1. Year-to-year variability in xylem and phloem traits of co-existing Fraxinus ornus, Quercus pubescens and Ostrya carpinifoliaJožica Gričar, Klemen Eler, Saša Ogorevc, Debojit Chanda, Sarkiri Kro, Mohendra Thapa, Polona Hafner, Peter Prislan, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: The xylem and phloem anatomy of co-existing tree species provides valuable information on how different tree species face climate change and adjust their vascular structure to local weather conditions. We examined and compared annual ring widths and conduit size in earlywood and early phloem in Fraxinus ornus, Quercus pubescens and Ostrya carpinifolia in a sub-Mediterranean site in the period 2019–2021. The selected xylem and phloem traits were correlated with monthly weather conditions (precipitation and temperature). We found that phloem increment widths and conduits in earlywood and early phloem in the studied tree species showed different trends in terms of interannual variability and in relation to local weather conditions. In F. ornus, May conditions affected xylem traits, while June conditions phloem traits. In Q. pubescens, winter and March precipitation was related to phloem development. In O. carpinifolia, xylem ring width was positively correlated with June precipitation, while early phloem conduits were negatively affected by April temperature. Only two consistent patterns were detected across the species and years studied: wider xylem increments compared to phloem increments, and wider earlywood vessels compared to early phloem sieve tubes. Statistically significant differences were observed among species across all years for the size of xylem and phloem conduits and the hydraulic conductivity of earlywood vessels, which indicates great differences in the calculated hydraulic conductivity among the tree species. To summarize, hydraulic conductivity of earlywood vessels in Q. pubescens was on average for all three years 10.4 -times and 114-times larger than in F. ornus and O. carpinifolia, respectively. High interannual variability and species-specific sensitivity of xylem and phloem traits to precipitation and temperature confirm high plasticity and different radial growth strategies of the studied tree species to ensure optimal functioning under local weather conditions.
Keywords: manna ash, pubescent oak, European hop-hornbeam, earlywood, early phloem, wood anatomy, sub-Mediterranean
Published in DiRROS: 12.02.2026; Views: 44; Downloads: 18
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2. Temporal and spatial variability of phloem structure in Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica and its link to climateJožica Gričar, Jernej Jevšenak, Kyriaki Giagli, Klemen Eler, Dimitrios Tsalagkas, Vladimir Gryc, Hanuš Vavrčík, Katarina Čufar, Peter Prislan, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Using a unique 8-year data set (2010–2017) of phloem data, we studied the effect of temperature and precipitation on the phloem anatomy (conduit area, widths of ring, early and late phloem) and xylem-ring width in two coexisting temperate tree species, Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica, from three contrasting European temperate forest sites. Histometric analyses were performed on microcores taken from tree stems in autumn. We found high interannual variability and sensitivity of phloem anatomy and xylem-ring widths to precipitation and temperature; however, the responses were species- and site-specific. The contrasting response of xylem and phloem-ring widths of the same tree species to weather conditions was found at the two Slovenian sites generally well supplied with precipitation, while at the driest Czech site, the influence of weather factors on xylem and phloem ring widths was synchronised. Since widths of mean annual xylem and phloem increments were narrowest at the Czech site, this site is suggested to be most restrictive for the radial growth of both species. By influencing the seasonal patterns of xylem and phloem development, water availability appears to be the most important determinant of tissue- and species-specific responses to local weather conditions.
Keywords: wood anatomy, early phloem, European beech, late phloem, Norway spruce, sieve element area, xylem-ring width
Published in DiRROS: 19.01.2024; Views: 1367; Downloads: 868
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3. Timeline of leaf and cambial phenology in relation to development of initial conduits in xylem and phloem in three coexisting sub-Mediterranean deciduous tree speciesJožica Gričar, Andreja Vedenik, Gregor Skoberne, Polona Hafner, Peter Prislan, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: It is unclear how the anticipated climate change will affect the timing of phenology of different tree organs/tissues and thus the whole-tree functioning. We examined the timing of leaf phenology and secondary growth in three coexisting deciduous tree species (Quercus pubescens Willd., Fraxinus ornus L. and Ostrya carpinifolia Scop) from a sub-Mediterranean region in 2019. In addition, we investigated the relationship between leaf and cambial phenology and the onset of the potential functioning of initial conduits, as determined by the completed differentiation process (vessels) or final size (sieve tubes). For this purpose, leaf development was monitored and the microcores of cambium and the youngest phloem and xylem increments were repeatedly collected at 7-10-day intervals during the growing season. The results revealed differences in the timing of leaf development and seasonal radial growth patterns in spring among the studied tree species, depending on wood porosity. We found that cambial cell production started in all cases in the first half of March. However, in ring-porous Q. pubescens and F. ornus, radial growth in the stem occurred more than a month before buds were swollen, whereas in diffuse-porous O. carpinifolia, these two events were detected at almost the same time. The end of cambial cell production occurred earliest in F. ornus (mid-July) and two weeks later also in the other two species. The widest initial earlywood vessels and early phloem sieve tubes were found in Q. pubescens, the narrowest initial earlywood vessels in O. carpinifolia and the narrowest early phloem sieve tubes in F. ornus. This indicates differences in the e%ciency of conducting systems among the studied species. This novel approach of studying phloem phenology and anatomy in relation to leaf and xylem development contributes to a better understanding of how different tree species adapt their structure of secondary vascular tissues in response to environmental change.
Keywords: Quercus pubescens, Fraxinus ornus, Ostrya carpinifolia, earlywood, early phloem, vessel, sieve tube, radial growth
Published in DiRROS: 21.10.2020; Views: 2791; Downloads: 1598
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