Here we synthesize key findings from a series of experiments to gain new insight on inter-plant competition between juvenile beech (Fagus sylvatica) and spruce (Picea abies) under the influence of increased O(3) and CO(2) concentrations. Competitiveness of plants was quantified and mechanistically interpreted as space-related resource investments and gains. Stable isotopes were addressed as tem...

Habitat fragmentation poses a serious threat to plants through genetic changes associated with increased isolation and reduced population size. However, the longevity of trees, combined with effective seed or pollen dispersal, can enhance their resistance to these effects. The European beech (Fagus sylvatica) dominates forest over large regions of Europe. We demonstrate that habitat fragmentati...

Most forests are exposed to anthropogenic management activities that affect tree species composition and natural ecosystem processes. Changes in ecosystem processes such as herbivory depend on management intensity, and on regional environmental conditions and species pools. Whereas influences of specific forest management measures have already been addressed for different herbivore taxa on a lo...

The 35S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) units, repeated in tandem at one or more chromosomal loci, are separated by an intergenic spacer (IGS) containing functional elements involved in the regulation of transcription of downstream rRNA genes. In the present work, we have compared the IGS molecular organizations in two divergent species of Fagaceae, Fagus sylvatica and Quercus suber, aiming to comprehend ...

Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is the most important deciduous tree species in Germany. The wood of beech shows normally a bright colour (white beech) as long as no coloured heartwood has been formed. The facultative heartwood formation is induced when oxygen enters central parts of older trees, where dead or at least less vital parenchyma exist. The coloured heartwood is usually called ‘red heartw...

This study was aimed at modelling seasonal variation of stem circumference increments in a mixed stand composed of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). Moreover, we focused on the quantification of the main climatic factors governing the increments. The measurements were performed at a site established at about 970 m a.s.l. from the locality of Vrchsl...

For a quantitative estimate of the ozone effect on vegetation reliable models for ozone uptake through the stomata are needed. Because of the analogy of ozone uptake and transpiration it is possible to utilize measurements of water loss such as sap flow for quantification of ozone uptake. This technique was applied in three beech (Fagus sylvatica) stands in Switzerland. A canopy conductance was...

Three relatively isolated stands and 9 allozyme loci (Got-B, Idh-A, Lap-A, Mdh-B, Mdh-C, Mnr-A, 6-Pgdh-A, Pgi-B and Pgm-A) were used to study the mating system in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). Multilocus outcrossing rates for the three stands were high (t,, = 1.015-1.025), but did not differ significantly from 1. According to paternity analysis, the maximum selfing rates ranged from 5.6 ...

BACKGROUND Microevolution is essential for species persistence especially under anticipated climate change scenarios. Species distribution projection models suggested that the dominant tree species of lowland forests in Switzerland, European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), might disappear from most areas due to expected longer dry periods. However, if genotypes at the moisture boundary of the speci...