Size- and Age-Related Changes in Tree Structure and Function: (4 Tree Physiology)

Millions of trees live and grow all around us, and we all recognize the vital role they play in the world’s ecosystems. Publicity campaigns exhort us to plant yet more. Yet until recently comparatively little was known about the root causes of the physical changes that attend their growth. Since trees typically increase in size by three to four orders of magnitude in their journey to maturity, this gap in our knowledge has been a crucial issue to address. Here at last is a synthesis of the current state of our knowledge about both the causes and consequences of ontogenetic changes in key features of tree structure and function. During their ontogeny, trees undergo numerous changes in their physiological function, the structure and mechanical properties of their wood, and overall architecture and allometry. This book examines the central interplay between these changes and tree size and age. It also explores the impact these changes can have, at the level of the individual tree, on the emerging characteristics of forest ecosystems at various stages of their development. The analysis offers an explanation for the importance of discriminating between the varied physical properties arising from the nexus of size and age, as well as highlighting the implications these ontogenetic changes have for commercial forestry and climate change. This important and timely summation of our knowledge base in this area, written by highly respected researchers, will be of huge interest, not only to researchers, but also to forest managers and silviculturists.

Table of Contents:
1. A Lifespan Perspective on Integrating Structure and Function in Trees T.M. Hinckley et al. 2. Age-related Changes in Tree Growth and Functional Biology: the Role of Reproduction S.C. Thomas 3. The Earliest Stages of Tree Growth: Development, Physiology and Impacts of Climate Change D. Johnson et al. 4. Regulation of Ontogeny in Temperate Conifers M.E. Day, M.S. Greenwood 5. Radial Variation in Wood Structure and Function in Woody Plants, and Hypotheses for its Occurrence B. Lachenbruch et al. 6. Size-related Changes in Tree Proportions and Their Potential Influence on the Course of Height Growth D.A. King 7. Influence of Tree Ontogeny on Plant-Herbivore Interactions K. Boege et al. 8. How do Changes in Leaf/shoot Morphology and Crown Architecture Affect Growth and Physiological Function of Large, old Trees? H. Ishii 9. Tree size- and Age-Related Changes in Leaf Physiology and Their Influence on Carbon Gain K. Steppe et al. 10. Relationships Between Tree Height and Carbon Isotope Discrimination N.G. McDowell et al. 11. Carbon Storage in Trees: Does Relative Carbon Supply Decrease With Tree Size? A. Sala et al. 12. Comparative Criteria for Models of the Fluid Transport System of Tall Trees M. Mencuccini et al. 13. Hydraulic Capacitance: Biophysics and Functional Significance of Internal Water Sources in Relation to Tree Size F.G. Scholz et al. 14. Size-Dependent Changes in Biophysical Control of Tree Growth: the Role of Turgor D.R. Woodruff, F.C. Meinzer 15. Instrumental Approaches to Studying Tree Water Relations Along Gradients of Tree Size and Forest Age J. Čermák, N. Nadezhdina 16. Ecophysiology of Secondary Succession in Tropical Moist Forest: Scaling From Individual Traits toWhole-Plant Performance N. Anten, N.G. Selaya 17. Age-Dependent Changes in Environmental Influences on Tree Growth and Their Implications for Forest Responses to Climate Change S.L. Voelker 18. Consequences of Stand age and Species' Functional Trait Changes on Ecosystem Water use of Forests B. Ewers et al.