Tree Species Pinus Research Articles

Differences Between Microbial Communities of Pinus Species Having Differing Level of Resistance to the Pine Wood Nematode.

The pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is a destructive invasive species that exerts devastating effects on most native pines in invaded regions, while many of the non-native pines have resistance to PWN. Recently, increasingly more research is focused on how microbial communities can improve host resistance against pathogens. However, the relationship between the microbial community structures and varying levels of pathogen resistance observed in different pine tree species remains unclear. Here, the bacterial and fungal communities of introduced resistant pines Pinus elliottii, P. caribaea, and P. taeda and native susceptible pines healthy and wilted P. massoniana infected by PWN were analyzed. The results showed that 6057 bacterial and 3931 fungal OTUs were annotated. The pine samples shared 944 bacterial OTUs primarily in the phyla Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Chloroflexi and 111 fungal OTUs primarily in phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, though different pines had unique OTUs. There were significant differences in microbial community diversity between different pines, especially between the bacterial communities of resistant and susceptible pines, and fungal communities between healthy pines (resistant pines included) and the wilted P. massoniana. Resistant pines had a greater abundance of bacteria in the genera Acidothermus (class unidentified_Actinobacteria) and Prevotellaceae (class Alphaproteobacteria), but a lower abundance of Erwinia (class Gammaproteobacteria). Healthy pines had a higher fungal abundance of Cladosporium (class Dothideomycetes) and class Eurotiomycetes, but a lower abundance of Graphilbum, Sporothrix, Geosmithia (class Sordariomycetes), and Cryptoporus (classes Agaricomycetes and Saccharomycetes). These differences in microbial abundance between resistant and healthy pines might be associated with pathogen resistance of the pines, and the results of this study contribute to the studies exploring microbial-based control of PWN.

A genome-wide SNP genotyping resource for tropical pine tree species.

We performed gene and genome targeted SNP discovery towards the development of a genome-wide, multispecies genotyping array for tropical pines. Pooled RNA-seq data from shoots of seedlings from five tropical pine species was used to identify transcript-based SNPs resulting in 1.3million candidate Affymetrix SNP probe sets. In addition, we used a custom 40K probe set to perform capture-seq in pooled DNA from 81 provenances representing the natural ranges of six tropical pine species in Mexico and Central America resulting in 563K candidate SNP probe sets. Altogether, 300K RNA-seq (72%) and 120K capture-seq (28%) derived SNP probe sets were tiled on a 420K screening array that was used to genotype 576 trees representing the 81 provenances and commercial breeding material. Based on the screening array results, 50K SNPs were selected for commercial SNP array production including 20K polymorphic SNPs for P. patula, P. tecunumanii, P. oocarpa and P. caribaea, 15K for P. greggii and P. maximinoi, 13K for P. elliottii and 8K for P. pseudostrobus. We included 9.7K ancestry informative SNPs that will be valuable for species and hybrid discrimination. Of the 50K SNP markers, 25% are polymorphic in only one species, while 75% are shared by two or more species. The Pitro50K SNP chip will be useful for population genomics and molecular breeding in this group of pine species that, together with their hybrids, represent the majority of fast-growing tropical and subtropical pine plantations globally.

Long-Term Projections of the Natural Expansion of the Pine Wood Nematode in the Iberian Peninsula

The invasive pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, causal agent of pine wilt disease, was first reported in Europe, near Lisbon, in 1999, and has since then spread to most of Portugal. We here modelled the spatiotemporal patterns of future PNW natural spread in the Iberian Peninsula, as dispersed by the vector beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis, using a process-based and previously validated network model. We improved the accuracy, informative content, forecasted period and spatial drivers considered in previous modelling efforts for the PWN in Southern Europe. We considered the distribution and different susceptibility to the PWN of individual pine tree species and the effect of climate change projections on environmental suitability for PWN spread, as we modelled the PWN expansion dynamics over the long term (>100 years). We found that, in the absence of effective containment measures, the PWN will spread naturally to the entire Iberian Peninsula, including the Pyrenees, where it would find a gateway for spread into France. The PWN spread will be relatively gradual, with an average rate of 0.83% of the total current Iberian pine forest area infected yearly. Climate was not found to be an important limiting factor for long-term PWN spread, because (i) there is ample availability of alternative pathways for PWN dispersal through areas that are already suitable for the PWN in the current climatic conditions; and (ii) future temperatures will make most of the Iberian Peninsula suitable for the PWN before the end of this century. Unlike climate, the susceptibility of different pine tree species to the PWN was a strong determinant of PWN expansion through Spain. This finding highlights the importance of accounting for individual tree species data and of additional research on species-specific susceptibility for more accurate modelling of PWN spread and guidance of related containment efforts.

Can demographic rates of early development stages justify invasion success among three pine species in the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot?

AbstractRecognising which life‐history factors can potentially explain the success of biological invasions is essential to understand why certain exotic species are more successful to invade a given system than others, and also to better predict invasion outcomes. We focused on the three most planted pine tree species in Southern Brazil – Pinus elliottii, P. caribaea and P. oocarpa – as a natural system to test the hypothesis that some key vital attributes – fecundity (number of seeds produced), seed viability, germinability, seedling growth vigour (biomass and stem length) – could be driving the greater invasion of P. elliottii in the region. We collected seeds of P. elliottii var. elliottii, P. caribaea subsp. hondurensis and P. oocarpa in two sites of similar climate and soil in the Cerrado biodiversity hotspot. Seeds were tested for viability and germinability, and seed production was estimated. Under laboratory conditions, we evaluated seedling survival, stem and root development, biomass production and mortality for each species. Although P. elliottii is regarded as the most successful invasive pine species in the Cerrado, it did not outperform the other pines in terms of seed viability, germinability and seedling survival, and it had the slowest growth. P. elliottii did produce, however, at least twice as many seeds as the other species. P. caribaea revealed high seed viability and seedling survival, the fastest seedling development, but low seed production. P. oocarpa showed the lowest seed viability, but fast root growth and very low seedling mortality. Our results suggest seed production is a key factor for P. elliottii invasion success. However, given the strong performance of P. caribaea and P. oocarpa for germinability and growth, we emphasise the risk of both species also becoming successful invaders in the Cerrado. We highlight the need for constant monitoring of emerging pine individuals in native ecosystems to avoid future invasions.

Antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic activities of Cedrus atlantica organic extracts and essential oil

IntroductionCedrus atlantica is an endemic pine tree species well known for its wood oil. Its traditional medicinal usages are mainly anti-inflammatory and antibacterial. The current study aimed to explore both the essential oil of the tree's cones and the organic extracts of the branches, chemically and biologically. MethodsThe essential oil was analyzed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Phenolic contents of the extracts and fractions were determined following diverse methods described in the literature. The bioactivity was assessed for their antioxidant (FRAP, DPPH• and ABTS•+ radical scavenging activities), antibacterial (Broth microdilution method), and cytotoxic effects (MTT assay). Resultsα-pinene (81.49%) was found to be the major constituent of the essential oil. The extracts and fractions were found to be rich in polyphenols. The antioxidant activity was better in the ethyl acetate fraction. Staphylococcus aureus appeared to be the most susceptible strain to C. atlantica's extracts and oil, with a minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values of 62.5 and 125 µg/mL for the ethyl acetate fraction, respectively, and values of 0.25 and 0.5% for the essential oil, respectively. C. atlantica's essential oil exhibited a potent cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 breast cancer cell line with an IC50 value of 143.13±14.6 µg/mL. ConclusionC. atlantica's essential oil and organic extracts showed antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer activities. Thereby, the ethnobotanical use of C. atlantica in traditional preparations is worth investigating as the plant appears to be a potential source of interesting metabolites.

Differential growth responses in Pinus nigra, P. pinaster and P. sylvestris to the main patterns of climatic variability in the western Mediterranean

Large-scale climate indices, such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), the East-Atlantic pattern (EA), the North-Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO), are recognized as important drivers of tree growth and forest productivity in south-western Europe. However, it is still poorly understood whether species respond to these climatic influences differently. Do different pine tree species respond similarly to the main climatic patterns in south-western Europe? If not, will the species respond according to what should be expected from their biogeographical character? Here we analyse the paper of climatic patterns on tree growth in a mountainous Mediterranean environment where three contrasting pine species cohabit (Pinus nigra, P. pinaster and P. sylvestris). We first identified the climatic patterns that most influence temperature and precipitation variability during the coldest months of the year. Secondly, we evaluated the role of these climatic patterns as drivers of Basal Area Increments (BAI) using mixed-effect models separately for each of the three pines considered. A backward model selection was applied using AICc. Only two out of the four climatic patterns analysed were supported as potential drivers of temperature and precipitation variability in our study site. Specifically, EA correlated positively with temperatures and precipitation, whereas NAO correlated negatively with precipitation. Model selection supported both EA and NAO as important drivers of BAI in P. nigra and P. sylvestris, while P. pinaster was sensitive to EA. Our results highlight EA as the most influential climatic driver of tree growth in this area. Furthermore, and according to the biogeographical characters of the species studied, the models show how high temperatures influence P. pinaster the most, while P. sylvestris is the most sensitive species to precipitation variability. Our findings show the existence of clear species-specific differences in tree growth responses to climatic variability patterns.

Impact of Precipitation and Temperature Variability of the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) on Annual Radial Increment of Selected Tree Species in Northeast China

A dendroclimatological approach was used to analyze growth responses of the tree species Pinus tabuliformis Carr., Larix gmelinii Rupr., Picea asperata Mast. and Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb. in a region of temperate climate in Northeast China. Annual radial increment (ARI) measurements from stem cross-sections were used to identify the effects of precipitation, air temperature and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) on tree growth under monsoon-related conditions. We analyzed the ARI of 144 trees from 49 forest stands and applied response function and moving correlation analysis as well as a linear mixed-effects model to detect climate signal in the tree-ring series. Analyses of climate-growth relations confirmed the influence of monsoon intensities on ARI, especially in the months of May to July of the current year. Particularly in times of a weak monsoon, the preceding autumn months significantly affect the ARI. The positive effect of precipitation in times of a strong monsoon and the negative effect of air temperature-indicating increased evapotranspiration-in times of a weak monsoon alternate. An increase in drought sensitivity of the ARI was found, especially after long dry periods. The results revealed for L. gmelinii the highest climate sensitivity, with ARI more strongly influenced by precipitation in the monsoon-related months, whereas Q. mongolica was most drought tolerant and recovered quicker after growth depression. P. asperata and P. tabuliformis were located in between. Our findings provide evidence for a strong influence of the periodically fluctuating monsoon intensities on the ARI of all investigated tree species. Our results support decision-making for forest management under anticipated climate change, especially for tree species selection, in the climate sensitive region of Northeast China.

Measurement report: Leaf-scale gas exchange of atmospheric reactive trace species (NO<sub>2</sub>, NO, O<sub>3</sub>) at a northern hardwood forest in Michigan

Abstract. During the Program for Research on Oxidants: PHotochemistry, Emissions, and Transport (PROPHET) campaign from 21 July to 3 August 2016, field experiments on leaf-level trace gas exchange of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3) were conducted for the first time on the native American tree species Pinus strobus (eastern white pine), Acer rubrum (red maple), Populus grandidentata (bigtooth aspen), and Quercus rubra (red oak) in a temperate hardwood forest in Michigan, USA. We measured the leaf-level trace gas exchange rates and investigated the existence of an NO2 compensation point, hypothesized based on a comparison of a previously observed average diurnal cycle of NOx (NO2+NO) concentrations with that simulated using a multi-layer canopy exchange model. Known amounts of trace gases were introduced into a tree branch enclosure and a paired blank reference enclosure. The trace gas concentrations before and after the enclosures were measured, as well as the enclosed leaf area (single-sided) and gas flow rate to obtain the trace gas fluxes with respect to leaf surface. There was no detectable NO uptake for all tree types. The foliar NO2 and O3 uptake largely followed a diurnal cycle, correlating with that of the leaf stomatal conductance. NO2 and O3 fluxes were driven by their concentration gradient from ambient to leaf internal space. The NO2 loss rate at the leaf surface, equivalently the foliar NO2 deposition velocity toward the leaf surface, ranged from 0 to 3.6 mm s−1 for bigtooth aspen and from 0 to 0.76 mm s−1 for red oak, both of which are ∼90 % of the expected values based on the stomatal conductance of water. The deposition velocities for red maple and white pine ranged from 0.3 to 1.6 and from 0.01 to 1.1 mm s−1, respectively, and were lower than predicted from the stomatal conductance, implying a mesophyll resistance to the uptake. Additionally, for white pine, the extrapolated velocity at zero stomatal conductance was 0.4±0.08 mm s−1, indicating a non-stomatal uptake pathway. The NO2 compensation point was ≤60 ppt for all four tree species and indistinguishable from zero at the 95 % confidence level. This agrees with recent reports for several European and California tree species but contradicts some earlier experimental results where the compensation points were found to be on the order of 1 ppb or higher. Given that the sampled tree types represent 80 %–90 % of the total leaf area at this site, these results negate the previously hypothesized important role of a leaf-scale NO2 compensation point. Consequently, to reconcile these findings, further detailed comparisons between the observed and simulated in- and above-canopy NOx concentrations and the leaf- and canopy-scale NOx fluxes, using the multi-layer canopy exchange model with consideration of the leaf-scale NOx deposition velocities as well as stomatal conductances reported here, are recommended.

Structure of microbial soil communities in areas of restinga: a case study in a conservation unit in the Atlantic Forest of the Southern Brazilian coast

The aim of this study was to evaluate the structure of soil bacterial and fungal communities in restinga areas of the Atlantic Forest (southern Brazil) after the introduction of Pinus L. Soil samples were collected in the 0–10 cm depth from two arboreal (FR-restinga subject to flooding and DR-dry restinga) and one herbaceous (MR-restinga under marine influence) areas. In addition to these areas, soil samples were collected from FR and DR under the influence of Pinus sp. (FRPinus and DRPinus, respectively), as reference areas. The structure of bacterial and fungal communities was evaluated by PCR-DGGE. Notably, a reduction in the number of amplicons was observed in areas with presence of Pinus sp. In conclusion, the present manuscript highlighted that the allochthonous tree species (Pinus sp.) has a deleterious impact on soil microbes and affects the growth of natural vegetation in a conservation unit in the Atlantic Forest of the Southern Brazilian coast.

Construction of Reducible Stochastic Differential Equation Systems for Tree Height–Diameter Connections

This study proposes a general bivariate stochastic differential equation model of population growth which includes random forces governing the dynamics of the bivariate distribution of size variables. The dynamics of the bivariate probability density function of the size variables in a population are described by the mixed-effect parameters Vasicek, Gompertz, Bertalanffy, and the gamma-type bivariate stochastic differential equations (SDEs). The newly derived bivariate probability density function and its marginal univariate, as well as the conditional univariate function, can be applied for the modeling of population attributes such as the mean value, quantiles, and much more. The models presented here are the basis for further developments toward the tree diameter–height and height–diameter relationships for general purpose in forest management. The present study experimentally confirms the effectiveness of using bivariate SDEs to reconstruct diameter–height and height–diameter relationships by using measurements obtained from mountain pine tree (Pinus mugo Turra) species dataset in Lithuania.

Resource availability drives microevolutionary patterns of plant defences

Abstract The resource availability hypothesis (RAH) was formulated to disentangle patterns of variation among species in plant antiherbivore defences. A novel theoretical framework was recently proposed to expand the RAH among populations within species (RAHintra), but unresolved conceptual issues and considerable gaps surrounding the new hypothesis still need to be addressed. Here we tested the RAHintra predictions in a pine tree species using population‐level correlations among plant traits and climate as a proxy of resource availability. We analysed genetic variation among 10 maritime pine populations in growth, constitutive and induced chemical defences and resistance to herbivory in a glasshouse experiment. We used a clonally replicated collection with family structure and accounted for the neutral genetic differentiation with Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs) data. Most of our results agree with the predictions of the RAHintra. As postulated, growth showed a positive relation with resource availability at population origin. Constitutive investment in phenolics (but not in terpenes) and antiherbivore resistance was also positively related to resource availability at population origin, as theory predicts. Conversely, we did not detect relationships between resource availability and the inducibility of any of the traits. A trade‐off between constitutive investment and inducibility of chemical defences was observed for phenolics, as expected, but not for terpenes. A positive relationship between growth and constitutive resistance was also found likely due to reduced physiological constraints under suitable conditions in the glasshouse experiment. Our study provides evidence and support for the RAHintra, highlighting the strong influence of resource availability in shaping genetically based patterns of local adaptive variation among populations. We detected clinal patterns in phenolic investment along a resource availability gradient, suggesting that population local adaptation to resource availability has more implications for investment in phenolics than for terpenes. Most patterns emerged only after accounting for the neutral processes in the species, not initially conceived in the RAHintra. Neutral differentiation, as a result of non‐adaptive demographic processes and population isolation, may obscure the influence of resource availability as a driver responsible of local adaptation of populations. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

Differential responses of tree species to a severe ice storm and their implications to forest composition in the southeast United States

The unique terrain, geography, and climate patterns of the eastern United States encourage periodic occurrences of catastrophic ice storms capable of large-scale damage or destruction of forests. However, the pervasive and persistent effects of these glaze events on regional forest distribution and composition have rarely been studied. In the southeastern US, ice storm frequency and intensity increase with increasing latitude and along the complex gradients from the coast (low, flat, sediment controlled and temperature moderated near the ocean) to the interior (high, rugged, bedrock controlled, distant from warming ocean). To investigate the potential influence of this disturbance gradient on regional forest composition, we studied the differential responses of trees (canopy position, lifeform group, and species group) to a particularly severe ice storm. Our results indicated that tree mortality and damage (canopy damage, bent bole, snapped bole, and uprooted) varied significantly between overstory and understory trees, and among species and lifeform groups. Overstory trees were more prone to glaze damage than understory trees, and evergreen broadleaf species were the most susceptible to glaze damage, while deciduous species were the least susceptible. Among the pine species studied, slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) and longleaf pine (P. palustris Mill.) suffered more severe damage and mortality than loblolly pine (P. taeda L.). Further, ice damage was correlated with distribution-based differences in injury susceptibility among pine and deciduous tree species. The most ice storm-tolerant pine species, loblolly pine, had the most northerly distribution (39.51°N), while the least resistant species were those with more southerly distribution (e.g., 33.29°N for slash pine). These results support hypotheses that the distributions of evergreen tree species are regulated by periodic catastrophic ice storms. Therefore, predicting future distributions of tree species in response to climate change should consider the role of ice storms in shaping the forest composition.

Cones structure and seed traits of four species of large-seeded pines: Adaptation to animal-mediated dispersal.

Seed dispersal selection pressures may cause morphological differences in cone structure and seed traits of large‐seeded pine trees. We investigated the cone, seed, and scale traits of four species of animal‐dispersed pine trees to explore the adaptations of morphological structures to different dispersers. The four focal pines analyzed in this study were Chinese white pine (Pinus armandi), Korean pine (P. koraiensis), Siberian dwarf pine (P. pumila), and Dabieshan white pine (P. dabeshanensis). There are significant differences in the traits of the cones and seeds of these four animal‐dispersed pines. The scales of Korean pine and Siberian dwarf pine are somewhat opened after cone maturity, the seeds are closely combined with scales, and the seed coat and scales are thick. The cones of Chinese white pine and Dabieshan white pine are open after ripening, the seeds fall easily from the cones, and the seed coat and seed scales are relatively thin. The results showed that the cone structure of Chinese white pine is similar to that of Dabieshan white pine, whereas Korean pine and Siberian dwarf pine are significantly different from the other two pines and vary significantly from each other. This suggests that species with similar seed dispersal strategies exhibit similar morphological adaptions. Accordingly, we predicted three possible seed dispersal paradigms for animal‐dispersed pines: the first, as represented by Chinese white pine and Dabieshan white pine, relies upon small forest rodents for seed dispersal; the second, represented by Korean pine, relies primarily on birds and squirrels to disperse the seeds; and the third, represented by Siberian dwarf pine, relies primarily on birds for seed dispersal. Our study highlights the significance of animal seed dispersal in shaping cone morphology, and our predictions provide a theoretical framework for research investigating the coevolution of large‐seeded pines and their seed dispersers.

Spring Moisture Availability is the Major Limitation for Pine Forest Productivity in Southwest China

Forests in low-latitude (0° N–30° N) regions are important for greenhouse gas sequestration. They harbor around 25% of vegetation carbon stocks. The productivity of these forests is expected to change as the global climate changes. They may absorb less greenhouse gasses, with negative effects on the global climate. However, little is known about how exactly these forests will respond to climate change. Here, we focus on the largest pine forests in low-latitude forests areas in southwest China. These forests have experienced rapid climate warming over the past 60 years. We collected tree-ring cores from two naturally occurring key afforestation pine tree species: Pinus yunnanensis Franch. and Pinus armandii Franch. in Baoshan and Lijiang of Yunnan. We used basal area increment (BAI) to examine the productivity trends of these two species over long-time scales, and Partial Least Squares regression analysis together with Pearson correlation analysis to identify the critical climate periods for the growth of these two species. We found that: (1) regional pine tree productivity began to decline at the beginning of this century. (2) The radial growth of both species had the strongest positive correlation with the spring Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and precipitation and the strongest negative correlation with spring temperatures. (3) Climate responses differ by species with higher positive correlations between tree-ring width, PDSI, and precipitation in P. armandii than in P. yunnanensis at similar locations. (4) Climate responses differ by location with higher positive correlations between tree-ring width and PDSI in Lijiang than in Baoshan for P. yunnanensis. Our results suggest that spring moisture availability is the main limiting factor for pine tree growth, especially for P. yunnanensis in Lijiang and P. armandii in Baoshan. Future regional warming and warm-induced drought conditions may have negative effects on the growth of pine trees. These results provide reference data for the sustainable management of pine forests in low-latitude regions of southwest China and may be useful in assessing the sustainable carbon sink ability of pine forests in this region under climate change.

The conifer root rot pathogens Heterobasidion irregulare and Heterobasidion occidentale employ different strategies to infect Norway spruce

Heterobasidion irregulare and H. occidentale are two closely related conifer root rot pathogens in the H. annosum sensu lato (s.l.) species complex. The two species H. irregulare and H. occidentale have different host preference with pine and non-pine tree species favored, respectively. The comparison of transcriptomes of H. irregulare and H. occidentale growing in Norway spruce bark, a susceptible host non-native to North America, showed large differences in gene expression. Heterobasidion irregulare induced more genes involved in detoxification of host compounds and in production of secondary metabolites, while the transcriptome induced in H. occidentale was more oriented towards carbohydrate degradation. Along with their separated evolutionary history, the difference might be driven by their host preferences as indicated by the differentially expressed genes enriched in particular Gene Ontology terms.

Якість пилку та насіння інтродукованих видів сосни в умовах ДП «Киівська ЛНДС»

Наведено результати дослідження якості пилку 18 видів сосни 37-річного віку на пінетумі Старопетрівського лісництва ДП «Київська ЛНДС». Із 29 посаджених видів роду Pinus дотепер зберіглося 20. Усі види сосни, представлені на пінетумі, «цвітуть». Природно-кліматичні умови регіону сприяють утворенню життєздатного пилку (65,9–99,8 %) з незначною кількістю аномальних пилкових зерен.
 У процесі пророщування пилку виявлено відхилення від норми у вигляді двох пилкових трубок майже у всіх видів сосни. Життєздатність пилку інтродукованих видів сосни та інтенсивність росту пилкових трубок пов’язані між собою. Якість пилку не є причиною низького виходу виповненого насіння. Виявлено, що на пінетумі ДП «Київська ЛНДС» дерева-інтродуценти не утворюють достатньої кількості якісного насіння.

FOREST SPECIES CLASSIFICATION BASED ON THREE-DIMENSIONAL COORDINATE AND INTENSITY INFORMATION OF AIRBORNE LIDAR DATA WITH RANDOM FOREST METHOD

Abstract. Forest species is a basic parameter of forest ecosystem. The accurate identification of forest species can not only improve the estimation accuracy of other forest structural parameters, but also have important significance for forest resource monitoring and management. As an active remote sensing technology, the LiDAR could not only acquire the three-dimensional coordinate information of the object, but also acquire the intensity information. The airborne LiDAR data have been successfully used in forest species classification research. However, most of the research is based on the three-dimensional coordinate information of LiDAR data. It's fact that the parameters derived from the intensity data are closely related to the spectral reflection of forest species and could be beneficial for forest species classification, but the research with LiDAR intensity data is fewer. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the potential of LiDAR intensity data on forest species classification and test if the combined application of the three-dimensional coordinate and intensity information can improve the forest species classification accuracy. In this paper, the Moon Lake National Forest Park located in Changchun is selected as the study area, which planted with Scotch pine, Larch pine, Mongolian oak, aspen and other tree species. Two kinds of parameters are separately derived from the three-dimensional coordinate and intensity information of airborne LiDAR data. Then Random Forest is used to classify the forest species based on the above parameters. The main purposes of this study are: (1) to test if the parameters derived from the three-dimensional coordinate information of LiDAR data can be used to identify the forest species; (2) to test if the parameters derived from the intensity information of LiDAR data can be used to identify the forest species; (3) to test if the combined application of the three-dimensional coordinate and the intensity information can improve the accuracy of forest tree species identification. It was found that the classification accuracy of forest species based on structural parameters derived from the three-dimensional coordinate information was 87.54% and Kappa coefficient was 0.81. The classification accuracy based on the parameters derived from LiDAR intensity information was 89.23% and Kappa coefficient was 0.83. And the classification accuracy based on three-dimensional coordinate and intensity information was 92.35% and Kappa coefficient was 0.88. The results demonstrated that both the parameters derived from LiDAR three-dimensional coordinate and intensity information can identify forest species. The results based on LiDAR intensity information are better than that of three-dimensional coordinate information. And the combined application of the two information can improve the classification accuracy of forest species. Therefore, further research should make use of the three-dimensional coordinates and intensity information of LiDAR data to improve the accuracy of results.

High-throughput sequencing-based assembly of chloroplast genomes of five pine tree species

Pinus plants are the largest existing group of gymnosperms and one of the most highly differentiated taxa. Due to its huge ecological, economic, and scientific value, the genetic diversity and the relationship between the intraspecific evolution of Pinus plants have gained wide attention. In this study, the chloroplast genomes of several common pine trees in southwest and south China, including P. massoniana (masson pine), P. yunnanensis (yunnan pine), P. latteri (south asia pine), P. crassicorticea (la ya pine), and P. elliottii (slash pine), and entire cpDNA sequences were obtained. Characteristics including the structure, repeated sequence, and codon bias of the cpDNA for these five pine tree species were analyzed.

Outstanding scientist-entomologist Z.S. Golovyanko

Golovyanko Zinoviy Stepanovich is an outstanding entomologist well-known in Ukraine and abroad, specialist in insects, which are pests of forest. He is a Doctor of agricultural sciences, Professor. His scientific activity was generally devoted to working out of the measures on creating of pine plantations in the conditions of high number of the roots’ pests, which are largely grubs of May beetle (Melolontha melolontha L., M. hippocastani F.) and July beetle (Polyphillo fullo L.). He revealed that the density of May beetle’s grubs in the soil depends on temperature of this media. Не revealed the capacity of a pine to resist themselves against pests of their roots; this capacity was provided by oleoresin exudation from wounds, which were inflicted by the grubs on roots. He proposed recommendations on pine and deciduous tree species protection from May beetle’s grubs. He developed control measures against scarab beetles grubs for the first time. Z.S. Golovyanko brought the fundamental contribution into solution of the problem on revealing of the factors of population dynamics of bark beetles (Coleopera, Curculionidae: Scolytinae). He had worked out chemical method of forest pests’ control by use of aviation too. The scientific and practical heritage of Z.S. Golovyanko on ecological approach to forest protection from pest organisms is very actual in the present time.

Modelado de la distribución actual y bajo cambio climático de pinos piñoneros endémicos de México

En la actualidad algunos pinos endémicos de México están en riesgo, debido a diversos factores, tanto antrópicos como relacionados con alteraciones climáticas. En este trabajo se modeló la distribución potencial actual y bajo escenarios de cambio climático de cuatro especies de pinos piñoneros. Para ello, se utilizaron coberturas bioclimáticas y datos de presencia de los taxones considerados, como variables predictoras. Los resultados sugieren una buena predicción de los patrones de distribución geográfica (AUC> 0.9 en todos los casos). La distribución potencial alta generada con el modelo GFDL-CM3, para el horizonte 2049-2065 escenarios RCP 4.5 tuvo modificaciones especificas por taxon en su superficie. Las especies más sensibles fueron Pinus culminicola, P. johannis y P. pinceana que evidenciaron reducciones de 83.6, 59.5 y 80.0 %, respectivamente; comparados con la superficie actual. En el escenario RCP 8.5, las reducciones de estos taxa fueron de 83.7, 56.9 y 79.3 %, para cada una. Los modelos de distribución de P. nelsonii mostraron, para ambos escenarios climáticos (RCP 4.5 y 8.5), aumentos en la extensión potencial alta con respecto a la actual hasta de 50.8 % y 49.5 %, respectivamente. Los escenarios de cambio climático indican que la distribución de los pinos piñoneros será afectada en el futuro cercano por los cambios en los patrones de precipitación y temperatura.