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Title: How eco-evolutionary principles can guide tree breeding and tree biotechnology for enhanced productivity

Abstract

Tree breeding and biotechnology can enhance forest productivity and help alleviate the rising pressure on forests from climate change and human exploitation. While many physiological processes and genes are targeted in search of genetically improved tree productivity, an overarching principle to guide this search is missing. Here in this paper, we propose a method to identify the traits that can be modified to enhance productivity, based on the differences between trees shaped by natural selection and ‘improved’ trees with traits optimized for productivity. We developed a tractable model of plant growth and survival to explore such potential modifications under a range of environmental conditions, from non-water limited to severely drought-limited sites. We show how key traits are controlled by a trade-off between productivity and survival, and that productivity can be increased at the expense of long-term survival by reducing isohydric behavior (stomatal regulation of leaf water potential) and allocation to defense against pests compared with native trees. In contrast, at dry sites occupied by naturally drought-resistant trees, the model suggests a better strategy may be to select trees with slightly lower wood density than the native trees and to augment isohydric behavior and allocation to defense. Thus, which traits tomore » modify, and in which direction, depend on the original tree species or genotype, the growth environment and wood-quality versus volume production preferences. In contrast to this need for customization of drought and pest resistances, consistent large gains in productivity for all genotypes can be obtained if root traits can be altered to reduce competition for water and nutrients. In conclusion, our approach illustrates the potential of using eco-evolutionary theory and modeling to guide plant breeding and genetic technology in selecting target traits in the quest for higher forest productivity.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg (Austria). Ecosystems Services and Management Program
  2. Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States). Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences
  3. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences,Umeå (Sweden). Department of Forest Ecology and Management and Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology , Umeå Plant Science Centre
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
OSTI Identifier:
1454931
Grant/Contract Number:  
SC0006967; SC0006700
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Tree Physiology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 34; Journal Issue: 11; Journal ID: ISSN 0829-318X
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; adaptation; anisohydric; aridity; climate; ecology; evolution; forestry; functional traits; genetic modification; gmo; hydraulics; life history; mathematical model; mortality; risk management; selection; strategy; transpiration; wood

Citation Formats

Franklin, Oskar, Palmroth, Sari, and Nasholm, Torgny. How eco-evolutionary principles can guide tree breeding and tree biotechnology for enhanced productivity. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1093/treephys/tpu111.
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Franklin, Oskar, Palmroth, Sari, & Nasholm, Torgny. How eco-evolutionary principles can guide tree breeding and tree biotechnology for enhanced productivity. United States. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpu111
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Franklin, Oskar, Palmroth, Sari, and Nasholm, Torgny. Sat . "How eco-evolutionary principles can guide tree breeding and tree biotechnology for enhanced productivity". United States. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpu111. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1454931.
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@article{osti_1454931,
title = {How eco-evolutionary principles can guide tree breeding and tree biotechnology for enhanced productivity},
author = {Franklin, Oskar and Palmroth, Sari and Nasholm, Torgny},
abstractNote = {Tree breeding and biotechnology can enhance forest productivity and help alleviate the rising pressure on forests from climate change and human exploitation. While many physiological processes and genes are targeted in search of genetically improved tree productivity, an overarching principle to guide this search is missing. Here in this paper, we propose a method to identify the traits that can be modified to enhance productivity, based on the differences between trees shaped by natural selection and ‘improved’ trees with traits optimized for productivity. We developed a tractable model of plant growth and survival to explore such potential modifications under a range of environmental conditions, from non-water limited to severely drought-limited sites. We show how key traits are controlled by a trade-off between productivity and survival, and that productivity can be increased at the expense of long-term survival by reducing isohydric behavior (stomatal regulation of leaf water potential) and allocation to defense against pests compared with native trees. In contrast, at dry sites occupied by naturally drought-resistant trees, the model suggests a better strategy may be to select trees with slightly lower wood density than the native trees and to augment isohydric behavior and allocation to defense. Thus, which traits to modify, and in which direction, depend on the original tree species or genotype, the growth environment and wood-quality versus volume production preferences. In contrast to this need for customization of drought and pest resistances, consistent large gains in productivity for all genotypes can be obtained if root traits can be altered to reduce competition for water and nutrients. In conclusion, our approach illustrates the potential of using eco-evolutionary theory and modeling to guide plant breeding and genetic technology in selecting target traits in the quest for higher forest productivity.},
doi = {10.1093/treephys/tpu111},
journal = {Tree Physiology},
number = 11,
volume = 34,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpu111
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Cited by: 11 works
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Figures / Tables:

Fig. 1 Fig. 1: Site conditions. (a) Soil moisture, expressed as Relative Extractable Water (REW) in each of the eight plots (represented by different colors) and vapor pressure deficit (light gray) during the study period. (b) Atmospheric [CO2] in each plot during the study period. Ambient [CO2] in four reference plots aremore » shown in gray, while that of the four elevated-[CO2] plots are in color. During Indirect, elevated-[CO2] plots were all subjected to +200 $μ$mol mol-1. During Direct, [CO2] in each plot was varied independently for a five-day period to avoid confounding effects with REW. For example, in an elevated-[CO2] plot (orange line), [CO2] was decreased to ambient level during the first period, ramped up to +300 $μ$mol mol-1 above ambient in the second 26 period, reduced to +200, +100 $μ$mol mol-1, and to ambient level once again, followed by periods of +300 $μ$mol mol-1, +150 $μ$mol mol-1 and finally to the ambient level in the last five-day period of Direct phase, before returning to the long-term enhancement of +200 $μ$mol mol-1.« less
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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    An evolutionary ecology perspective to address forest pathology challenges of today and tomorrow
    journal, March 2016

    • Desprez-Loustau, Marie-Laure; Aguayo, Jaime; Dutech, Cyril
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    • DOI: 10.1007/s13595-015-0487-4

    Insect outbreak shifts the direction of selection from fast to slow growth rates in the long-lived conifer Pinus ponderosa
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    • de la Mata, Raul; Hood, Sharon; Sala, Anna
    • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 114, Issue 28
    • DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1700032114

    An evolutionary ecology perspective to address forest pathology challenges of today and tomorrow
    journal, March 2016

    • Desprez-Loustau, Marie-Laure; Aguayo, Jaime; Dutech, Cyril
    • Annals of Forest Science, Vol. 73, Issue 1
    • DOI: 10.1007/s13595-015-0487-4
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