Wood Formation in Trees


Book Description

Trees are a major component of the biosphere and have played an important part in the world's history and culture. With the modern challenges of global warming and dwindling fossil fuel reserves, trees, and in particular their wood, can provide solutions. Unfortunately, too little is known about the biology of these plants, due largely to a lack of




Cellular Aspects of Wood Formation


Book Description

With today’s ever growing economic and ecological problems, wood as a raw material takes on increasing significance as the most important renewable source of energy and as industrial feedstock for numerous products. Its chemical and anatomical structure and the excellent properties that result allow wood to be processed into the most diverse products; from logs to furniture and veneers, and from wood chippings to wooden composites and paper. The aim of this book is to review advances in research on the cellular aspects of cambial growth and wood formation in trees over recent decades. The book is divided into two major parts. The first part covers the basic process of wood biosynthesis, focusing on five major steps that are involved in this process: cell division, cell expansion, secondary cell wall formation, programmed cell death and heartwood formation. The second part of the book deals with the regulation of wood formation by endogenous and exogenous factors. On the endogenous level the emphasis is placed on two aspects: control of wood formation by phytohormones and by molecular mechanisms. Apart from endogenous factors, various exogenous effects (such as climate factors) are involved in wood formation. Due to modern microscopic as well as molecular techniques, the understanding of wood formation has progressed significantly over the last decade. Emphasizing the cellular aspects, this book first gives an overview of the basic process of wood formation, before it focuses on factors involved in the regulation of this process.




Cell and Molecular Biology of Wood Formation


Book Description

The application of modern molecular biology techniques is providing new insight into wood formation and the seasonal nature of secondary growth in perennial woody plant species. Extensively illustrated, this new book provides a comprehensive and critical overview of current understanding about the biology of wood formation, with a focus on the development, regulation and biochemistry of cambial growth supplemented by additional considerations of the fundamental factors determining forest productivity, wood quality and heartwood formation.




The Biology of Reaction Wood


Book Description

The book is a fundamental reference source on reaction wood for wood scientists and technologists, plant biologists, silviculturists, forest ecologists, and anyone involved in the growing of trees and the processing of wood. It brings together our current understanding of all aspects of reaction wood, and is the first book to discuss both compression wood and tension wood. Trees produce reaction wood to maintain the vertical orientation of their stems and the optimum angle of each branch. They achieve this by laying down fibre cell walls in which differences in physical and chemical structure from those of normal fibres are expressed as differential stresses across the stem or branch. This process, while of obvious value for the survival of the tree, causes serious problems for the utilisation of timber. Timber derived from trees containing significant amounts of reaction wood is subject to dimensional instability on drying, causing twisting, bending and splitting. It is also difficult to work as timber, and for the pulp and paper industry the cost of removing the increased amount of lignin in compression wood is substantial. This has both practical and economic consequences for industry. Understanding the factors controlling reaction wood formation and its effect on wood structure is therefore fundamental to our understanding of the adaptation of trees to their environment and to the sustainable use of wood. The topics covered include: -Morphology, anatomy and ultrastructure of reaction wood -Cell-wall polymers in reaction wood and their biosynthesis -Changes in tree proteomes during reaction wood formation -The biomechanical action and biological functions of reaction wood - Physical and mechanical properties of reaction wood from the scale of cell walls to planks -The detection and characterisation of compression wood -Effects of reaction wood on the performance of wood and wood-based products - Commercial implications of reaction wood and the influence of forest management on its formation




Molecular Cell Biology of the Growth and Differentiation of Plant Cells


Book Description

Molecular Cell Biology of the Growth and Differentiation of Plant Cells encompasses cell division, cell enlargement and differentiation; which is the cellular basis of plant growth and development. Understanding these developmental processes is fundamental for improving plant growth and the production of special plant products, as well as contributing to biological understanding. The dynamics of cells and cellular organelles are considered in the context of growth and differentiation, made possible particularly by advances in molecular genetics and the visualization of organelles using molecular probes. There is now a much clearer understanding of these basic plant processes of cell division, cell enlargement and differentiation. Each chapter provides a current and conceptual view in the context of the cell cycle (6 chapters), cell enlargement (5 chapters) or cell differentiation (9 chapters). The book provides state of the art knowledge (and open questions) set out in a framework that provides a long term reference point. The book is targeted at plant cell biologists, molecular biologists, plant physiologists and biochemists, developmental biologists and those interested in plant growth and development. The book is suitable for those already in the field, plant scientists entering the field and graduate students.




Physiological Responses to Abiotic and Biotic Stress in Forest Trees


Book Description

As sessile organisms, plants have to cope with a multitude of natural and anthropogenic forms of stress in their environment. Due to their longevity, this is of particular significance for trees. As a consequence, trees develop an orchestra of resilience and resistance mechanisms to biotic and abiotic stresses in order to support their growth and development in a constantly changing atmospheric and pedospheric environment. The objective of this Special Issue of Forests is to summarize state-of-art knowledge and report the current progress on the processes that determine the resilience and resistance of trees from different zonobiomes as well as all forms of biotic and abiotic stress from the molecular to the whole tree level.




Wood Structure in Plant Biology and Ecology


Book Description

At present the study of functional and ecological wood anatomy enjoys a vigorous renaissance and plays a pivotal role in plant and ecosystem biology, plant evolution, and global change research. This book contains a selection of papers presented at the successful meetings of the International Association of Wood Anatomists and the Cost-Action STReESS (Studying Tree Responses to extreme Events: a Synthesis) held in Naples in April 2013. Four review papers address (1) the hydraulic architecture of the earliest land plants, (2) the general phenomenon of axial conduit tapering in trees, (3) the hydraulic and biomechanical optimization in one of the most important plantation grown tree species, Norway Spruce, and (4) cellular and subcellular changes in the cambium in response to environmental factors. Three papers review or introduce new tools to observe the 3-D structure and functioning of wood, and novel tools for quantitative image analysis in tree ring series. Finally, five papers report original research on environmental effects on wood structure, including studies on plastic responses in European beech, effects of fire or late summer rains on Mediterranean Aleppo Pine, and the potential for using arctic shrubs or tropical deciduous trees in dendrochronological and climatological studies. Reprinted from IAWA Journal 34 (4), 2013.




Applied Tree Biology


Book Description

Many arborists learn tree work practices without fully understanding the biological and physiological principles behind them. However, outcomes for the health and longevity of trees are greatly improved when an arborist understands the science behind the care of tree root systems and crowns. In Applied Tree Biology, Drs. Hirons and Thomas draw upon their decades of experience in the laboratory, classroom, and the field – as well as the expertise of distinguished contributors to this volume – to provide those responsible for tree care with the scientific information that informs best practices for planting, pruning, soil decompaction, irrigation, and much more. Takes a multidisciplinary approach, integrating knowledge from plant biology, physiology, arboriculture, ecology, and more Provides a systematic presentation of fundamental tree biology and the scientific principles informing high quality tree care Presents accessible scientific information and best practices that help promote the health and longevity of trees Reflects the authors’ decades of experience as tree biology researchers and educators, as well as their years of professional experience across the globe Applied Tree Biology is an indispensable source of practical, succinct information on tree biology, physiology, and ecology for professionals and interested amateurs involved with the care of trees. Arborists, foresters, and horticulturists at all stages of their careers will find this text particularly useful.




Plant Cell Walls


Book Description

Plant cell walls have been relevant for human survival throughout evolution, from cell walls recognised as an essential ingredient in human and livestock nutrition, to their use in energy generation, construction, tool making, paper and clothing. This plant-generated material is at the centre of a myriad of human activities, and it represents the world's most abundant natural resource for fuel, fibre, food and fodder. Plant Cell Walls: Research Milestones and Conceptual Insights provides an overview of the key discoveries of hundreds of years of plant cell wall research. With chapter contributions from prominent scientists in the cell wall field, this book provides a comprehensive treatment of plant cell wall research, accompanied by a historical overview to illustrate how concepts have evolved, and how progress has been enabled by emerging technological advances. Plant Cell Walls: Research Milestones and Conceptual Insights elaborates on the translation of research to application in biotechnology and agriculture, and highlights its relevance for climate change mitigation and adaptation. It will be a key resource for plant cell biologists, biochemists and geneticists.




Vascular Differentiation and Plant Growth Regulators


Book Description

The main objective of the book is to provide an up-to-date examination of the possible roles of plant hormones during the cytodifferentiation of xylem and phloem elements in higher plants. Various facets of vascular differentiation, as cell determination, cell cycle activity, and the biochemical events in xylogenesis, are analyzed. Furthermore, the latest information on the roles of auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, ethylene, and abscisic acid during vascular cell formation are summarized. A theoretical discussion of the six-point hypothesis and the vascular adaptation hypothesis is included. The experimental induction of vascular differentiation under tissue culture conditions is critically appraised and a concluding chapter covers the interactions between physical factors, growth regulators, and differentiation.