistently with stand age class (p ≥ 0.11), but tree species differed (p ≤ 0.01), with the pioneer species pin cherry having the highest foliar nutrient concentrations and the greatest responses to nutrient addition. Foliar calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) concentrations, on average, were 10% (p < 0.001) and 5% lower (p = 0.01), respectively, with N addition, but were not affected by P addition (p = 0.35 for Ca and p = 0.93 for Mg). Additions of N and P did not affect foliar potassium (K) concentrations (p = 0.58 for N addition and p = 0.88 for P addition). Pre-treatment foliar N:P ratios were high enough to suggest P limitation, but trees receiving N (p = 0.01), not P (p = 0.64), had higher radial growth rates from 2011 to 2015. The growth response of trees to N or P addition was not explained by pre-treatment foliar N, P, N:P, Ca, Mg, or K.

Physiological and molecular characterization of Metarhizium isolates and their acaricidal activity against Tetranychus urticae Koch (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae)

BackgroundThe two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Trombidiformes: Tetranychidae), is one of the most damaging mites in agriculture. Due to the concern for the intensive use of synthetic acaricides, entomopathogenic fungi represents a feasible alternative to T. urticae management. In the present study, 7 isolates of Metarhizium were characterized physiological and molecularly (based on the ITS1-5.8s-ITS2 rDNA) and evaluated for their acaricidal activity [mortality, mean and 90 lethal concentration (LC50: LC90) and mean and 90 lethal time (LT50: LT90)] against T. urticae under laboratory conditions.ResultsSequencing of the ITS1-5.8s-ITS2 rDNA region indicated that the 7 isolates belong to M. anisopliae. The isolates Ma114 (3.7 ± 0.006 mm day−1), Ma109 (3.5 ± 0.009 mm day−1) and Ma106 (3.5 ± 0.006 mm day−1) had the highest radial growth rate and Ma114 (92.2 ± 0.86%) and Ma108 (94.4 ± 1.07%) had the highest germination percentage. All isolates were pathogenic to T. urticae, causing mortality that ranged from 45.3 to 85.3%. The LC50 and LC90 were 1.2 and 2.8, 1.1 and 2.5, and 1.2 and 2.8 × 108 conidia mL−1 for isolates Ma110, Ma109 and Ma106, respectively, while the LT50 and LT90 were 7.7 and 16.5, and 7.2 and 16.1 days for isolates M110 and Ma109, respectively.ConclusionThe isolates Ma110 and Ma109 of M. anisopliae were moderately pathogenic and virulent against T. urticae.

Drought responses and their effects on radial stem growth of two co-occurring conifer species in the Mediterranean mountain range

Key messagePatterns of stem radial variations showed thatCedrus libaniA. Rich. was less limited by summer drought than co-occurringJuniperus excelsaM. Bieb.Cedrus libanirecovered faster from tree water deficit and showed significantly higher radial growth rates and annual stem increments thanJ. excelsa. However, the ability ofJ. excelsato grow more hours per year may indicate a potential benefit in more extreme conditions.ContextKnowledge about species-specific drought responses is needed to manage productive forests in drought prone areas. Under water shortage, trees commonly show stem shrinkage, which is assumed to inhibit growth.AimsWe investigated whether the two co-existing conifers Juniperus excelsa M. Bieb. and Cedrus libani A. Rich. (growing at the Taurus Mountains, SW-Turkey) show differences in water relations and stem growth in order to evaluate their respective drought tolerance.MethodsStem radius changes were hourly monitored over 2 years using high-resolution point dendrometers. Radial stem growth, tree water deficit-induced stem shrinkage, and maximum daily shrinkage were extracted from stem radius change measurements, investigated for their patterns, and related to environmental conditions.ResultsCedrus libani recovered from tree water deficit under higher temperature and vapor pressure deficit than J. excelsa. The number of hours during which stem growth occurred was higher for J. excelsa; however, growth rates and annual increments were significantly lower than in C. libani. Both species showed highest maximum daily shrinkage during the driest months indicating the ability to maintain gas exchange all year round.ConclusionJuniperus excelsa showed a more conservative growth strategy while C. libani was less limited by summer drought and showed more annual stem increment under the conditions investigated.

Higher drought sensitivity of radial growth of European beech in managed than in unmanaged forests

Climate extremes are predicted to become more frequent and intense in future. Thus, understanding how trees respond to adverse climatic conditions is crucial for evaluating possible future changes in forest ecosystem functioning. Although much information about climate effects on the growth of temperate trees has been collected in recent decades, our understanding of the influence of forest management legacies on climate-growth relationships is still limited. We used individual tree-ring chronologies from managed and unmanaged European beech forests, located in the same growth district (i.e. with almost identical climatic and soil conditions), to examine how forest management legacies (recently managed with selection cutting, >20 years unmanaged, >50 years unmanaged) influence the radial growth of Fagus sylvatica during fluctuating climatic conditions. On average, trees in managed stands had higher radial growth rate than trees in unmanaged stands during the last two decades a 50%. However, the beech trees in the unmanaged stands were less sensitive to drought than those in the managed stands. This effect was most pronounced in the forest with longest management abandonment (>50 years), indicating that the drought sensitivity of mature beech trees is in these forests the lower, the longer the period since forest management cessation is. Management-mediated modifications in crown size and thus water demand are one likely cause of the observed higher climate sensitivity of beech in the managed stands. Our results indicate a possible trade-off between radial growth rate and drought tolerance of beech. This suggests that reducing stem density for maximizing the radial growth of target trees, as is common practice in managed forests, can increase the trees' drought sensitivity. In the prospect of climate change, more information on the impact of forest management practices on the climate-growth relationships of trees is urgently needed.

Isoelectric point of amino acid: Importance for monascus pigment production

Abstract This study aimed to determine the effect of pH on radial growth rate and pigments production from Monascus ruber CCT 3802. Fermentations were carried out in solid medium and submerged fermentations under different pH conditions and the pigments produced were submitted to scanning in spectrophotometer. Higher radial growth rate was obtained when M. ruber was growing at pH 4.0 and the production of yellow pigment was obtained at low pH (2.0–3.0), while the production of orange and red pigments were in the pH range from 3.0 to 4.0 and above of 5.0, respectively. The results showed that pH has a significant influence on the radial growth rate, pigment production and particularly on the profile of orange and red pigments. pH proved to be an extremely important factor for obtaining orange (precursor) or red pigment, since the isoelectric point of NH 3 + sources is critical to converting orange pigment into red pigment.

THE STUDY OF THE CULTURAL- MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF PHYTOPATHOGENIC FUNGUS ACREMONIUMSP. 502

The paper provides the description of cultural-morphological features of phytopathogenic fungus Acremonium sp. 502 belonging to the group of slow-growing bacteria. The highest radial growth rate was achieved on a potatoglucose agar (0.1375 ± 0.0011 mm/h); the optimum medium pH was 8.5; the optimum temperature — 26 °C.

Differences in growth patterns between co‐occurring forest and savanna trees affect the forest–savanna boundary

Summary Patterns of growth, activity and renewal of stems and branches are primary determinants of ecosystem function and strongly influence net primary productivity, water and energy balance. Here we compare patterns of leaf phenology, stem radial growth and branch growth of co‐occurring savanna and forest trees in the Cerrado region of central Brazil to gain insight into the influence of these parameters in forest–savanna boundary dynamics. We hypothesized that forest species would have higher radial growth rates but later leaf flush than savanna species. We studied 12 congeneric species pairs, each containing one savanna species and one forest species. All individuals were growing in savanna conditions under full sun. We measured specific leaf area (SLA), light‐saturated photosynthesis and monthly increments in stem circumference, branch length, leaf flush and leaf fall. Relative to savanna species, forest species had 68% higher diameter growth rates, 38% higher SLA, and displayed a greater crown area for a given basal area. Across species, radial growth was positively correlated with SLA (r2 = 0·31), but not with CO2 assimilation. Peak leaf production of savanna species was in the late dry season, 1 month earlier than for forest species, which suggests a strategy to avoid nutrient losses during leaf expansion due to herbivory or leaching. However, savanna and forest species did not differ in annual branch growth, number of leaves produced per branch, or in timing of leaf fall. Radial growth was tightly coupled to monthly rainfall in forest species whereas the growth of savanna species ceased before the end of the wet season. The cessation of above‐ground growth at a time of active photosynthesis may reflect a shift in allocation to roots and reserves. These results contribute to recent studies showing that savanna and forest species represent different functional types and that despite the limiting resources in savanna environments, forest trees that invade the savanna tend to present higher growth rates and larger and denser crowns, which enhance shading and could promote changes in equilibrium of forest–savanna boundaries.

Effects of Dwarf Mistletoe on Climate Response of Mature Ponderosa Pine Trees

This research examines the influence of western dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium campylopodum) infection on the radial growth response of mature ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa) and its effects on dendroclimatic reconstructions. I hypothesize that trees with mistletoe have lower annual growth rates than uninfected trees, but exhibit higher mean sensitivities and stronger relationships between growth and climate variation. I tested these hypotheses using correlation and regression analyses to compare 100-year crossdated and standardized tree-ring chronologies from 26 infected and 29 uninfected trees. I compared both chronologies to climate variation as measured by changes in total precipitation, minimum, mean, and maximum temperature, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Results show that trees infected with dwarf mistletoe have higher radial growth rates, exhibit greater sensitivity, and respond more strongly to climate variation. Both infected and uninfected chronologies are significantly correlated with the respective climate variables, but exhibit different patterns. The strongest correlations are between infected trees and PDSI for all months tested; significant correlations between uninfected trees and PDSI are limited to May through December lagged from the previous year. These results suggest mistletoe-infected trees are more sensitive to climatic factors than uninfected trees and may be useful for dendroclimatic analyses.

Mechanisms of Douglas-fir resistance to western spruce budworm defoliation: bud burst phenology, photosynthetic compensation and growth rate.

We compared growth rates among mature interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco) trees showing resistance or susceptibility to defoliation caused by western spruce budworm (Choristoneura occidentalis Freeman), and among clones and half-sib seedling progeny of these trees in a greenhouse. We also investigated bud burst phenology and photosynthetic responses of clones to budworm defoliation in greenhouse experiments. Resistant mature trees had a higher radial growth rate than susceptible trees, especially during periods of budworm defoliation. Clones from resistant trees grew larger crowns than clones from susceptible trees, whereas stem base diameter at the ground line and height did not differ. Half-sib seedling progeny from resistant trees had larger stem diameter, height, and total biomass than progeny from susceptible trees. Mean 5-year radial growth increment of mature trees was more strongly correlated with growth of seedlings than with growth of clones. Clones from resistant trees had later bud burst than clones from susceptible trees, and budworm defoliation of clones depended on the degree of synchrony between bud burst phenology and budworm larval feeding. Clones of resistant and susceptible mature trees showed similar responses of net photosynthetic rate to 2 years of budworm defoliation. We conclude that phenotypic differences in crown condition of Douglas-fir trees following western spruce budworm defoliation are influenced by tree genotype and that high growth rate and late bud burst phenology promote tree resistance to budworm defoliation.

Effects of bending stress on taper and growth of stems of youngEucalyptus regnans trees

A glasshouse experiment investigated the effect of bending stress on stem radial and height growth and stem taper ofEucalyptus regnans seedlings. Eighteen-week-old, potted seedlings were bent continuously for 8 weeks with a static bending stress. The bending treatment was then removed and the seedlings grown for another 12 weeks. Other seedlings were stayed vertically throughout the experiment whilst control seedlings were neither bent nor stayed. Seedlings were rotated every 2 days to prevent reaction wood developing asymmetrically in the stems of bent trees. Bent trees had higher radial growth rates, developed more tapered stems and had higher safety factors (the ratio of stem radius to the minimum radius required to prevent the tree toppling over) than unbent seedlings. They produced a band of tension wood in their stems and ceased height growth whilst bent. When bending ceased, they resumed normal radial and height growth. Unbent trees developed more cylindrical stems. There were no differences in growth behaviour between stayed and control trees. Bent and unbent trees all developed a butt swell, the taper of which was not affected by treatment. It was concluded that bending stress has substantial effects on both the size and taper of tree stems. However, the development of butt swell is independent of the bending stress applied. The results were considered in relation to biomechanical theories of tree stem development.

Tumor Wood Anatomy in Korean Red Pine (Pinus Densiflora)

The anatomy of tumor wood and normal wood in a branch of Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.) is compared. In tumor wood the tracheids and rays are irregularly arranged, the cell lumina contain resinous substances and fungal hypha, the tracheid files are of variable width within the growth ring, and traumatic vertical resin canals are present. There are also differences in length of tracheids, numbers of vertical and horizontal resin canals (fusiform rays), height of fusiform rays, and number and height of uniseriate rays. The modified structure of the tumor wood originates near the pith. The wider growth rings, considerably shorter but not wider tracheids, and larger and more numerous rays in tumor wood are associated with a higher radial growth rate, which in turn results in the externally massive wood tumor.