Trees最新文献

{"title":"Effect of competition intensity and neighbor identity on architectural traits of Fagus sylvatica","authors":"Alice Penanhoat,&nbsp;Nathaly Guerrero Ramirez,&nbsp;Mélaine Aubry-Kientz,&nbsp;Lucas Diekmann,&nbsp;Sharath Paligi,&nbsp;Michela Audisio,&nbsp;Klara Mrak,&nbsp;Dominik Seidel","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02544-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02544-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Key message</h3><p>Differences in architectural traits of European beech saplings submitted to different levels of competition intensity and neighborhood diversity show a shift toward lateral growth exploration for overtopped trees but less expressed apical control is maintained for beech grown with conifers.</p><h3>Abstract</h3><p>Crown plasticity is a fundamental process to optimize the acquisition of light in forests, where it is often the limiting factor for growth. The processes leading to crown dynamics in response to biotic interaction are controlled by the competitive status of a tree, as well as the species diversity of the neighborhood. Yet, the ontogenic diversity of the different branches leading to crown structure makes it difficult to model crown plasticity. In this study, we used single-image photogrammetry and a semi-automatic topology reconstruction software to map the architecture of 3-year-old European beech trees (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) grown in pure pots or mixed with Douglas fir (<i>Pseudotsuga menziesii</i> (Mirbel) F<span>ranco)</span> or Norway spruce (<i>Picea</i> <i>abies</i> L. H.K<span>arst</span>). Further, we investigated the effect of competition intensity (estimated with height rank) and neighbourhood diversity on architectural traits. To do so, we quantified the mean volume, slenderness, number of branches, branching rate, internode length, and diameter ratio for each stem and branch, up to the order three. Overtopped trees developed fewer branches and biomass but allocated more biomass to branches of a higher order than to the stem. The increase in the ramification of the stem and the diameter ratio of the first-order branches for overtopped trees indicate a shift in the growth strategy and a decrease in apical control. As competition intensity and neighbour identity have opposite effects on stem traits, it seems that the positive effect of plant diversity on growth can be attributed to the intrinsic effects of species identity rather than to competition release.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 5","pages":"1177 - 1187"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00468-024-02544-3.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141642836","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High temperature induces investment in phloem and increases sucrose accumulation in grapevine","authors":"Shunamit Wolberg,&nbsp;Rita Dumbur,&nbsp;Yishai Netzer,&nbsp;José M. Grünzweig,&nbsp;Ilana Shtein","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02542-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02542-5","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>There’s a lack of studies on the structure–function aspect of linking non-structural carbohydrates to temperature, in particular phloem structure is yet a largely neglected subject. We studied gas exchange parameters and in parallel examined functional anatomy and non-structural carbohydrates status in leaf blades, petioles and branches in ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ grapevines grown under three temperature regimes (22/16 °C, 28/22 °C, 34/28 °C day/night).</p><p>After  two months of growth, water use efficiency was the highest at 34 ºC. The individual organs size became progressively smaller as the temperatures increased, and was the smallest at 34 ºC for branch and petiole diameter, and for leaf thickness. The relative xylem cross-sectional area was largely not influenced by the temperature regime. In contrast, phloem cross-sectional area was significantly increased at high temperature in branches and petioles, and became 30% higher at 34 ºC in branches compared to 22 °C. The leaves had the highest non-structural carbohydrates concentration compared to petioles and branches. Sucrose content exhibited a temperature-dependent increase both in branches and petioles, and to some extent also in leaves, while starch, fructose and glucose content did not exhibit any statistically significant temperature trends.</p><p>In grapevine, sucrose is the main non-structural carbohydrate used for long-distance transport. Our results indicate temperature dependent increased investment in phloem development in parallel with increased main long-distance transported sugar (sucrose) accumulation. Phloem and xylem development were apparently uncoupled, implying a differential cambium activity for each tissue. Our study could have wide structural–functional implications in the ongoing climate change scenario.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 5","pages":"1151 - 1159"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141648113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The importance of variance and microsite conditions for growth and hydraulic responses following long-term rewetting in pedunculate oak wood","authors":"Giulia Resente,&nbsp;Alessandro Di Fabio,&nbsp;Tobias Scharnweber,&nbsp;Alexander Gillert,&nbsp;Alan Crivellaro,&nbsp;Alba Anadon-Rosell,&nbsp;Mario Trouillier,&nbsp;Juergen Kreyling,&nbsp;Martin Wilmking","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02543-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02543-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Key message</h3><p>Early rewetting influenced growth variability and hydraulic uniformity in Pedunculate oak wood on disturbed peatland. Long-term study highlighted vessel widening's importance in adapting to water availability changes.</p><h3>Abstract</h3><p>Pedunculate oak (<i>Quercus robur</i> L.) is a widely recognized flood-tolerant tree that thrives on fertile and moist soil conditions, such as on or close to peatland ecosystems. In the frame of climate change counteracting policies, rewetting peatland ecosystems is gaining increasing interest, while the ecological consequences are not always clear. Whereas the effect of flooding on wood anatomical traits of pedunculate oak is widely documented, little is known about the effect of permanent rewetting. In this study, we investigated the wood anatomical responses of 12 pedunculate oak trees located on a formerly drained peatland in NE Germany, that experienced flooding and a consequent rewetting. Wood anatomical traits were analyzed via CARROT, a tool that employs the accuracy and efficiency of artificial intelligence to identify tree rings and vessels. Growth anatomical traits (e.g., tree ring width) showed a sudden increase after the rewetting started in 1995, while hydraulic traits (Dh and Ks) displayed a decreasing trend only after the rewetting process was fostered by the opening of an artificial canal in 2004. Variance analysis highlighted subtle changes in the trait’s distribution over time: high soil water content triggered variability in the growth anatomical traits and, simultaneously, homogeneity in the hydraulic traits. Results suggest the relevance of the “vessel widening” mechanisms to develop coping strategies in response to the later stage of the rewetting, and pose relevant insights concerning the importance of specific site conditions for the implementation of rewetting policies in peatlands with presence of pedunculate oak.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 5","pages":"1161 - 1175"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00468-024-02543-4.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141612925","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correction to: Different patterns of inter‑annual variability in mean vessel area and tree‑ring widths of beech from provenance trials in Slovenia and Hungary","authors":"Jožica Gričar,&nbsp;Domen Arnič,&nbsp;Luka Krajnc,&nbsp;Peter Prislan,&nbsp;Gregor Božič,&nbsp;Marjana Westergren,&nbsp;Csaba Mátyás,&nbsp;Hojka Kraigher","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02534-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02534-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 5","pages":"1351 - 1351"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00468-024-02534-5.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141652590","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Acacia mearnsii pyroligneous acid as a promoter of rooting and quality of rooted cuttings of subtropical Eucalyptus","authors":"Adriana Maria Griebeler,&nbsp;Maristela Machado Araujo,&nbsp;Felipe Turchetto,&nbsp;Ezequiel Gasparin,&nbsp;Claudia Costella,&nbsp;Berta Maria Heinzmann,&nbsp;Bibiana Fontana Batista,&nbsp;Fábio André da Encarnação,&nbsp;Osmarino Pires dos Santos,&nbsp;Nathália Pimentel,&nbsp;Júlia Luiza Stahl","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02536-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02536-3","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Key message</h3><p>The pyroligneous acid of <i>Acacia mearnsii</i> enhanced the rooting, promoted higher carbon allocation and quality of rooted cuttings representing a novel, natural input for subtropical <i>Eucalyptus</i> clone production.</p><h3>Abstract</h3><p>The development of strategies aimed at optimizing the clonal propagation of <i>Eucalyptus</i> species, especially those that are difficult to root, is of great importance. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of applying different concentrations of the pyroligneous acid (PA) of <i>Acacia mearnsii</i> De Wild, through foliar spraying, on mini-cuttings of <i>E. benthamii</i>, <i>E. dunnii,</i> and the hybrid, <i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. dunnii</i>, during the summer and winter periods in southern Brazil. The experiments were carried out in a greenhouse in a factorial scheme, testing four PA concentrations (0 [control], 2%, 4%, and 6%) and five clones, <i>E. benthamii</i> (B1 and B2), <i>E. dunnii</i> (D1 and D2), and <i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. dunnii</i> (UD). Thirty days after staking, the percentage survival of the mini-cuttings was evaluated, and at 50 days, adventitious rooting and callogenesis, as well as the morphological attributes of the mini-cuttings were evaluated. Chemical analysis of the PA revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, primarily syringol, pyrocatechol, and guaiacol derivatives. The PA of <i>A. mearnsii</i> was shown to be a potential alternative input for maximizing the rooting percentages of subtropical <i>Eucalyptus</i> clones that are difficult to propagate. PA contributed to greater allocation of dry matter and quality (Dickson Quality Index) of clonal seedlings, except for clone D2. Spraying concentrations between 2 and 4% PA, applied twice a week, optimized the subtropical eucalyptus mini-cuttings, with the dose of maximum technical efficiency being (DMTE) estimated between 3.5 and 4.5% PA. PA represents a novel, natural input for the production of clones of <i>E. benthamii</i>, <i>E. dunnii,</i> and the hybrid, <i>E. urophylla</i> × <i>E. dunnii</i>.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 4","pages":"1063 - 1077"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141548115","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Responses of wood formation to bending: a matter of dose and sensitivity adjustments","authors":"Jeanne Roignant,&nbsp;Éric Badel,&nbsp;Nathalie Leblanc-Fournier,&nbsp;Nicole Brunel-Michac,&nbsp;Julien Ruelle,&nbsp;Bruno Moulia,&nbsp;Mélanie Decourteix","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02541-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02541-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Key message</h3><p>Repeated bending stimulations applied on poplar stem drives wood formation toward egg-shaped cross sections, thicker fiber cell walls and more fibers developing a G-layer; but cells sensitivity accommodates to avoid overresponses.</p><h3>Abstract</h3><p>Trees acclimate to mechanical stimulations (e.g. wind) through thigmomorphogenesis. Recent studies have demonstrated that repetitive unidirectional bending treatments applied to poplar stems result in the production of two distinct types of wood: tensile flexure wood (TFW) on the stretched side and compressive flexure wood (CFW) on the compressed side of the stem. However, the dose-effect responses of wood formation to repeated unidirectional bending treatments have not been established. In this study, we show that the number of bending events plays a crucial role in wood formation. To investigate this, young poplar stems were subjected to two different treatments involving different numbers of transient and unidirectional elastic bends. The radial growth of the stems was monitored throughout the treatments, and wood anatomy was quantitatively analysed and compared to control trees. The elliptic shape of poplar stem cross section, observed in response to the lowest dose, transformed into egg-shaped cross section in response to the highest dose. At the tissue level, the proportion of vessels vs fibers and their sizes were not differentially altered between the two treatments. However, there were notable differences in the proportion of G-fibers and the thickening of secondary cell walls, showing that the different traits of flexure wood have independent mechanosensitive control. Overall, our findings demonstrate that, in addition to their ability to respond to the intensity and direction of local mechanical strains, poplars adjust wood formation based on the number of bending events. These modifications likely enhance stem resistance against breakage when exposed to strong wind gusts.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 5","pages":"1137 - 1150"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141511595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent responses to climatic conditions in radial growth of Abies fargesii along elevation at the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Shengjie Wang,&nbsp;Yuan Jiang,&nbsp;Junti Liu,&nbsp;Shuai Yuan,&nbsp;Minghao Cui,&nbsp;Qianzhi Xiong,&nbsp;Yizaitiguli Waili,&nbsp;Muyi Kang,&nbsp;Hui Xu","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02533-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02533-6","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Key message</h3><p>A gradual change exists in the altitudinal response of earlywood growth of <i>Abies fargesii</i> to hydrothermal conditions, with temperature being the main climatic factor controlling its latewood growth.</p><h3>Abstract</h3><p>The Tibetan Plateau, as the “Third Pole”, has witnessed profound and intricate effects of climate change in recent decades. This may result in different responses of tree radial growth to climatic factors in this region, varying with elevation and growth stages. To accurately reveal these different responses we established totalwood, earlywood and latewood width chronologies of <i>Abies fargesii</i> at four elevations. Our results showed that: (1) As the elevation increases, the response of radial growth of <i>Abies fargesii</i> to climatic factors shifted from restriction primarily by water deficiency caused by rapid warming, to weak restriction by winter precipitation with favorable hydrothermal conditions, and then to double restriction owing to insufficient heat and excessive moisture. This pattern was inconsistent with the relationship between the radial growth and climatic factors for latewood observed at the low and middle–low elevations. (2) There existed a temporal variability in the relationship between tree radial growth and restrictive climate factors. This unstable relationship was mainly observed in the middle–low elevation within suitable ecological conditions and during the later stages of tree radial growth with lower growth rates. This is related to the fact that more suitable ecological conditions and lower growth rates make tree growth more susceptible to climatic fluctuations. Considering these findings, if the climate would experience further cooling and humidity increasing in the study region, the growth of <i>Abies fargesii</i> might be more adversely affected at high elevation. For economic and ecological considerations, the afforestation of <i>Abies fargesii</i> should be prioritized in the middle–low elevation zones where favorable for the population distribution.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 4","pages":"1035 - 1048"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141511598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High temperature germinated pecan seeds by transcriptome and metabolome analysis","authors":"Tingting Xue,&nbsp;Can Yang,&nbsp;Sumei Qiu,&nbsp;Jia Liu,&nbsp;Yingdan Yuan","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02540-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02540-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The pecan tree is a globally recognized fruit-bearing tree of significant economic value. This paper focused on the dynamic changes that occur during the germination stages of pecan seeds. To investigate alterations in transcription and metabolism during the germination process, this paper employed UPLC–MS/MS technology to evaluate the shifts in the metabolite composition of pecan seeds during four different germination processes. This paper unveiled a total of 1426 metabolites, encompassing various categories such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, amino acid derivatives, lipids, and alkaloids. Furthermore, the exploration of the transcriptome through GO and KEGG enrichment analyses revealed a common pathway across all control groups—the “phytohormone signal transduction” pathway. This finding underscores the pivotal role of phytohormones in regulating diverse stages of pecan seed germination. In addition, the investigation into the interplay between differentially expressed genes and metabolites highlighted two key plant hormones, ABA and GA3, as essential drivers of seed germination. Within the ABA synthesis pathway, we observed elevated expression of NCED during the S1 stage, leading us to speculate that NCED is a key enzyme in ABA synthesis. Conversely, GA3ox and GGPPS displayed heightened expression during the S2 and S4 stages, respectively, signifying their critical roles in the GA3 synthesis pathway. To validate our findings, we performed qRT-PCR analysis on nine key genes. In conclusion, this study integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics techniques, furnishing a vital foundational framework for unraveling the intricate molecular mechanisms governing metabolite accumulation in pecan seeds at various stages of germination.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 5","pages":"1119 - 1136"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141511596","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Growth rate determines the superior xylem growth of Siberian spruce over Siberian larch in the southern Altai Mountains, Northwest China","authors":"Wenjin Wang,&nbsp;Jian-Guo Huang,&nbsp;Feiyu Yang,&nbsp;Peng Zhou,&nbsp;Zhou Wang,&nbsp;Sergio Rossi","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02535-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02535-4","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Key message</h3><p><b>Despite the better performance in wood growth compared with Siberian larch, Siberian spruce may be more vulnerable to ongoing climate change.</b></p><h3>Abstract</h3><p>Understanding the species-specific wood formation kinetics is critical to assess forest growth and carbon sequestration under climate warming; however, such knowledge is still scarce in the fragile forest ecosystems of arid and semi-arid central Asia. Here, we monitored wood formation in two dominant tree species Siberian spruce (<i>Picea obovata</i> Ledeb.) and Siberian larch (<i>Larix sibirica</i> Ledeb.) during 2018 and 2019 at two sites in the southern Altai Mountains, northwest China, and aimed to describe the intra-annual dynamics of wood formation and to understand the annual variation in growth and carbon sequestration of these two species. Results show that the differences in wood production between species were remarkable. Siberian spruce produced 68.5–87.6 cells year⁻¹ at an average rate of 0.82–0.95 cells day⁻¹, about twofold higher than Siberian larch. The differences between species in terms of the onset, cessation timing, and duration of cell production were marginal. Cell production of both species started from mid-May to early June, ceased from early to mid-August, and lasted for about 64 to 70 days. The higher growth rate of spruce led to greater wood production compared to larch. The longer growing seasons induced by climate warming may not result in increased forest growth, thereby failing to enhance carbon sequestration in arid and semi-arid taiga of Central Asia.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 4","pages":"1049 - 1062"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141511597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Applying plant–plant interaction theory to advance tropical dry forest restoration","authors":"Rosita Villegas,&nbsp;Eugenio Larios,&nbsp;Ricardo E. Félix-Burruel,&nbsp;Angelina Martínez-Yrízar,&nbsp;Adrián Bojórquez,&nbsp;Bárbara Larraín-Barrios,&nbsp;Juan C. Álvarez-Yépiz","doi":"10.1007/s00468-024-02532-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00468-024-02532-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Key message</h3><p>Species interactions should be considered during the design of restoration plans for tropical dry forests.</p><h3>Abstract</h3><p>Legume trees dominate old-growth and regenerating tropical dry forests with some pioneers becoming temporarily monodominant during secondary succession. Yet, the mechanisms promoting legume coexistence in this ecosystem are poorly understood but essential to develop restoration strategies for degraded forests. We studied plant–plant interactions in the regeneration niche of an early and a late successional legume tree species, increasingly co-occurring in northwestern Mexico due to persistent climatic and anthropogenic disturbance that is altering forest dynamics. Our experiment comprised two species (<i>Acacia cochliacantha</i>, typical early successional and monodominant, and <i>Lysiloma watsonii</i>, typical late successional) × two habitats (direct light and shade) × three plant interaction treatments (control, intraspecific and interspecific). Each of the 12 experimental units contained 20 pots, totaling 240 replicates. We examined germination, seedling survival, and growth dynamics and determined seedling dry mass (total and root: shoot) at the end of the experiment. Our results suggest that legume monodominance in regenerating tropical dry forests starts early during germination and may be temporarily maintained through the interplay between interspecific facilitation and intraspecific competition. In contrast, late successional species may avoid negative heterospecific interactions by recruiting later (benefiting from neighbors’ shade) and maintaining neutral associations with conspecifics since early ontogenetic stages. Therefore, a cautious selection of early and late successional species and their spatial arrangement should be considered during the planning stage of restoration programs for tropical dry forests. Advancing our understanding of plant interactions in tropical dry forests should lead us to develop better tools for restoring this highly degraded ecosystem.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":805,"journal":{"name":"Trees","volume":"38 4","pages":"1023 - 1033"},"PeriodicalIF":2.1,"publicationDate":"2024-06-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141530358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}