GIS Coop: networks of silvicultural trials for supporting forest management under changing environment

Key message

The diversity of forest management systems and the contrasted competition level treatments applied make the experimental networks of the GIS Coop, a nationwide testing program in the field of emerging forestry topics within the framework of the ongoing global changes.

Context

To understand the dynamics of forest management systems and build adapted growth models for new forestry practices, long-term experiment networks remain more crucial than ever.

Aims

Two principles are at the basis of the experimental design of the networks of the Scientific Interest Group Cooperative for data on forest tree and stand growth (GIS Coop): contrasted and extreme silvicultural treatments in diverse pedoclimatic contexts.

Methods

Various forest management systems are under study: regular and even-aged stands of Douglas fir, sessile and pedunculate oaks, Maritime and Laricio pines, mixed stands of sessile oak, European silver fir, and Douglas fir combined with other species. Highly contrasted stand density regimes, from open growth to self-thinning, are formalized quantitatively.

Results

One hundred and eighty-five sites representing a total of 1206 plots have been set up in the last 20 years, where trees are measured regularly (every 3 to 10 years). The major outputs of these networks for research and management are the calibration/validation of growth and yield models and the drawing up of forest management guides.

Conclusion

The GIS Coop adapts its networks so that they can contribute to develop growth models that explicitly integrate pedoclimatic factors and thus also contribute to research on the sustainability of ecosystems under environmental and socio-economic changes.

     

Assessment of yocoboue wild oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) from Côte d'Ivoire

Following a survey involving wild oil palm groves in Côte d’Ivoire as a whole in 1968, 17 parents were chosen at Yocoboué (southernCôte d’Ivoire). Agronomic performance of the 17 parents was assessed through Deli × Yocoboué hybrids in 3 trials grown at La Mé (Côte d’Ivoire), Mondoni and La Dibamba (Cameroon).When compared to the Deli × La Mé progenies used as controls, the Deli × Yocoboué hybrids produced 91% for total bunch weight and86% for oil yields. However, the genetic variability within the Deli × Yocoboué progenies allows to select individual progenies as productive as the Deli × La Mé controls, for breeding purposes. A study of major agronomic traits led to the choice of parent YO 11 T , which combines the largest number of favourable traits. On average, Deli × Yocobouéprogenies have slower vertical growth and are susceptible to Fusarium wilt, except 2 parents (YO 3 T and YO 9 T), which seem to be resistant.     

Cellular and humoral local immune responses in sheep experimentally infected with Oestrus ovis (Diptera: Oestridae)

Cellular and humoral local responses were investigated following repetitive artificial Oestrus ovis infections in lambs. The presence of larvae induced a huge local recruitment of either leucocytes (T and B lymphocytes, macrophages) or granulocytes (eosinophils, mast cells and globule leucocytes). This cellular response was more pronounced in the ethmoid and sinus (development sites of second and third instar larvae) than in the septum or turbinates where first instar larvae migrate. Infected lambs produced Oestrus ovis specific IgG and IgA antibodies in their mucus. This local humoral response was mainly directed against larval salivary gland antigens and not against larval digestive tract antigens. Compared to the control animals, the sinusal mucosa of infected animals was extremely thickened and the epithelium exhibited hyperplasia, metaplasia and eosinophilic exocytosis. The possible roles of these local immune responses in the regulation of O. ovis larvae populations in sheep are discussed.     

Climatic signal in annual growth variation of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) and spruce (Picea abies Karst.) from the French Permanent Plot Network (RENECOFOR)

This paper explores the growth/climate relationships in earlywood, latewood and total ring-width chronologies of five Norway spruce (Picea abies) and six silver fir (Abies alba) stands sampled in the French permanent plot network (RENECOFOR) (327 trees). The relationships between climate and ring widths were analyzed using extreme growth years, simple correlations and response functions analysis (bootstrapped coefficients). Monthly climatic regressors were derived by a physiological water balance model that used daily climatic data and stand parameters to estimate soil water deficits. Pointer years underline the high sensitivity to winter frosts (1956, 1986) and exceptional annual droughts (1962, 1976, 1991) for both species. For those years, growth variations were higher for Abies alba than for Picea abies. For each species, the climate information of tree ring series is not modified by local site characteristics (altitude, slope, aspect, soil water reserve). Moreover, strong specific differences appear among species. Earlywood and latewood spruce growth mainly depends on current summer soil water deficit conditions. For silver fir, winter and early summer temperatures, as well as the water supply of the previous year (August to October) play a major role for the production of earlywood, after which the current early summer water supply influences mainly latewood width.     

Shoot water status and ABA responses of transgenic hybrid larch Larix kaempferi x L. decidua to ectomycorrhizal fungi and osmotic stress

It has been postulated that osmotic effects on plant tissue are mediated by abscisic acid (ABA). Hybrid larch (Larix kaempferi (Lambert) Carr. x L. decidua Mill.) plantlets, transformed with the ABA-inducible wheat Em promoter associated with the Gus reporter gene, were axenically inoculated with two ectomycorrhizal fungi: Cenococcum geophilum Fr., considered tolerant to water stress, and Laccaria bicolor (Marie) Orton, considered less tolerant to drought. The mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal transgenic plantlets were subjected to osmotic stress by adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the culture medium. In the presence of PEG, L. bicolor and C. geophilum reduced shoot water potential and turgor potential, but increased host osmotic potential. Treatment of plantlets with PEG induced a significant increase in endogenous ABA concentrations. Laccaria bicolor and C. geophilum behaved similarly and significantly decreased the ABA response of plantlets to PEG treatment. Moreover, inoculation with either fungus regulated the ABA response of the plantlets even when the fungus was separated from the host by a cellophane sheet that prevented mycorrhiza formation. Although the wheat Em promoter was inducible in larch plantlets, it was not regulated by endogenous ABA. Induction of the wheat Em promoter in larch plantlets depended on organ type, with maximum induction in the root apex. Induction of the Em promoter was significantly decreased by mycorrhizal inoculation.     

Uleine and demethoxyaspidospermine from the bark of Plumeria lancifolia

The isolation of (+)-uleine (1) and (+)-demethoxyaspidospermine (2) from the bark of Plumeria lancifolia is reported along with (1)H- and (13)C-NMR data.     

Functional investigation of a QTL affecting resistance to Haemonchus contortus in sheep

This study reports a functional characterization of a limited segment (QTL) of sheep chromosome 12 associated with resistance to the abomasal nematode Haemonchus contortus. The first objective was to validate the identified QTL through the comparison of genetically susceptible (N) and resistant (R) sheep produced from Martinik × Romane back-cross sheep. The R and N genotype groups were then experimentally infected with 10 000 H. contortus larvae and measured for FEC (every three days from 18 to 30 days post-challenge), haematocrit, worm burden and fertility. Significant differences in FEC and haematocrit drop were found between R and N sheep. In addition, the female worms recovered from R sheep were less fecund. The second step of the characterization was to investigate functional mechanisms associated with the QTL, thanks to a gene expression analysis performed on the abomasal mucosa and the abomasal lymph node. The gene expression level of a candidate gene lying within the QTL region (PAPP-A2) was measured. In addition, putative interactions between the chromosome segment under study and the top ten differentially expressed genes between resistant MBB and susceptible RMN sheep highlighted in a previous microarray experiment were investigated. We found an induction of Th-2 related cytokine genes expression in the abomasal mucosa of R sheep. Down-regulation of the PAPP-A2 gene expression was observed between naïve and challenged sheep although no differential expression was recorded between challenged R and N sheep. The genotyping of this limited region should contribute to the ability to predict the intrinsic resistance level of sheep.     

Estimation of the area-specific suspended sediment yield from discrete samples in different regions of Belgium

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Suspended sediment transport, which represents the majority of the sediment load, has been studied across very different scales and in a wide variety of regions and...     

Deformation induced by ethanol substitution in normal and tension wood of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) and simarouba (Simarouba amara Aubl.)

Wood deformation in the longitudinal and tangential directions induced by ethanol substitution and oven-drying was measured in normal wood (NW) and tension wood (TW) of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) (TW with G-fibres) and simarouba (Simarouba amara Aubl.) (TW without G-fibres). The results show that with increased concentration of ethanol solution TW tends to contract, regardless of the presence or absence of G-fibres. In contrast, both NW and opposite wood expand at different rates in the longitudinal direction. These results are discussed and explained by the role of stress state at cell wall level.