Comparative analysis of occluded branch characteristics for Fraxinus excelsior and Acer pseudoplatanus with natural and artificial pruning

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (8) ◽  
pp. 1414-1426 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Hein ◽  
Heinrich Spiecker
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Models ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Fraxinus Excelsior ◽  
Radial Increment ◽  
Acer Pseudoplatanus ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Occlusion Time ◽  
Residual Variation ◽  
Dead Branch ◽  
Species Specific

The aim of this study was to develop models on branch characteristics for Fraxinus excelsior L. (common ash) and Acer pseudoplatanus L. (sycamore maple) based on 44 and 25 sample trees, respectively. A total of 635 ash and 334 maple branches were sampled. The data set on artificial pruning was pooled among the two species with a total of 71 branches from 16 trees. The material was used to predict (i) the time for a complete occlusion, (ii) the total radius of the occluded branch inside the trunk, (iii) the branch insertion angle, and (iv) the dead branch portion of the occluded branch. In addition, the effects of species and natural versus artificial pruning were assessed. Generalized hierarchical mixed models with univariate or multivariate approaches were used in this analysis. The diameter of the occluded branch and the stem radial increment played a dominant role as predictors. Artificial pruning led to a significant reduction in occlusion time and a shorter occluded branch radius. Only few species-specific differences were found. Simulations showed a reasonable overall behaviour of the models. The residual variation was tolerable for integrating the models into a growth simulation system.

scholarly journals Branch Occlusion and Discoloration under the Natural Pruning of Mytilaria laosensis

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 892
Author(s):  
Guoming Qin ◽  
Jian Hao ◽  
Jinchang Yang ◽  
Rongsheng Li ◽  
Guangtian Yin
Keyword(s):  
Radial Increment ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
Branch Diameter ◽  
Occlusion Time ◽  
Wood Discoloration ◽  
Mixed Effect Models ◽  
Dead Branch ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Mytilaria Laosensis

The production of knot-free and high-quality wood can be a vital issue in silviculture and forest management. In this study, knot properties, branch occlusion, and wood discoloration were investigated in an 11-year-old Mytilaria laosensis plantation in Guangxi, China, to examine the effectiveness of natural pruning in reducing knot-related defects. A total of 1513 occluded branches from 20 trees were sampled and dissected. Occluded branches were most common at heights of 2–6 m, and the mean diameter of the occluded branches gradually increased with height from the base to 6 m. Linear and generalized linear mixed-effect models were developed to reveal the relationship between branch occlusion and discoloration. The mortality of branches was highest in the third and fourth year and it took roughly three to six years to occlude. The mixed-models indicated that the branch occlusion time was positively correlated with the occluded branch diameter and dead branch stub length, and negatively correlated with the stem radial increment during branch occlusion. Branch discoloration was positively correlated with the occluded branch diameter and branch occlusion time, and was negatively correlated with the branch angle. The probability of wood discoloration also increased with the branch occlusion time. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the spatiotemporal allocation and internal characteristics of occluded branches, and provide a reference for growing high-quality M. laosensis wood.

Regeneration dynamics in an alluvial dense ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) stand

2001 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Tabari ◽  
N. Lust ◽  
L. Nachtergale
Keyword(s):  
Alluvial Soil ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Fraxinus Excelsior ◽  
Growth Stages ◽  
Acer Pseudoplatanus ◽  
Development Stages ◽  
Regeneration Dynamics ◽  
Broadleaved Tree Species ◽  
Succession Process ◽  
Broadleaved Tree

Broadleaves  regeneration dynamics and the succession mechanism were studied within  a    transect of 14 m x 56 m in a dense 80-year-old ash stand situated on an  alluvial soil. For this    purpose, abundance and height of all naturally regenerated species at  different development    stages were analyzed and their distribution over the juvenile and older  growth stages    determined.    The study reveals that from the main broadleaved tree species, Quercus robur and Fagus    sylvatica regeneration scarcely occur at any  growth stages. No Fraxinus excelsior regeneration,    except 1 unit, taller than sapling (1.5-4 m) can be found on this soil  type. On the contrary, Acer    pseudoplatanus represents different development  stages (seedling, sapling, thicket, small pole    and large pole) and in stand patches where an understorey is practically  lacking, its    regeneration is well developed. Results generally show that at the juvenile  and older growth    stages Acer proceeds Fraxinus and regeneration is largely  dominated by the invasive Acer. It is    expected that this succession process will continue and that Acer will overcome in the    overstorey and even gradually form an almost single-species dominating  stage. Direct    interventions are unavoidable in order to regulate the primary mixture  patterns.

scholarly journals Sources of light-absorbing aerosol in arctic snow and their seasonal variation

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 13755-13796 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Hegg ◽  
S. G. Warren ◽  
T. C. Grenfell ◽  
S. J. Doherty ◽  
A. D. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Chemical Constituents ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Source Attribution ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Pmf Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Absorbing Aerosols

Abstract. Two data sets consisting of measurements of light absorbing aerosols (LAA) in arctic snow together with suites of other corresponding chemical constituents are presented; the first from Siberia, Greenland and near the North Pole obtained in 2008, and the second from the Canadian arctic obtained in 2009. A preliminary differentiation of the LAA into black carbon (BC) and non-BC LAA is done. Source attribution of the light absorbing aerosols was done using a positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. Four sources were found for each data set (crop and grass burning, boreal biomass burning, pollution and marine). For both data sets, the crops and grass biomass burning was the main source of both LAA species, suggesting the non-BC LAA was brown carbon. Depth profiles at most of the sites allowed assessment of the seasonal variation in the source strengths. The biomass burning sources dominated in the spring but pollution played a more significant (though rarely dominant) role in the fall, winter and, for Greenland, summer. The PMF analysis is consistent with trajectory analysis and satellite fire maps.

scholarly journals WHATEVER YOU WANT: INCONSISTENT RESULTS IS THE RULE, NOT THE EXCEPTION, IN THE STUDY OF PRIMATE BRAIN EVOLUTION

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Wartel ◽  
Patrik Lindenfors ◽  
Johan Lind
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Brain Evolution ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Scientific Rigor ◽  
Explanatory Variables ◽  
Primate Brain ◽  
Residual Variation ◽  
The Many ◽  
Brain Data

AbstractPrimate brains differ in size and architecture. Hypotheses to explain this variation are numerous and many tests have been carried out. However, after body size has been accounted for there is little left to explain. The proposed explanatory variables for the residual variation are many and covary, both with each other and with body size. Further, the data sets used in analyses have been small, especially in light of the many proposed predictors. Here we report the complete list of models that results from exhaustively combining six commonly used predictors of brain and neocortex size. This provides an overview of how the output from standard statistical analyses changes when the inclusion of different predictors is altered. By using both the most commonly tested brain data set and a new, larger data set, we show that the choice of included variables fundamentally changes the conclusions as to what drives primate brain evolution. Our analyses thus reveal why studies have had troubles replicating earlier results and instead have come to such different conclusions. Although our results are somewhat disheartening, they highlight the importance of scientific rigor when trying to answer difficult questions. It is our position that there is currently no empirical justification to highlight any particular hypotheses, of those adaptive hypotheses we have examined here, as the main determinant of primate brain evolution.

scholarly journals Raznolikost i strukturiranost hrvatskih kontinentalnih i alpsko-dinarskih populacija bijele johe (Alnus incana /L./ Moench subsp. incana); geografska i okolišna izolacija kao uzrok fenotipske divergencije

2018 ◽  
Vol 142 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 31-32
Author(s):  
Igor Poljak ◽  
Joso Vukelić ◽  
Patrik Korijan ◽  
Irena Šapić ◽  
Marilena Idžojtić
Keyword(s):  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Isolation By Distance ◽  
Fraxinus Excelsior ◽  
Alnus Incana ◽  
Acer Pseudoplatanus ◽  
Prunus Padus ◽  
Ulmus Glabra ◽  
Equisetum Hyemale ◽  
Ulmus Laevis ◽  
Environmental Distance

Bijela, odnosno siva joha, Alnus incana (L.) Moench subsp. incana, listopadna je, jednodomna i anemofilna drvenasta vrsta iz porodice Betulaceae. Prirodno je rasprostranjena u sjevernoj, srednjoj i mjestimično južnoj Europi, zapadnom Sibiru i Turskoj, od nizinskoga pojasa do preko 1800 m nadmorske visine u alpskom području. Bijela joha je mezofilna do higrofilna vrsta koja dobro podnosi oštru planinsku i kontinentalnu klimu, a raste na karbonatnim, ali i silikatnim, pjeskovitim, šljunčanim, slabo humusnim tlima. Najčešća je u planinskim dolinama, uz potoke i rijeke gdje na vlažnim staništima s mnogim higrofilnim vrstama tvori guste, fragmentarne sastojine, često obnovljene iz panja. To su povremeno plavljeni lokaliteti uz vodotoke ili okolne padine kroz koje se postrano procjeđuje voda prema glavnom vodotoku. Prisutnost bijele johe u Hrvatskoj vezana je za dva oštro ograničena područja: sjeveroistočno, u nizinskom dijelu Hrvatske (110 do 190 m nadmorske visine) uz tok rijeke Drave; i sjeverozapadno, u alpsko-dinarskom području uz rijeku Kupu i njene pritoke (220 do 550 m nadmorske visine). U sjeveroistočnom području rasprostiru se sastojine definirane kao Equiseto hyemali-Alnetum incanae Moor 1958 (Trinajstić 1964; Franjić et al. 1999), u kojima se u odnosu na sastojine bijele johe u gorskome području kao razlikovne vrste izdvajaju: Ulmus laevis Pall., U. minor Mill., Prunus padus L., Equisetum hyemale L. i druge. Ove sastojine danas su rjeđe nego nekada, manje se koriste, a zbog nekadašnjeg načina sječe vrlo su često panjače. Nekadašnje šumske površine koje je Trinajstić istraživao (1964) danas više nisu pod šumom. Poplavne i vlažne šume u blizini urbanih središta isušuju se, a na njihovim su staništima izgrađena naselja i komunalna infrastruktura tako da su danas šume sive johe uz tok rijeke Drave u velikoj regresiji. U alpsko-dinarskom području istraživane sastojine svrstane su u šumsku zajednicu Lamio orvalae-Alnetum incanae Dakskobler 2010, a opisane su kao geografska varijanta Helleborus dumetorum (Vukelić et al. 2012, 2017). Ona se ističe mnogim vrstama iz dinarske vegetacijske zone, poput Fraxinus excelsior L., Ulmus glabra Huds., Fagus sylvatica L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Lamium orvala L., Lunaria rediviva L., Scopolia carniolica Jacq., Helleborus dumetorum Waldst. et Kit., Knautia drymeia Heuff. subsp. drymeia i druge. Siva joha ovdje raste u kanjonu Kupe i na obalnim terasama koje su uglavnom antropogenizirane, a nekoć su bile korištene u poljoprivrednoj proizvodnji. Glavni ciljevi rada bili su utvrditi morfološku raznolikost i strukturiranost populacija bijele johe u Hrvatskoj te istražiti na koji način ekološki i geografski čimbenici utječu na varijabilnost populacija. Materijal za morfometrijsku analizu sakupljen je iz sedam prirodnih populacija – tri iz kontinentalne i četiri iz alpsko-dinarske regije (slika 1). Svaka populacija predstavljena je s 20 stabala, a svako stablo s 20 zdravih i neoštećenih listova s kratkih fertilnih izbojaka iz vanjskog, osvijetljenog dijela krošnje. Listovi su sakupljeni početkom srpnja 2016. godine, odnosno sredinom vegetacijskog razdoblja, kada su s obzirom na dimenzije i oblik u potpunosti razvijeni. Listovi su skenirani i izmjereni pomoću programa WinFolia. Ukupno je izmjereno devet lisnih značajki (slika 2). Deskriptivnim statističkim metodama utvrđena je visoka varijabilnost listova bijele johe, kao i jasan trend divergencije između kontinentalnih i alpsko-dinarskih populacija (slika 3). Najvarijabilnijim su se pokazale značajke: površina plojke, širina lista mjerena na 90 % dužine plojke i dužina peteljke. Za razliku od toga, najmanji stupanj varijabilnosti zabilježen je za varijable koje opisuju osnovu lisne plojke. Iako je trend variranja pojedinih značajki po populacijama bio sličan, u populacijama alpsko-dinarske regije zabilježena je nešto viša unutar-populacijska raznolikost. Kontinentalne populacije su imale veće vrijednosti svih mjerenih značajki lista u odnosu na populacije iz alpsko-dinarske regije. Analizom varijance, utvrđene su statistički značajne razlike između istraživanih regija te između stabla unutar populacija, dok su se populacije unutar regija razlikovale samo za četiri istraživane značajke (tablica 1). Unutarpopulacijska varijabilnost veća je od međupopulacijske varijabilnosti, što je odlika mnogih vrsta drveća. Multivarijatne analize potvrđuju postojanje jasne razlike između kontinentalnih i alpsko-dinarskih populacija bijele johe (slika 1, slika 4, tablica 3), što upućuje na mogućnost da istraživane populacije predstavljaju dva različita ekotipa. Morfološka udaljenost između populacija bila je korelirana s geografskom i ekološkom udaljenošću, što potvrđuje uzorak „isolation by distance“ i „isolation by environmental distance“. Drugim riječima, utvrđeno je da geografska udaljenost i ekološka divergencija imaju važan utjecaj na oblikovanje morfološke strukture populacija te da je ona posljedica njihove moguće lokalne prilagodbe na okolišne uvjete i njihove geografske udaljenosti (tablica 2). Dobivene spoznaje o varijabilnosti populacija mogu doprinijeti razvoju učinkovitijih planova očuvanja i gospodarenja sivom johom u Hrvatskoj. Kako bi se potvrdili dobiveni zaključci o varijabilnosti populacija sive johe dobiveni morfometrijskim metodama, istraživanja je svakako potrebno proširiti i na molekularno-biološke metode.

scholarly journals Sensitivity of Beech Trees to Global Environmental Changes at Most North-Eastern Latitude of Their Occurrence in Europe

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Algirdas Augustaitis ◽  
Dalia Jasineviciene ◽  
Rasele Girgzdiene ◽  
Almantas Kliucius ◽  
Vitas Marozas
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Meteorological Parameters ◽  
Surface Ozone ◽  
Radial Increment ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Beech Stand ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Beech Tree ◽  
Phytotoxic Effect

The present study aimed to detect sensitivity of beech trees (Fagus sylvaticaL.) to meteorological parameters and air pollution by acidifying species as well as to surface ozone outside their north-eastern distribution range. Data set since 1981 of Preila EMEP station enabled to establish that hot Summers, cold dormant, and dry and cold first-half of vegetation periods resulted in beech tree growth reduction. These meteorological parameters explained 57% variation in beech tree ring widths. Acidifying species had no significant effect on beech tree growth. Only ozone was among key factors contributing to beech stand productivity. Phytotoxic effect of this pollutant increased explanation rate of beech tree ring variation by 18%, that is, up to 75%. However, due to climate changes the warmer dormant periods alone are not the basis ensuring favourable conditions for beech tree growth. Increase in air temperature in June-August and decrease in precipitation amount in the first half of vegetation period should result in beech tree radial increment reduction. Despite the fact that phytotoxic effect of surface ozone should not increase due to stabilization in its concentration, it is rather problematic to expect better environmental conditions for beech tree growth at northern latitude of their pervasion.

IS THE KUZNETS CURVE STILL ALIVE? EVIDENCE FROM ITALIAN HOUSEHOLD BUDGETS, 1881–1961

2001 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 904-925 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Rossi ◽  
Gianni Toniolo ◽  
Giovanni Vecchi
Keyword(s):  
Secular Trend ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Output Growth ◽  
Kuznets Curve ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Modern Economic Growth ◽  
Family Level ◽  
Minor Part ◽  
Modern Economic ◽  
A Minor

We investigate secular changes in the distribution of personal expenditure in Italy. To this end we present a new data set, consisting of 4,370 family-level budgets scattered over the years 1881–1961. Our methodology is innovative for this kind of study. Italy's secular trend proves to have been egalitarian, and to have accelerated in periods of fast output growth. Sectoral, residential, and demographic changes associated with “modern economic growth” account for a minor part of the observed changes in expenditure distribution, suggesting that other factors, such as wage differentials, play a dominant role in explaining the dynamics of inequality.

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