Influence of treatment temperature and duration on selected biological, mechanical, physical and optical properties of thermally modified timber

The impact of heat-treatment temperature (180, 200, 210, 220 and 240°C) and various heat-treatment durations on selected biological, mechanical, optical and physical properties of thermally modified timber (TMT) was determined. The suitability of different measures for prediction of the treatment intensity was also investigated. Resistance to impact milling (RIM), lightness L*, equilibrium moisture content (EMC), and antiswelling efficiency (ASE) were correlated with corresponding fungal resistance achieved by heat treatments. The results show that the decrease in mass by heat treatments is a suitable measurand to describe the treatment intensity, which is a product of treatment temperature and duration, where the impact of temperature is dominant over the impact of time. The properties examined showed a strong reciprocally proportional relationship with the decrease in mass. Different correlations were found for the various treatment temperatures: the higher the temperature applied, the lower the decrease in mass required for an equivalent improvement in certain wood properties, e.g. biological durability, EMC and dimensional stability. However, mass loss by Poria placenta correlated well with RIM, lightness L*, EMC and ASE of the different heat-treated specimens, depending on the heat-treatment temperature. Consequently, a reliable estimation of improved fungal resistance of TMT, as well as quality control of TMT in general, requires certain process information.     

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Kinetics of cell formation and growth stresses in the secondary xylem of Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq. and Khaya ivorensis A. Chev. (Meliaceae)

The kinetics of xylem formation in four-year-old plants of Swietenia mahagoni (L.) Jacq. and Khaya ivorensis A. Chev. were studied by means of high resolution laser measurements (accuracy: ±2 μm) in a spatial resolution of 18.7 to 94.1 μm and a temporal resolution of 1 to 60 s. The radial enlargement of the xylem cells was completed within 0.36 to 8.85 hours in Swietenia and within 0.52 to 12.03 hours in Khaya, while secondary wall formation and lignification lasted days to weeks. Cell enlargement of vessels and ray parenchyma was significantly faster than radial enlargement of fibres and axial parenchyma. The processes of formation of the secondary cell wall and the lignification were slower in fibres than in vessels and parenchyma cells. In Swietenia new secondary cell formation was induced in distinct growth periods almost simultaneously in the whole shoot, while in Khaya new cell formation was restricted to parts of the shoot. Growth stresses in the shoot were studied in terms of released strain. Higher growth stresses were observed in the shoot of Khaya compared to Swietenia. The results indicate that the higher growth stresses in the xylem of Khaya compared to Swietenia originate in the different kinetics of cell development of different cell types in combination with the heterogenous sequence of cell formation within the shoot. Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. W. Liese on the occasion of his 80th birthday.     

水分逆境下杨树光合作用的气孔与非气孔调控

对杨树无性系：Ｉ－２１４（Ｐｏｐｕｌｕｓｅｕｒａｍｅｒｉｃａｎａｃｖ．Ｉ－２１４〕，健杨（Ｐ．ｅｕｒａｍｅｒｉｃａｎａＧｕｉｎｉｒｃｖ．Ｒｏｂｕｓｔａ），中东杨（Ｐ．ｂｅｒｏｌｉｎｅｎｓｉｓ）和群众杨（Ｐ．Ｐｏｐｕｌａｒｉｓ３５－４４）一年生盆栽插条苗进行干旱处理，研究了水分胁迫对四种苗木光合作用和叶绿素ａ荧光的影响．结果发现，苗木受旱后可变荧光提高２０－５０％，而恒定荧光未受水分胁迫的影响。鉴于光抑制是以可变荧光的降低为特征，因此得出光系统ＩＩ光反应中心未受伤害的结论。对土壤干旱敏感的Ｉ－２１４和健杨受旱后净光合作用（Ｐｎ）剧烈下降，主要是由于非气孔因素的影响：即ＲＵＢＰ羧化酶（Ｒｕｂｉｓｃｏ）的活性降低．耐旱性强的群众杨和中东杨，Ｐｎ下降的幅度较小，气孔因素和非气孔因素都是影响光合作用的因子。通过干旱或ＡＢＡ处理的叶片叶温升高，抑制了Ｒｕｂｉｓｃｏ的活性，也使叶绿素ａ荧光诱导曲线上的Ｍ峰消失，从而证实了Ｍ峰与光合作用暗反应的相关性。     

Long-term adaptation potential of Central European mountain forests to climate change: a GIS-assisted sensitivity assessment

An ecological risk assessment is described for determining the adaptation potential of the approximately 11 000 Swiss Forest Inventory points (FIP) to a hypothetically changing climate. The core of the study is a spatially explicit forest community model that generates estimates of the potential natural vegetation for the entire potential forest area of Switzerland under today's as well as under altered climate regimes. The model is based on the Bayes formula. The probabilities of the communities occurring along ecological gradients are derived from empirical data featuring the relationships between quasi-natural vegetation types and measured site variables. Bioclimatological input variables are the quotient between July temperature and annual precipitation (model version A) or mean annual temperature (model version B). Other site variables include aspect, acidity of top soil and, to account for continentality, geographical region. Climate change scenarios are defined as follows: ‘Moderate climate change’ implies an increase of the mean annual temperature of 4°C to 1.4°C depending on the region (model version B) or an increase of the July temperature of 1.5°C (model version A). ‘Strong climate change’ implies an increase of the mean annual temperature of 2°C to 2.8°C (model version B) or an increase of the July temperature of 3.0°C (model version A).

The simulation experiment showed that the geographical distribution of 15 potential natural forest types (distinguished on the basis of floristic affinities) varies considerably with changing temperature. Under moderate warming 30–55% of the FIP change their potential natural vegetation type, whereas under strong climate change the values increase to 55–89% depending on the model version used. In the ecological risk assessment the existing tree species composition on any FIP was compared with the expected tree species composition under today's as well as under altered climate regimes. A major finding indicated that, under the current climate conditions, approximately 25–30% (depending on the model version used) of all FIP must be considered as poorly adapted, i.e. less than 20% of the actual basal area consists of tree species that are expected as dominating taxa. This definition applies for trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 12 cm. Moderate warming increases the percentage of poorly adapted FIP by 5–10% (relative to all FIP considered), strong warming leads to a 10–30% increase of poorly adapted FIP (relative to all FIP considered). If trees with a DBH < 12cm are considered, the percentage of FIP that have to be classified as poorly adapted is reduced significantly. There are strong regional differences as exhibited in risk maps of 10 km × 10 km resolution.     

Floristic and structural recovery of a laurel forest community after clear-cutting: A 60 years chronosequence on La Palma (Canary Islands)

We analyzed a post-clearcut chronosequence (0.5 to 60 years after harvesting) in the laurel forest of La Palma island (Canarian Archipelago) to determine the recovery of the stands with respect to species composition, richness, life strategies and structural parameters of the canopy. Multivariate analysis showed that exotic species, as well as annual ruderal species were confined to early-successional stages, while native perennials, typical of laurel forests, dominated the late-successional stages. Total species richness decreased significantly with time after clear-cutting. The relative fast recovery of understory native species may be due to low forest floor disturbance during harvesting. Shade-intolerant pioneer, pioneer-remnant and shade-tolerant late-successional species were the main life strategies of native tree species. Most structural parameters showed a continuous and monotonic increase (basal area, biomass) or decrease (density, percentage of photosynthetic biomass) during succession. Once clear-cutting, here performed with an interval of 8 years, is abandoned, the recovery of the laurel forest seems possible due to careful logging that protects the soil and a rapid asexual regeneration of native tree species, revealing this to be a sustainable management practice.     

胡杨抗盐机理初探

对两年生胡杨（Ｐ．ｅｕｐｈｒａｔｉｃａＯｌｉｖｅ）和胡杨的杂种（密叶杨（Ｐ．ｔａｌａｓｉｃａＫｏｍ）×（胡杨＋白柳（ＳａｌｉｘａｌｂａＬ））实生苗进行５０ｍＭ和２００ｍＭ氯化钠（ＮａＣｌ）溶液的盐胁迫试验。得出胡杨的四种耐盐机制：（１）减少叶片的数量和面积；（２）叶柄肉质化（叶面积随盐胁迫的增加而减少）；（３）茎和叶片的斥盐性（高盐处理时，胡杨叶片中Ｎａ＋和Ｃｌ＋的含量只有胡杨杂种的三分之一）；（４）选择吸收Ｋ＋和Ｃａ２＋以抵抗盐离子的毒性，并保持膜的完整性（胡杨茎中Ｃａ２＋的含量随着盐处理浓度的增加而增加，叶片中Ｋ＋的含量却保持不变）。     

Substrate-controlled succession of marine bacterioplankton populations induced by a phytoplankton bloom

Phytoplankton blooms characterize temperate ocean margin zones in spring. We investigated the bacterioplankton response to a diatom bloom in the North Sea and observed a dynamic succession of populations at genus-level resolution. Taxonomically distinct expressions of carbohydrate-active enzymes (transporters; in particular, TonB-dependent transporters) and phosphate acquisition strategies were found, indicating that distinct populations of Bacteroidetes, Gammaproteobacteria, and Alphaproteobacteria are specialized for successive decomposition of algal-derived organic matter. Our results suggest that algal substrate availability provided a series of ecological niches in which specialized populations could bloom. This reveals how planktonic species, despite their seemingly homogeneous habitat, can evade extinction by direct competition.