Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2011
Authors
Ragnhild Nærstad Arne Hermansen Vinh Hong Le Grete Lund Abdelhameed Elameen May Bente BrurbergAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
Experimental evidence shows that Norway spruce can adjust adaptive traits by a kind of long-term memory of temperature and day length present at the time of its early seed development. This mechanism is termed epigenetics; changes in gene activity not based on differences in the genetic code and yet transferable from one generation to the next. This is a rapidly growing research field in human, animal and plant genetics.
Abstract
The northernmost range of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is in southern Norway and consists of two distinct and isolated distributions, a single population at Seim in West Norway and several adjacent populations in Vestfold, East Norway. The modest beech pollen deposits beyond these main distributions suggest that the Norwegian beech distribution has never been an extension of the south Scandinavian range. We used genetic markers and historical sources to trace the ancestor populations for the beech at Seim and Vestfold, hypothesising Denmark as the most likely source. Nuclear inter-simple sequence repeat markers, amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), were applied to estimate genetic distances between beech populations in Norway, England and Denmark. The variation in chloroplast DNA polymorphism was estimated using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The nuclear genetic data indicate Denmark as a source for the beech in Norway, although the data are less certain in the case of Seim than in that of Vestfold. The populations from South England were genetically different from most Scandinavian populations. The genetic variation within Norwegian populations was only slightly lower than that of the English and Danish populations, questioning birds as vectors for dispersal. Thus, the pollen data and our results are in accordance with the intentional introduction and documented human migrations across Skagerrak before and during the Viking Age.
Abstract
Molecular methods are emerging also as useful tools for wood protection studies. The aim of the present study was to evaluate quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a tool for investigating details of the colonization pattern of basidiomycete decay fungi in wood samples after 6 years of soil exposure. Samples of Pinus sylvestris L. (heartwood without treatment), furfurylated P. sylvestris sapwood and Cu-HDO treated P. sylvestris sapwood was in focus. The qPCR method based on basidiomycete DNA content in the wood had the highest sensitivity, while the ergosterol assay was more sensitive than the chitin assay. Visual rating was compared with laboratory analyses and was found to be correlating well with qPCR. This study demonstrates that qPCR in combination with microscopy provides relevant data about basidiomycete colonization in wooden material.
Abstract
Logging residues, branches and treetops after logging, were considered in the past as unsalable portions of the felled trees and remained on the landing. Currently, logging residues are harvested, stored in piles for variable time periods prior to being utilized as a bioenergy source. However, it is still unclear to what extent the colonization by decay fungi during outdoor storage impairs the fuel quality. Our objective was to find out whether the storage method influenced the amount of basidiomycetous fungi, the main wood degraders in logging residues....
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Roman Gebauer Daniel Volařík Josef Urban Isabella Børja Nina Elisabeth Nagy Toril Eldhuset Paal KrokeneAbstract
Conifers and other trees are constantly adapting to changes in light conditions, water/nutrient supply and temperatures by physiological and morphological modifications of their foliage. However, the relationship between physiological processes and anatomical characteristics of foliage has been little explored in trees. In this study we evaluated needle structure and function in Norway spruce families exposed to different light conditions and transpiration regimes. We compared needle characteristics of sun-exposed and shaded current-year needles in a control plot and a thinned plot with 50% reduction in stand density. Whole-tree transpiration rates remained similar across plots, but increased transpiration of lower branches after thinning implies that sun-exposed needles in the thinned plot were subjected to higher water stress than sun-exposed needles in the control plot. In general, morphological and anatomical needle parameters increased with increasing tree height and light intensity. Needle width, needle cross-section area, needle stele area and needle flatness (the ratio of needle thickness to needle width) differed most between the upper and lower canopy. The parameters that were most sensitive to the altered needle water status of the upper canopy after thinning were needle thickness, needle flatness and percentage of stele area in needle area. These results show that studies comparing needle structure or function between tree species should consider not only tree height and light gradients, but also needle water status. Unaccounted for differences in needle water status may have contributed to the variable relationship between needle structure and irradiance that has been observed among conifers.
Abstract
No abstract has been registered
Abstract
No abstract has been registered