Phylogenetic analysis of Chosenia arbutifolia (Pall.) A. Skv. in Salicaceae using complete chloroplast genome sequence

As a unique and endangered species in the family Salicaceae, Chosenia arbutifolia (Pall.) A. Skv. has great potential for use in ornamental and industrial purposes. Despite its comprehensive importance, the phylogenetic position of C. arbutifolia within Salicaceae is still ambiguous. In the present study, the whole chloroplast genome of C. arbutifolia was sequenced and compared with the genome of other Salicaceae species. A phylogenetic tree was established based on the maximum-likelihood (ML) methods. The de novo assemblies generated 155684 bp in length for the completed cp genome of C. arbutifolia, including a large single-copy region of 84551 bp, a small single-copy region of 16217 bp, and two inverted repeat regions of 27458 bp each. In total, 130 genes were predicted, of which 85 protein-coding genes were annotated in at least one of the five reference databases. In the repeat analysis, 23 forward, 15 palindromic, one complement, one reverse long repeats, and 221 putative SSRs were identified. The results of genome comparison showed that the large single copy region (LSC) region was more divergent than the small single copy region (SSC) and inverted repeated (IR) regions, and a higher divergence occurred in non-coding regions than in coding regions. Significant contractions or expansions were also observed at the IR-LSC/SSC boundaries. Phylogenetic analysis of 20 Salicaceae species confirmed that C. arbutifolia is closely related to Salix species and may therefore be treated as a member of the genus Salix. The complete C. arbutifolia chloroplast genome will provide insight into the chloroplast architecture, function, and evolution of this species and provide additional resources for future research

Planning coastal Mediterranean stone pine (Pinus pinea L.) reforestations as a green infrastructure: combining GIS techniques and statistical analysis to identify management options

What determines the diversity and succession of lichens inhabiting post-bark beetle snags in the Western Carpathians?

The life strategy of Norway spruce allows the recovery of European spruce forests in a scenario of catastrophic disturbances caused by the European spruce bark beetle. However, little is known about how the development of this insect infestation has influenced the preservation of the ecological balance in these forests over the last decades. Based on the upper montane spruce forests in the Polish Western Carpathians, we decided to check what species of lichens are using the decaying wood of post-bark beetle snags and how the progressive changes in wood hardness and stand decomposition affect the process of species exchange.
In 2018–2019, we investigated spruce snags on permanent monitoring plots in Gorce National Park, whose cause and time of death have been recorded since 1999, and earlier in 1992 and 1997. The study covered 374 post-bark beetle spruce snags at 76 sites. We found 84 species, including 77 lichens, 6 lichenicolous fungi and one non-lichenised fungus, 15 of which were exclusively wood-inhabiting species in Gorce range. Using generalised linear models, the wood age (A) and the scale of the forest stand breakdown phenomenon (B) were compared with the altitude (C), the aspects of hillside exposure (D) and the forest plant community (E) in the assessment of their effect on lichen species diversity and abundance. "A” was the most important of the tested factors, significantly and positively influencing both parameters, while “B–D” only weakly influenced lichen abundance.
Five groups of wood age, significantly different in the lichen abundance and the composition of species were distinguished, and a characteristic combination of dominant species was determined for each of them. Based on the measurements of the wood hardness under the thalli using Shore’s method, the succession of species during the colonisation of the post-bark beetle snags was determined and four groups of species were selected, most frequent in the successive stages of wood decay process.
The wood of spruces killed by the bark beetle is both an important substrate enabling the survival of obligately wood-inhabiting lichen species, as well as providing a habitat supporting the maintenance of epiphytes in the Carpathian forests. This study extends the knowledge about the specific requirements of lichens inhabiting spruce snags, as well as the pace and course of lichen succession on this substrate

Next Generation Sequencing genomic analysis of bacteria from soils of the sites with naturally-occurring summer truffle (Tuber aestivum Vittad.)

The rhizosphere is the region of soil in which the highest densities of fungi and bacteria occur. In this study, an attempt was made to assess the distribution of bacterial species in soil where the summer truffle Tuber aestivum Vittad. bears fruit in selected stands in Poland. In order to determine the bacterial metagenome, the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) method was applied. Differences occurred in the bacterial species composition at the cluster level between soils in which summer truffle fruiting was recorded and control soils. In particular, differences in the percentage of Firmicutes bacteria were noted with an average frequency of 3.9% in truffle soil compared to 96.1% in the control soil. It was estimated that two bacterial species, namely Lysobacter antibioticus and Ensifer adhaerens had a positive effect on the occurrence of T. aestivum. Our research increased the knowledge of particular groups of bacteria accompanying truffles and their potential impact on the formation of fruiting bodies in T. aestivum.

Forest tree dynamics from the first four years of permanent plot in Mount Papandayan, Indonesia: mortality, recruitment, and growth

A permanent plot is a powerful tool to study the vegetation’s dynamics and regeneration in the forest ecosystem. This study presents the first four-year tree vegetation monitoring in a one-hectare permanent plot established in a mixed forest of Mount Papandayan (MP) Nature Reserve, Indonesia. Besides studying the structure and floristic tree community composition in the plot, this study aims to study the changes and in mortality and growth of the tree community after four years of plot establishment. A one-hectare permanent plot was established in 2010 and all trees inside the plot with a diameter over 5 cm were tagged and measured in 2011 and 2015. There were 1,820 trees from 33 species and 20 families recorded during the first monitoring in 2011. Four years later, there were more trees recorded (1,845 trees) with an average growth rate of 1.17 cm. The mortality rate (2.8%) was lower than the recruitment rate (4.2%) and there were no changes in the domination of Distylium stellare. The results of this study will help to provide the preliminary data on actual in situ tree mortality and growth, which will help to develop a more complete tree species selection criteria for MP restoration.

Concentrations of three rare elements in the hydrological cycle and soil of a mountainous fir forest

In this work, the concentrations of three rare trace elements, antimony (Sb), selenium (Se), and vanadium (V) were determined in the hydrological cycle and soil of a mountain fir forest. The three elements were significantly enriched in throughfall compared to the bulk deposition. Dry deposits, either in particles or vapor form, are probably the cause of this. It was found that for the enrichment of rain with Sb and Se long range transport played a more important role compared to V. The latter had a significant relation with marine derived ions, a rather unexpected finding. Apart from dry deposition coming from long distances, all elements were enriched with continental material. The concentrations of the three elements in soils were close to the average values reported in literature. In addition, their concentrations in the streamflow water were far below the tolerable drinking water limits set up by the World Health Organization and national authorities