Search

Biocultural diversity is important for environmental justice, human wellbeing, and sustainable development. Yet it is threatened by landscape degradation and overexploitation. When species go extinct, there is a co-occurring loss of associated cultural elements, and marginalized cultures are the ones that suffer the most from these losses. Here, we present BioCultBase/Bor neo, a database of local uses of plants and their cultural contexts from the biologically and culturally hyper-diverse island of Borneo. The database has been developed from secondary data extracted from scientific literature, but is intended to be a live repository that welcomes contributions from academics, researchers and the general public. BioCultBase/Bor neo database currently covers 1319 confirmed plant species and plant parts used for 23 use categories. These uses are reported from 39 ethnic communities of Borneo, together representing at least 2242 unique ecocultural links. The ethnicities represented in the database cover 13 % of the 306 officially recognized ethnicities of Borneo. Developing the database further will enhance access to ecocultural data that can be used for developing policy and practises relevant for a broader range of peoples., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Secondary tropical forests are at the forefront of deforestation pressures. They store large amounts of carbon, which, if compensated for to avoid net emissions associated with conversion to non-forest uses, may help advance tropical forest conservation. We measured above- and below-ground carbon stocks down to 1 m soil depth across a secondary forest and in oil palm plantations in Malaysia. We calculated net carbon losses when converting secondary forests to oil palm plantations and estimated payments to avoid net emissions arising from land conversion to a 22-year oil palm rotation, based on land opportunity costs per hectare. We explored how estimates would vary between forests by also extracting carbon stock data for primary forest from the literature. When tree and soil carbon was accounted for, payments of US$18-51 tCO 2 -1 for secondary forests and US$14-40 tCO 2 -1 for primary forest would equal opportunity costs associated with oil palm plantations per hectare. If detailed assessments of soil carbon were not accounted for, payments to offset opportunity costs would need to be considerably higher for secondary forests (US$28-80 tCO 2 -1 ). These results show that assessment of carbon stocks down to 1 m soil depth in tropical forests can substantially influence the estimated value of avoided-emission payments., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Boreal forests are frequently subjected to disturbances, including wildfire and clear-cutting. While these disturbances can cause soil carbon (C) losses, the long-term accumulation dynamics of soil C stocks during subsequent stand development is controlled by biological processes related to the balance of net primary production (NPP) and outputs via heterotrophic respiration and leaching, many of which remain poorly understood. We review the biological processes suggested to influence soil C accumulation in boreal forests. Our review indicates that median C accumulation rates following wildfire and clear-cutting are similar (0.15 and 0.20 Mg ha -1  year -1 , respectively), however, variation between studies is extremely high. Further, while many individual studies show linear increases in soil C stocks through time after disturbance, there are indications that C stock recovery is fastest early to mid-succession (e.g. 15-80 years) and then slows as forests mature (e.g. >100 years). We indicate that the rapid build-up of soil C in younger stands appears not only driven by higher plant production, but also by a high rate of mycorrhizal hyphal production, and mycorrhizal suppression of saprotrophs. As stands mature, the balance between reductions in plant and mycorrhizal production, increasing plant litter recalcitrance, and ectomycorrhizal decomposers and saprotrophs have been highlighted as key controls on soil C accumulation rates. While some of these controls appear well understood (e.g. temporal patterns in NPP, changes in aboveground litter quality), many others remain research frontiers. Notably, very little data exists describing and comparing successional patterns of root production, mycorrhizal functional traits, mycorrhizal-saprotroph interactions, or C outputs via heterotrophic respiration and dissolved organic C following different disturbances. We argue that these less frequently described controls require attention, as they will be key not only for understanding ecosystem C balances, but also for representing these dynamics more accurately in soil organic C and Earth system models., (© 2024 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Current policy is driving renewed impetus to restore forests to return ecological function, protect species, sequester carbon and secure livelihoods. Here we assess the contribution of tree planting to ecosystem restoration in tropical and sub-tropical Asia; we synthesize evidence on mortality and growth of planted trees at 176 sites and assess structural and biodiversity recovery of co-located actively restored and naturally regenerating forest plots. Mean mortality of planted trees was 18% 1 year after planting, increasing to 44% after 5 years. Mortality varied strongly by site and was typically ca 20% higher in open areas than degraded forest, with height at planting positively affecting survival. Size-standardized growth rates were negatively related to species-level wood density in degraded forest and plantations enrichment settings. Based on community-level data from 11 landscapes, active restoration resulted in faster accumulation of tree basal area and structural properties were closer to old-growth reference sites, relative to natural regeneration, but tree species richness did not differ. High variability in outcomes across sites indicates that planting for restoration is potentially rewarding but risky and context-dependent. Restoration projects must prepare for and manage commonly occurring challenges and align with efforts to protect and reconnect remaining forest areas. The abstract of this article is available in Bahasa Indonesia in the electronic supplementary material. This article is part of the theme issue 'Understanding forest landscape restoration: reinforcing scientific foundations for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration'.

While reforestation is gaining momentum to moderate climate change via carbon sequestration, there is also an opportunity to use tree planting to confront declining global biodiversity. Where tree species vary in support of diversity, selecting appropriate species for planting could increase conservation effectiveness. We used a common garden experiment in Borneo using 24 native tree species to examine how variation among tree species in their support of beetle diversity is predicted by plant traits associated with "acquisitive" and "conservative" resource acquisition strategies. We evaluate three hypotheses: (1) beetle communities show fidelity to host identity as indicated by variation in abundance and diversity among tree species, (2) the leaf economic spectrum partially explains this variation as shown by beetle preferences for plant species that are predicted by plant traits, and (3) a small number of selected tree species can capture higher beetle species richness than a random tree species community. We found high variation among tree species in supporting three highly intercorrelated metrics of beetle communities: abundance, richness, and Shannon diversity. Variation in support of beetle communities was predicted by plant traits and varied by plant functional groups; within the dipterocarp family, high beetle diversity was predicted by conservative traits such as high wood density and slow growth, and in non-dipterocarps by the acquisitive traits of high foliar K and rapid growth. Using species accumulation curves and extrapolation to twice the original sample size, we show that 48 tree species were not enough to reach asymptote levels of beetle richness. Nevertheless, species accumulation curves of the six tree species with the highest richness had steeper slopes and supported 33% higher richness than a random community of tree species. Reforestation projects concerned about conservation can benefit by identifying tree species with a disproportional capacity to support biodiversity based on plant traits., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2022 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Anthropogenic landscape-level alterations such as habitat fragmentation and long distance translocation of genetic material are currently altering the genetic connectivity and structure of forest tree populations globally. As the susceptibility of individual trees to dependent organisms is often genetically determined, it is possible that these genetic changes may extend beyond individuals to affect associated communities. To test this, we examined how variation in crossing distance among the progeny of 18 controlled crosses of Norway spruce ( Picea abies ) populations occurring across central Sweden affected chemical defense, and subsequently, a small community of galling Adelges aphids infecting planted trees at two common garden trails. Although crossing distance did not influence growth, vitality or reproduction in the studied population, it did influence the expression of one candidate defensive chemical compound, apigenin, which was found in higher concentrations within outcrossed trees. We also show that this variation in apigenin induced by crossing distance correlated with susceptibility to one member of the galling community but not the other. Furthermore, the effect of crossing distance on galling communities and the general susceptibility of Norway spruce to infection also varied with environment. Specifically, in the more benign environment, inbred trees suffered greater gall infection than outcrossed trees, which is contrary to general predictions that the effects of inbreeding should be more pronounced in harsher environments. These findings suggest that the effects of variation in crossing distance in forest trees can extend beyond the individual to influence whole communities.

A central issue in the field of community genetics is the expectation that trait variation among genotypes play a defining role in structuring associated species and in forming community phenotypes. Quantifying the existence of such community phenotypes in two common garden environments also has important consequences for our understanding of gene-by-environment interactions at the community level. The existence of community phenotypes has not been evaluated in the crowns of boreal forest trees. In this study we address the influence of tree genetics on needle chemistry and genetic x environment interactions on two gall-inducing adelgid aphids (Adelges spp. and Sacchiphantes spp.) that share the same elongating bud/shoot niche. We examine the hypothesis that the canopies of different genotypes of Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) support different community phenotypes. Three patterns emerged. First, the two gallers show clear differences in their response to host genetics and environment. Whereas genetics significantly affected the abundance of Adelges spp. galls, Sacchiphantes spp. was predominately affected by the environment suggesting that the genetic influence is stronger in Adelges spp. Second, the among family variation in genetically controlled resistance was large, i.e. fullsib families differed as much as 10 fold in susceptibility towards Adelges spp. (0.57 to 6.2 galls/branch). Also, the distribution of chemical profiles was continuous, showing both overlap as well as examples of significant differences among fullsib families. Third, despite the predicted effects of host chemistry on galls, principal component analyses using 31 different phenolic substances showed only limited association with galls and a similarity test showed that trees with similar phenolic chemical characteristics, did not host more similar communities of gallers. Nonetheless, the large genetic variation in trait expression and clear differences in how community members respond to host genetics supports our hypothesis that the canopies of Norway spruce differ in their community phenotypes.

Allele frequencies and forensically relevant population statistics of 22 short tandem repeat (STR) loci were determined from 303 unrelated Estonian individuals. The samples were amplified with three kits: the AmpFlSTR(®) Identifiler, the PowerPlex(®) ESI 16 and the PowerPlex(®) 16. No significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was detected, except for locus D22S1045. Investigated loci are very discriminating in Estonian population, with a combined discrimination power of 0.9999999999999999999999999877. Furthermore, a comparison with previously published frequency data from other nearby populations is presented.

Climate change, as well as a more intensive forestry, is expected to increase the risk of damage by pests and pathogens on trees, which can already be a severe problem in tree plantations. Recent development of biotechnology theoretically allows for resistance enhancement that could help reduce these risks but we still lack a comprehensive understanding of benefits and tradeoffs with pest resistant GM (genetically modified) trees. We synthesized the current knowledge on the effectiveness of GM forest trees with increased resistance to herbivores. There is ample evidence that induction of exogenous Bacillus thuringiensis genes reduce performance of target pests whereas upregulation of endogenous resistance traits e.g., phenolics, generates variable results. Our review identified very few studies estimating the realized benefits in tree growth of GM trees in the field. This is concerning as the realized benefit with insect resistant GM plants seems to be context-dependent and likely manifested only if herbivore pressure is sufficiently high. Future studies of secondary pest species and resistance evolution in pest to GM trees should be prioritized. But most importantly we need more long-term field tests to evaluate the benefits and risks with pest resistant GM trees.

Genetic modifications of trees may provide many benefits, e.g. increase production, and mitigate climate change and herbivore impacts on forests. However, genetic modifications sometimes result in unintended effects on innate traits involved in plant-herbivore interactions. The importance of intentional changes in plant defence relative to unintentional changes and the natural variation among clones used in forestry has not been evaluated. By a combination of biochemical measurements and bioassays we investigated if insect feeding on GM aspens is more affected by intentional (induction Bt toxins) than of unintentional, non-target changes or clonal differences in innate plant defence. We used two hybrid wildtype clones (Populus tremula x P. tremuloides and Populus tremula x P. alba) of aspen that have been genetically modified for 1) insect resistance (two Bt lines) or 2) reduced lignin properties (two lines COMT and CAD), respectively. Our measurements of biochemical properties suggest that unintended changes by GM modifications (occurring due to events in the transformation process) in innate plant defence (phenolic compounds) were generally smaller but fundamentally different than differences seen among different wildtype clones (e.g. quantitative and qualitative, respectively). However, neither clonal differences between the two wildtype clones nor unintended changes in phytochemistry influenced consumption by the leaf beetle (Phratora vitellinae). By contrast, Bt induction had a strong direct intended effect as well as a post experiment effect on leaf beetle consumption. The latter suggested lasting reduction of beetle fitness following Bt exposure that is likely due to intestinal damage suffered by the initial Bt exposure. We conclude that Bt induction clearly have intended effects on a target species. Furthermore, the effect of unintended changes in innate plant defence traits, when they occur, are context dependent and have in comparison to Bt induction probably less pronounced effect on targeted herbivores.

One main aim with genetic modification (GM) of trees is to produce plants that are resistant to various types of pests. The effectiveness of GM-introduced toxins against specific pest species on trees has been shown in the laboratory. However, few attempts have been made to determine if the production of these toxins and reduced herbivory will translate into increased tree productivity. We established an experiment with two lines of potted aspens (Populus tremula×Populus tremuloides) which express Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxins and the isogenic wildtype (Wt) in the lab. The goal was to explore how experimentally controlled levels of a targeted leaf beetle Phratora vitellinae (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae) influenced leaf damage severity, leaf beetle performance and the growth of aspen. Four patterns emerged. Firstly, we found clear evidence that Bt toxins reduce leaf damage. The damage on the Bt lines was significantly lower than for the Wt line in high and low herbivory treatment, respectively. Secondly, Bt toxins had a significant negative effect on leaf beetle survival. Thirdly, the significant decrease in height of the Wt line with increasing herbivory and the relative increase in height of one of the Bt lines compared with the Wt line in the presence of herbivores suggest that this also might translate into increased biomass production of Bt trees. This realized benefit was context-dependent and is likely to be manifested only if herbivore pressure is sufficiently high. However, these herbivore induced patterns did not translate into significant affect on biomass, instead one Bt line overall produced less biomass than the Wt. Fourthly, compiled results suggest that the growth reduction in one Bt line as indicated here is likely due to events in the transformation process and that a hypothesized cost of producing Bt toxins is of subordinate significance.