picea asperata/atrophy

Reproduction in female spruce budworms, Choristoneura fumiferana, entails sedentary oviposition early in life (gravid females with their heavy abdomen full of eggs are unable to sustain flight), followed by short- and long-range dispersal by females that have laid a portion of their eggs. Body size

Gymnospermae seed lipids are characterized by a high degree of desaturation, most having a Delta(9) double bond. By degenerate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) we have isolated a white spruce (Picea glauca) cDNA clone that encodes an amino acid sequence sharing a high degree of homology with other

Increment cores from the boreal forest have long been used to reconstruct past climates. However, in recent years, numerous studies have revealed a deterioration of the correlation between temperature and tree growth that is commonly referred to as divergence. In the Brooks Range of northern Alaska,

PCR amplification with degenerate primers targeted to highly conserved amino acid motifs within the MYB domain was used to demonstrate that black spruce (Picea mariana) possesses a diverse MYB gene family. Amino acid sequence comparisons revealed three broad MYB subfamilies, one of which shares

The simulation model TREGRO was developed to analyze the response of red spruce saplings to multiple stresses, such as drought, nutrient deficiency, and exposure to pollutants. The model provides a method of identifying changes in structural and non-structural carbon resources in the tree that may

Advances in elucidating the molecular processes controlling flower initiation and development have provided unique opportunities to investigate the developmental genetics of non-flowering plants. In addition to providing insights into the evolutionary aspects of seed plants, identification of genes

The conifer Picea abies (Norway spruce) employs terpenoid-based oleoresins as part of its constitutive and induced defense responses to herbivores and pathogens. The isoprenyl diphosphate synthases are branch-point enzymes of terpenoid biosynthesis leading to the various terpene classes. We isolated

In the first part, this contribution presents German results of nitrogen fertilisation experiments on stand growth, published 1958-1987. Over this period Norway spruce and Scots pine have generally responded positively to nitrogen fertilisation, without showing signs of damage, at levels up to at

Intensive study of the montane spruce-fir forests of the northeastern United States has been underway since 1980. Crown-vigor assessments, tree-ring studies, and resurveys of plots established in the 1960's have revealed a deterioration of the red spruce populations at high elevations in New England

Ectomycorrhizas are formed between certain soil fungi and fine roots of predominantly woody plants. An important feature of this symbiosis is the supply of plant-derived carbohydrates to the fungus. As a first step toward a better understanding of the molecular basis of this process, we cloned a

The effects of climate change on high-latitude forest ecosystems are complex, making forecasts of future scenarios uncertain. The predicted lengthening of the growing season under warming conditions is expected to increase tree growth rates. However, there is evidence of an increasing sensitivity of

Wedge-shaped boards of spruce wood (Picea abies Karst.) are used to make violin fronts, also known as soundboards. Oil-heat treatment (OHT) can influence the acoustic properties of resonant wood, such as spruce. In this study, the effect of OHT on spruce wood was evaluated, using palm oil as

We surveyed for covert baculovirus infections in the eastern spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens) and compared the prevalence of virus detected in a laboratory and a field population. DNA was extracted from budworm adults and then PCR with degenerate primers was used to identify

Little is known about how forests adjust their gas-exchange mode while atmospheric CO₂ rises globally and air quality changes regionally. The present study aims at addressing this research gap for boreal spruce trees growing in three different regions of Canada, submitted to distinct

Degenerate oligonucleotides were designed on the basis of conserved amino acid sequences in the DNA and ligand-binding regions of the members of the steroid hormone receptor superfamily. Using these oligonucleotides in RNA-PCR, a cDNA fragment was isolated from the spruce budworm, Choristoneura