Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2022
Authors
Thomas Wohlgemuth Martin M. Gossner Thomas Campagnaro Hélia Marchante Marcela van Loo Giorgio Vacchiano Pilar Castro-Díez Dorota Dobrowolska Anna Gazda Srdjan Keren Zsolt Keserű Marcin Koprowski Nicola La Porta Vitas Marozas Per Holm Nygaard Vilém Podrázský Radosław Puchałka Orna Reisman-Berman Lina Straigytė Tiina Ylioja Elisabeth Pötzelsberger Joaquim S. SilvaAbstract
In the context of global change, the integration of non-native tree (NNT) species into European forestry is increasingly being discussed. The ecological consequences of increasing use or spread of NNTs in European forests are highly uncertain, as the scientific evidence is either constraint to results from case studies with limited spatial extent, or concerns global assessments that lack focus on European NNTs. For either case, generalisations on European NNTs are challenging to draw. Here we compile data on the impacts of seven important NNTs (Acacia dealbata, Ailanthus altissima, Eucalyptus globulus, Prunus serotina, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Quercus rubra, Robinia pseudoacacia) on physical and chemical soil properties and diversity attributes in Europe, and summarise commonalities and differences. From a total of 103 publications considered, studies on diversity attributes were overall more frequent than studies on soil properties. The effects on soil properties varied greatly among tree species and depended on the respective soil property. Overall, increasing (45%) and decreasing (45%) impacts on soil occurred with similar frequency. In contrast, decreasing impacts on biodiversity were much more frequent (66%) than increasing ones (24%). Species phylogenetically distant from European tree species, such as Acacia dealbata, Eucalyptus globulus and Ailanthus altissima, showed the strongest decreasing impacts on biodiversity. Our results suggest that forest managers should be cautious in using NNTs, as a majority of NNT stands host fewer species when compared with native tree species or ecosystems, likely reflected in changes in biotic interactions and ecosystem functions. The high variability of impacts suggests that individual NNTs should be assessed separately, but NNTs that lack European relatives should be used with particular caution.
Abstract
Mountain birch forest covers large areas in Eurasia, and their ecological resilience provides important ecosystem services to human societies. This study describes long-term stand dynamics based on permanent plots in the upper mountain birch belt in SE Norway. We also present forest line changes over a period of 70 years. Inventories were conducted in 1931, 1953, and 2007. Overall, there were small changes from 1931 up to 1953 followed by a marked increase in biomass and dominant height of mountain birch throughout the period from 1953 to 2007. In addition, the biomass of spruce (Picea abies) and the number of plots with spruce present doubled. The high mortality rate of larger birch stems and large recruitment by sprouting since the 1960s reveal recurrent rejuvenation events after the earlier outbreak of the autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata). Our results demonstrate both a high stem turnover in mountain birch and a great ability to recover after disturbances. This trend is interpreted as regrowth after a moth attack, but also long-term and time-lagged responses due to slightly improved growth conditions. An advance of the mountain birch forest line by 0.71 m year−1 from 1937 to 2007 was documented, resulting in a total reduction of the alpine area by 12%. Most of the changes in the forest line seem to have taken place after 1960. Regarding silviculture methods in mountain birch, a dimension cutting of larger birch trees with a cutting interval of c. 60 years seems to be a sustainable alternative for mimicking natural processes.
Authors
Arne SteffenremAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Arne SteffenremAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Inger Sundheim FløistadAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Inger Sundheim FløistadAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tore SkrøppaAbstract
Short-term trials on cultivated soil were planted with families of Norway spruce that had shown epigenetic memory effects in early tests up to age two years. Measurements and assessments were made of phenology traits, tree heights and stem defects until age 16 years in these trials. The memory effects of the temperature conditions during embryo development and seed maturation were confirmed for the timing of bud flush and for start and cessation of shoot elongation at age six years. The mean differences in timing of these events caused by temperature treatments were on average less than two days. They were considerably larger for families with strong effects on terminal bud set at the end of the first growing season. The memory effects did not result in a prolonged shoot growth period, nor did they affect height growth. Interaction effects expressed in adaptive traits between factorial treatments of temperature and daylength during seed production were large in the short-term trial and were still present at age nine years. The results presented demonstrate that strong memory effects observed in early tests may also be expressed in phenology traits for at least the next five growing seasons.
Authors
Inge Dox Tore Skrøppa Mieke Decoster Peter Prislan Aina Gascó Jožica Gričar Holger Lange Matteo CampioliAbstract
Historically, the autumn dynamics of deciduous forest trees have not been investigated in detail. However, autumn phenological events, like onset of loss of canopy greenness (OLCG), onset of foliar senescence (OFS) and cessation of wood growth (CWG), have an important impact on tree radial growth and the entire ecosystem's seasonal dynamics. Here, we monitored the leaf and wood phenological events of silver birch (Betula pendula) at four different sites in Ås, southeastern Norway: (a) a natural mature stand, (b) a plantation on former agricultural ground, (c) young natural trees, and (d) young trees in pots under different fertilization levels. The study took place over four consecutive years (from 2017 to 2020), with a particular focus on 2018, a year in which there was a severe summer drought, and the next year, 2019, which featured more normal conditions. First, we provided a description of birch phenology within its mid-north distributional. Second, we showed that drought advanced CWG by about 5 to 6 weeks and it delayed OLCG and OFS up to 30 days. Third, we observed an unexpected advance in OLCG in 2019 compared to 2018 (30 days) and 2020 (14 days). OFS presented similar dynamics as OLCG, whereas CWG was advanced only in 2018. These findings might indicate lag-effects of severe drought on the next year autumn leaf phenology but not on wood growth. On the other hand, the comparison between the natural stand and the plantation showed that, under drought conditions, wood growth is more sensitive to site fertility than autumn leaf phenology. In summary, our study elucidated the autumn dynamics of an important deciduous forest species in the northern temperate zone and showed unexpected impacts of a severely dry and warm summer on the current and next year leaf phenology.
Authors
Simo Maduna Adam Vivian-Smith Ólöf Dóra Bartels Jónsdóttir Albert Imsland Cornelya Klutsch Tommi Nyman Hans Geir Eiken Snorre HagenAbstract
We determined the mitogenome of Cyclopterus lumpus using a hybrid sequencing approach, and another four closely related species in the Liparidae based on available next-generation sequence data. We found that the mitogenome of C. lumpus was 17,266 bp in length, where the length and organisation were comparable to those reported for cottoids. However, we found a GC-homopolymer region in the intergenic space between tRNALeu2 and ND1 in liparids and cyclopterids. Phylogenetic reconstruction confirmed the monophyly of infraorders and firmly supported a sister-group relationship between Cyclopteridae and Liparidae. Purifying selection was the predominant force in the evolution of cottoid mitogenomes. There was significant evidence of relaxed selective pressures along the lineage of deep-sea fish, while selection was intensified in the freshwater lineage. Overall, our analysis provides a necessary expansion in the availability of mitogenomic sequences and sheds light on mitogenomic adaptation in Cottoidei fish inhabiting different aquatic environments.
Authors
Katherine Ann Gredvig Nielsen Magne Nordang Skårn Venche Talgø Martin Petterson Inger Sundheim Fløistad Gunn Mari Strømeng May Bente Brurberg Arne StensvandAbstract
No abstract has been registered