2022, Kurpisz, Barbara, Pawłowski, Tomasz Andrzej

Forest trees are complex perennial organisms that are adapted to the local environment in the results of prevailing climate conditions in population history. Because they lead a sedentary lifestyle, plants are exposed to various environmental stimuli, such as changes which can lead to the rapid adjustment or failure of their defence mechanisms. As forests play a key role in environment homeostasis and are the source of many products, it is crucial to estimate the role of forest trees’ plasticity mechanisms in the face of the climate change. Fast epigenetic adjustment is the basis for surviving climate fluctuations, however the question is whether this mechanism will be also efficient if climate fluctuations increase. Epigenetic modifications enable rapid reactions to the inducing stimulus by establishing chromatin patterns and manipulating gene expression without affecting the DNA itself. This work aimed to gather information about the epigenetic mechanisms of tree responses to changing environmental conditions, in order to summarise what is known so far and emphasize the significance of the discussed issue. Applying this knowledge in the future to study the interactions between climate change and gene regulation at the levels of plant development could generate answers to questions about the limitations of plasticity of plant adaptation to changing environment. We still know very little about how organisms, especially trees, cope with climate change and we believe that this overview will encourage researchers to fill this gap in the knowledge, and that results will be applied in improving defensive capacity of this ecologically and economically important species.

2024, Pawłowski, Tomasz A., Suszka, Jan, Mucha, Joanna, Zadworny, Marcin, Alipour, Shirin, Kurpisz, Barbara, Chmielarz, Paweł, Jagodziński, Andrzej M., Chmura, Daniel J.

Tree species’ ability to persist within their current distribution ranges is determined by seed germination and seedling growth. Exploring variation in these traits in relation to climatic conditions helps to understand and predict tree population dynamics, and to support species management and conservation under future climate. We analyzed seeds and seedlings of 26 European beech populations from the northeastern boundary of the species range to test whether: 1) adaptation to climatic conditions is reflected in depth of dormancy and germination of seeds; 2) climatic characteristics of origin predictably affect seedling traits. The variation in seed dormancy and germination in a laboratory test, and seedling growth and morphology traits in a nursery common-garden test was examined. Populations originating from warmer and drier sites (mostly from the northern region), compared to those from the opposite end of climatic gradient, germinated later, with a lower success, and produced seedlings with shorter and tougher roots. They had deeper dormancy and poorer seed germination capacity, and are likely more vulnerable to environmental changes. The climatic conditions at the origin shape the intraspecific variation of seed germination and seedling traits, and may limit regeneration from seed and affect adaptation potential of beech to increasing temperatures and decreasing precipitation.