The present study assesses light-induced variations in phenolic compounds in leaves of saplings of two co-occurring temperate species (Acer platanoides L., and Fraxinus excelsior L.) along a light gradient using a new non-invasive optical method (Dualex). The Dualex-derived UV absorbance of leaf epidermis (the sum of the adaxial and abaxial faces, AUV) increased significantly with increasing li...

Abstract • Key message Ash dieback decreases individual reproductive success of ash trees leaving healthy overrepresented as seed and pollen parents for next-generation seedlings. Substantial gene flow over hundreds meters combined with superior fertility creates optimism the species’ future in European forests. Context Hymenoscyphus fraxineus is causing high mortality ( Fraxinus excelsior L.)....

Tree disease epidemics are a global problem, impacting food security, biodiversity and national economies. The potential for conservation and breeding in trees is hampered by complex genomes and long lifecycles, with most species lacking genomic resources. The European Ash tree Fraxinus excelsior is being devastated by the fungal pathogen Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, which causes ash dieback diseas...

The invasive pathogen, ash dieback fungus Hymenoscyphus fraxineus, is spreading rapidly across Europe. It shows high levels of outcrossing and limited population structure, even at the epidemic front. The anamorphic (asexual) form produces prolific conidia, thought to function solely as spermatia (male gametes), facilitating gene flow between sympatric strains. Here, we show that conidia are ca...

Abstract Tree allometry is a plastic feature, and scaling parameters can vary considerably depending on phylogeny, life strategies, growth conditions ontogeny. We hypothesized that in multi-layered forests growing rich sites driven by stand dynamics without stand-replacing disturbances, light primary driver of allometric relationships the morphological plasticity tree species closely associated...

European common ash, Fraxinus excelsior, is currently threatened by Ash dieback (ADB) caused by the fungus, Hymenoscyphus fraxineus. To detect and identify metabolites that may be products of pathways important in contributing to resistance against H. fraxineus, we performed untargeted metabolomic profiling on leaves from five high-susceptibility and five low-susceptibility F. excelsior individ...