Trees

All living organisms need water, and plants are no exception. While many animals can move around to find it, most plants are rooted to the spot and have therefore had to develop astonishing ways of obtaining and storing it.

Evolution leads to an increasing number of species, and that's why it is so difficult for us to know how many of them inhabit the Earth. Should we spend efforts to conserve all of them or would it be enough with just a few?

To Jordi and Olga.

A new video of CREAF Talks conferences is now available. Scott Ollinger, from University of New Hampshire, USA, talks about basic relations among foliar N and CO2 assimilation in forests, relationships between N concentrations and a suite of functionally convergent plant traits that influence canopy reflectance, and implications for broad-scale N mapping and ecosystem—climate interactions.

Some giant trees, such as cedars and redwoods, are an example of great longevity and their populations depend much more on tendencies than on specific traumatic episodes. Climate change and human pressures can put their survival at risk.

For Enric.

A new study has concluded that, universally, trees that have died from drought are unable to transport water to their leaves. The findings also highlight trees that have drained their carbon reserves since they are not able to carry out photosynthesis. The results of the study will permit the creation of more precise models for predicting the effects of climatic changes on vegetation.

A study with the participation of researchers from CREAF and the UAB warns that increasing droughts could affect forests’ species composition and structure, making them more vulnerable.

How does water move inside a tree? CREAF researchers are helping to demystify such topics using 3D images wich reconstruct the internal structure of tree branches and trunks, and further, deepening our knowledge on the transport of water and nutrients .