Forest and Range Management Research Institute

Climate teleconnections drive highly variable and synchronous seed production (masting) over large scales. Disentangling the effect of high-frequency (inter-annual variation) from low-frequency (decadal trends) components of climate oscillations will improve our understanding of masting as an ecosystem process. Using century-long observations on masting (the MASTREE database) and data on the Northern Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), we show that in the last 60 years both high-frequency summer and spring NAO, and low-frequency winter NAO components are highly correlated to continent-wide masting in European beech and Norway spruce. Relationships are weaker (non-stationary) in the early twentieth century. This finding improves our understanding on how climate variation affects large-scale synchronization of tree masting. Moreover, it supports the connection between proximate and ultimate causes of masting: indeed, large-scale features of atmospheric circulation coherently drive cues and resources for masting, as well as its evolutionary drivers, such as pollination efficiency, abundance of seed dispersers, and natural disturbance regimes.

Climatically controlled allocation to reproduction is a key mechanism by which climate influences tree growth and may explain lagged correlations between climate and growth. We used continent-wide datasets of tree-ring chronologies and annual reproductive effort in Fagus sylvatica from 1901 to 2015 to characterise relationships between climate, reproduction and growth. Results highlight that variable allocation to reproduction is a key factor for growth in this species, and that high reproductive effort ('mast years') is associated with stem growth reduction. Additionally, high reproductive effort is associated with previous summer temperature, creating lagged climate effects on growth. Consequently, understanding growth variability in forest ecosystems requires the incorporation of reproduction, which can be highly variable. Our results suggest that future response of growth dynamics to climate change in this species will be strongly influenced by the response of reproduction.

for eggplant). Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic trees and PCA outputs obtained from the whole dataset highlighted genetic relationships among accessions and species which were congruent with what was previously reported in literature. Better discrimination among domesticated accessions was achieved by using the target SNPs, while better discrimination among wild species was achieved using the whole SNP dataset. Our results reveal that SPET genotyping is a robust, high-throughput technology for genetic fingerprinting, with a high degree of cross-transferability between crops and their cultivated and wild relatives, and allows identification of duplicates and mislabeled accessions in genebanks.

Mast seeding is a crucial population process in many tree species, but its spatio-temporal patterns and drivers at the continental scale remain unknown . Using a large dataset (8000 masting observations across Europe for years 1950-2014) we analysed the spatial pattern of masting across the entire geographical range of European beech, how it is influenced by precipitation, temperature and drought, and the temporal and spatial stability of masting-weather correlations. Beech masting exhibited a general distance-dependent synchronicity and a pattern structured in three broad geographical groups consistent with continental climate regimes. Spearman's correlations and logistic regression revealed a general pattern of beech masting correlating negatively with temperature in the summer 2 yr before masting, and positively with summer temperature 1 yr before masting (i.e. 2T model). The temperature difference between the two previous summers (DeltaT model) was also a good predictor. Moving correlation analysis applied to the longest eight chronologies (74-114 yr) revealed stable correlations between temperature and masting, confirming consistency in weather cues across space and time. These results confirm widespread dependency of masting on temperature and lend robustness to the attempts to reconstruct and predict mast years using temperature data.

Abstract This review provides the fundamental theoretical tools for the development of a complete wave‐function formalism for the study of time‐evolution of chemico‐physical systems at finite temperature. The methodology is based on the non‐equilibrium thermo‐field dynamics (NE‐TFD) representation of quantum mechanics, which is alternative to the commonly used density matrix representation. TFD concepts are extended and integrated with the tensor‐train (TT) numerical tools leading to a novel and powerful theoretical and computational framework for the study of complex quantum dynamical problems. In addition, NE‐TFD techniques are extended to enable the study of dissipative open systems via a new formulation of the hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) fully integrated with TT methodologies. We demonstrate that the combination of the TFD machinery with computational advantages of TTs results in a powerful theoretical and computational framework for scrutinizing dynamics of complex multidimensional electron‐vibrational systems. We illustrate the validity and the computational advantages of the developed methodologies by applying them to the study of quantum coherence effects in the energy‐transfer processes in antenna systems, to the analysis of fingerprints of vibrational modes in electron‐transfer and charge‐transfer processes in various model and realistic multidimensional molecular systems, as well as to simulation of other fundamental models of physical chemistry. This article is categorized under: Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Reaction Dynamics and Kinetics Theoretical and Physical Chemistry > Statistical Mechanics

Quantum electron-vibrational dynamics in molecular systems at finite temperature is described using an approach based on Thermo Field Dynamics theory. This formulation treats temperature effects in the Hilbert space without introducing the Liouville space. The solution of Thermo Field Dynamics equations with a novel technique for the propagation of Tensor Trains (Matrix Product States) is implemented and discussed. The methodology is applied to the study of the exciton dynamics in the Fenna-Mathews-Olsen complex using a realistic structured spectral density to model the electron-phonon interaction. The results of the simulations highlight the effect of specific vibrational modes on the exciton dynamics and energy transfer process, as well as call for careful modeling of electron-phonon couplings.

This study applies an optimization-based approach for calibrating building energy models using monitored data. The calibration was carried out on a test building coupling the EnergyPlus energy simulation tool with the GenOpt optimization tool. The objective function was set to minimize the difference between simulated and monitored energy consumption. For evaluating the model accuracy, the Mean Bias Error (MBE) and the Coefficient of Variation of the RMSE (Cv (RMSE)) were calculated and found consistent with ASHRAE guideline 14 limits for a model to be considered calibrated.

Abstract. Digital terrain models are key tools in land analysis and management as they are directly employable in GIS systems and other specific applications like hydraulic modelling, geotechnical analyses, road planning, telecommunication, and many others. TIN generation, from different kind of measurement techniques, is ruled by specific regulations. Interpolation techniques to compute a regular grid from a TIN, are, instead, still lacking in specific regulations: a unitary and shared methodology has not already been made compulsory in order to be used in cartographic production while generating digital models. Such ambiguity obviously involves non univocal results and can affect precision, which can lead to divergent analyses on the same territory. In the present study different algorithms will be analysed in order to spot an optimal interpolation methodology. The availability of the recent digital model produced by the Regione Piemonte with airborne LIDAR and the presence of sections of testing realized with higher resolutions and the presence of independent digital models on the same territory allow to set a series of analysis with consequent determination of the best methodologies of interpolation. The analysis of the residuals on the test sites allows to calculate the descriptive statistics of the computed values: all the algorithms have furnished interesting results; all the more interesting, notably for dense models, the IDW (Inverse Distance Weighing) algorithm results to give best results in this study case. Moreover, a comparative analysis was carried out by interpolating data at different input point density, with the purpose of highlighting thresholds in input density that may influence the quality reduction of the final output in the interpolation phase.

Abstract The increasing disturbances in monocultures around the world are testimony to their instability under global change. Many studies have claimed that temporal stability of productivity increases with species richness, although the ecological fundamentals have mainly been investigated through diversity experiments. To adequately manage forest ecosystems, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of the effect of mixing species on the temporal stability of productivity and the way in which it is influenced by climate conditions across large geographical areas. Here, we used a unique dataset of 261 stands combining pure and two‐species mixtures of four relevant tree species over a wide range of climate conditions in Europe to examine the effect of species mixing on the level and temporal stability of productivity. Structural equation modelling was employed to further explore the direct and indirect influence of climate, overyielding, species asynchrony and additive effect (i.e. temporal stability expected from the species growth in monospecific stands) on temporal stability in mixed forests. We showed that by adding only one tree species to monocultures, the level (overyielding: +6%) and stability (temporal stability: +12%) of stand growth increased significantly. We identified the key effect of temperature on destabilizing stand growth, which may be mitigated by mixing species. We further confirmed asynchrony as the main driver of temporal stability in mixed stands, through both the additive effect and species interactions, which modify between‐species asynchrony in mixtures in comparison to monocultures. Synthesis and applications . This study highlights the emergent properties associated with mixing two species, which result in resource efficient and temporally stable production systems. We reveal the negative impact of mean temperature on temporal stability of forest productivity and how the stabilizing effect of mixing two species can counterbalance this impact. The overyielding and temporal stability of growth addressed in this paper are essential for ecosystem services closely linked with the level and rhythm of forest growth. Our results underline that mixing two species can be a realistic and effective nature‐based climate solution, which could contribute towards meeting EU climate target policies.

Flavescence dorée phytoplasma ( FDP ) titre in two red grapevine cultivars, B arbera and N ebbiolo, was measured over the vegetative seasons of two consecutive years in two vineyards of the P iemonte R egion (northwestern I taly), with a double absolute quantification of FDP cells and grapevine DNA in real‐time PCR . The relationships of pathogen concentration to cultivar susceptibility and symptom severity were investigated. FDP titre was always higher in cv. Barbera than in cv. N ebbiolo infected vines, and this difference was significant at early and late summer samplings of 2008 and at early summer sampling of 2009. A seasonal trend in FDP concentration (low in spring, high in early summer and intermediate in late summer) was conserved for cvs B arbera and N ebbiolo in both years and vineyards. Considering both cultivars and years from both vineyards, a significant positive correlation between FDP concentration and symptom severity was found in the spring samples. Regarding the FDP strains (‐ C or ‐ D ), no differences in pathogen titres were detected for either cultivar. Similarly, the presence of another grapevine yellows phytoplasma, bois noir, a subgroup 16Sr XII ‐ A phytoplasma, in mixed infection with FDP strains had no effect on FDP concentration. These results demonstrate for the first time that grapevine cultivars with different susceptibility to FDP support different pathogen titres.

We extend the twin-space formulation of the hierarchical equations of motion approach in combination with the matrix product state representation [R. Borrelli, J. Chem. Phys. 150, 234102 (2019)] to nonequilibrium scenarios where the open quantum system is coupled to a hybrid fermionic and bosonic environment. The key ideas used in the extension are a reformulation of the hierarchical equations of motion for the auxiliary density matrices into a time-dependent Schrödinger-like equation for an augmented multi-dimensional wave function as well as a tensor decomposition into a product of low-rank matrices. The new approach facilitates accurate simulations of non-equilibrium quantum dynamics in larger and more complex open quantum systems. The performance of the method is demonstrated for a model of a molecular junction exhibiting current-induced mode-selective vibrational excitation.

The scope of this project was the collection of data and information on biology, phenology and control of vectors and potential vectors of Xylella fastidiosa (referred to, from now on, as Xf vectors). Systematic literature searches covering the different topics were conducted on authoritative databases indexing peer-reviewed scientific publications as well as on grey literature repositories. An extraction table on the ecology and phenology of Xf vectors was generated, together with a draft protocol for field data collection targeted to Philaenus spumarius. Efficacy tables on different control methods were also produced and crosschecked with data on plant protection products currently applied in the EU with effect on Xf vectors, producing a good agricultural practices table. With the help of questionnaires, we inventoried: i) the ongoing integrated pest management programmes on stone fruits, citrus, grapevine and olive crops in the Mediterranean Member States (MedMSs), and the monitoring activity on Xylella vectors currently conducted in all the EU MSs. Finally, we collected new experimental data on phenology and ecology of P. spumarius and other spittlebug species for three consecutive years (2016-2018). The data have been collected via field surveys in olive orchards, vineyards and insect rearing at the macrocosm (field), mesocosm (screenhouse) and microcosm (small rearing cage) level. All observations in olive groves were conducted in parallel in the Apulia and Liguria regions, while those in vineyard were carried out in the Piedmont region (Italy). The results are provided in the body of the report as metanalysis and in Excel tables as supporting material and concern i) phenology, host-plant associations and population dynamics of nymphs and adults of P. spumarius and other spittlebugs under different environmental conditions, ii) fecundity and reproductive biology from microcosms and field-collected females. Field and mesocosm data are supported by agronomic and meteorological data.

It is commonly believed that wildfires in southern Europe have been favored by the encroachment of flammable vegetation on cultivated and grazed areas no longer managed as a consequence of deep socio-economic changes in rural areas. Using the whole of Italy as study case, this paper explores the hypothesis that wildfires selectively burn areas with specific land use changes (LUC) characteristic of agricultural land abandonment, especially in large (> 500 ha) and recurrent burnt areas. Additionally, we examined LUC within 200 m buffer areas around perimeters of large fires to explore if active land management may hamper the growth of large fires. To investigate the study hypotheses, pre-fire LUC were compared within six different geographic domains defined according to the burnt areas from 2007 to 2017 across Italy. Estimates of LUC between 1990 and 2008 came from the Italian Land Use Inventory (IUTI), which is based on photointerpretation of 1,206,198 sample points on high-resolution aerial images. The analyses reveal that LUC in all geographical domains reflect typical trends of agricultural land abandonment in southern Europe during the last decades: expansion of forests, shrubland and new settlements at the expense of agricultural land, grasslands and pastures. However, results show higher rates of pre-fire LUC in burnt areas than in the rest of territory considered available for burning. We found that higher rates of forest expansion and shrub encroachment on abandoned grasslands and pastures are related to a higher incidence of large and recurrent fires, respectively. Furthermore, areas surrounding large fires were less affected by pre-fire land abandonment than burnt areas and show higher increases in vineyards and orchards. Our findings suggest that land abandonment have probably increased fire proneness at national scale by expanding shrub and tree encroachment, and thus increasing fuel connectivity and fuel build-up. Therefore, we urge for a greater integration between fire management and rural development policies.

The impact of temperature (0-80°C) on anaerobic biogeochemical processes and prokaryotic communities in marine sediments (tidal flat) was investigated in slurries for up to 100 days. Temperature had a non-linear effect on biogeochemistry and prokaryotes with rapid changes over small temperature intervals. Some activities (e.g. methanogenesis) had multiple 'windows' within a large temperature range (∼10 to 80°C). Others, including acetate oxidation, had maximum activities within a temperature zone, which varied with electron acceptor [metal oxide (up to ∼34°C) and sulphate (up to ∼50°C)]. Substrates for sulphate reduction changed from predominantly acetate below, and H2 above, a 43°C critical temperature, along with changes in activation energies and types of sulphate-reducing Bacteria. Above ∼43°C, methylamine metabolism ceased with changes in methanogen types and increased acetate concentrations (>1 mM). Abundances of uncultured Archaea, characteristic of deep marine sediments (e.g. MBGD Euryarchaeota, 'Bathyarchaeota') changed, indicating their possible metabolic activity and temperature range. Bacterial cell numbers were consistently higher than archaeal cells and both decreased above ∼15°C. Substrate addition stimulated activities, widened some activity temperature ranges (methanogenesis) and increased bacterial (×10) more than archaeal cell numbers. Hence, additional organic matter input from climate-related eutrophication may amplify the impact of temperature increases on sedimentary biogeochemistry.

AIMS: In this study, binding between the immunodominant membrane protein Imp of the 16SrV-D phytoplasma associated with Flavescence dorée disease (FD-Dp) and insect proteins of vectors and non-vectors of FD-Dp was tested. METHODS AND RESULTS: Six Auchenorrhyncha species, from distantly related groups were selected: Scaphoideus titanus, Euscelidius variegatus, Macrosteles quadripunctulatus, Zyginidia pullula (Cicadomorpha), Ricania speculum and Metcalfa pruinosa (Fulgoromorpha). The vector status of each species was retrieved from the literature or determined by transmission trials in this study. A His-tagged partial Imp protein and a rabbit polyclonal antibody were synthesized and used for Western and Far-Western dot Blot (FWdB) experiments. Total native and membrane proteins (MP) were extracted from entire bodies and organs (gut and salivary glands) of each insect species. FWdB showed decreasing interaction intensities of Imp fusion protein with total proteins from entire bodies of S. titanus, E. variegatus (competent vectors) and M. quadripunctulatus (non-vector), while no interaction signal was detected with the other three species (non-vectors). A strong signal detected upon interaction of FD-D Imp and MP from guts of closely related insects supports the role of this organ as the first barrier to ensure successful transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that specific Imp binding, correlated with vector status, is involved in interactions between FD-Dp and insect proteins. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Integrating knowledge on host-pathogen protein-protein interactions and on insect phylogeny would help to identify the actual range of vectors of phytoplasma strains of economic importance.

BACKGROUND: Hazelnut skin is the perisperm of the hazelnut kernel. It is separated from the kernel during the roasting process and is normally discarded. Recent studies have reported that hazelnut skin is a rich source of dietary fibre as well as of natural antioxidants owing to the presence of phenolic compounds. The aim of this study was to assess the use of hazelnut skins obtained from different cultivars for enhancing the nutritional value of fresh egg pasta. RESULTS: Skins obtained from roasted hazelnuts of four different varieties were used at three concentrations as a flour replacement in fresh egg pasta. Hazelnut skin concentration significantly influenced all evaluated physicochemical parameters as well as consumers' appreciation for the pasta, but significant differences were also observed between the four varieties. Although pasta produced with 10 and 15% hazelnut skin displayed the highest content of polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant activity in vitro, pasta containing 5% Tombul hazelnut skin showed maximum consumer preference. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in the present study highlighted that it is possible to use hazelnut skin in fresh pasta production to obtain a fortified food with high fibre content and antioxidant activity. The characteristics of the resulting pasta were strictly correlated with the hazelnut variety used for skin production and, of course, with the percentage of skin that was added.

Abstract The Grapevine virus A ( GVA ) and Grapevine leafroll‐associated viruses 1 and 3 ( GLRaV ‐1 and GLRaV ‐3) are associated with grapevine diseases that induce severe reductions in yield and berry quality. These three viruses are known to coexist in both grapevine and insect vectors, but their cotransmission has been poorly characterised so far. This study investigates the acquisition and transmission of GLRaV ‐1, GLRaV ‐3 and GVA by Planococcus ficus and Planococcus citri ( Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae ) following feeding on multiple‐infected plants. The retention and load of the three viruses in the two insect species were analysed. After feeding onto GVA , GLRaV ‐1 and GLRaV ‐3 mixed‐infected grapevines, nymphs of P. ficus and P. citri showed similar virus acquisition rates and retained low quantities of viruses until the third post‐acquisition day. Despite the similar acquisition patterns, the two vectors differed in transmission efficiency: P. ficus showed a higher efficiency in transmitting GVA and GLRaV ‐3, whereas P. citri transmitted GLRaV ‐1 more efficiently. When focusing on the virus cotransmission, it appears that GVA could be transmitted to grapevine without GLRaV ‐1 and/or GLRaV ‐3 and that the transmission of both GLRaVs could take place in the absence of GVA . This comparative study involving different viruses and vector species improves the current knowledge of the semi‐persistent transmission of these three viruses and contributes to the understanding of grapevine virus epidemiology.

Abstract We develop a wave‐function‐based method for the simulation of quantum dynamics of systems with many degrees of freedom at finite temperature. The method is inspired by the ideas of Thermo Field Dynamics (TFD). As TFD, our method is based on the doubling of the system's degrees of freedom and thermal Bogoliubov transformation. As distinct from TFD, our method implements the doubling of thermalized degrees of freedom only, and relies upon the explicitly constructed generalized thermal Bogoliubov transformation, which is not restricted to fermionic and bosonic degrees of freedom. This renders the present approach computationally efficient and applicable to a large variety of systems.

Abstract Phytoplasmas are wall‐less bacteria associated with many plant diseases of wild and cultivated plants, transmitted by hemipteran insects. In nature, vectors can acquire more than one phytoplasma by feeding on multiple‐infected source plants or sequentially on plants infected by different phytoplasmas. The acquisition of multiple phytoplasmas may lead to their interaction in the insects. In this work, nymphs of the leafhopper Euscelidius variegatus were allowed to feed sequentially on Flavescence dorée (FDP)‐infected and chrysanthemum yellows (CYP)‐infected source plants and vice‐versa. Following the acquisition feeding, the titre of the two phytoplasmas in the insect was measured over time. FDP and CYP transmission capability of the doubly infected leafhoppers was studied by transmission to Vicia faba and to artificial feeding medium. Both phytoplasmas were acquired by the vector regardless of the feeding order and FDP titre, but not CYP titre, was affected by double infection. FDP and CYP persisted in the insect for life. Only CYP was consistently and efficiently transmitted by doubly infected leafhoppers. Consistently, FDP was seldom detected in the salivary glands and never in the artificial feeding medium of doubly infected leafhoppers. In conclusion, competition between CYP and FDP affected only salivary gland colonisation, while it had almost no effect on phytoplasma acquisition. Competition among phytoplasma strains in an evolutionary time scale may explain the greater ability of CYP to colonise the insect body and be transmitted.

Abstract ‘ Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium’ is associated with a lethal disease of almond, peach and nectarine named almond witches'‐broom disease (AlmWB). The disease spread rapidly in Lebanon from coastal areas to elevations exceeding 1200 m, killing over 150,000 trees in a span of two decades. The mode of spread suggested the involvement of efficient vector(s) and Asymmetrasca decedens (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) was suspected as it is the most abundant leafhopper species present in Lebanese stone fruit orchards. Living A. decedens specimens were collected from fields heavily infested by AlmWB and used in transmission trials on healthy peach almond hybrid GF‐677 and peach GF‐305 seedlings with an inoculation‐access period of 30 days. PCR analysis supported by sequencing showed that A. decedens is a carrier of the phytoplasma, and that the phytoplasma was detected in insect salivary glands and in some inoculated GF‐677 and GF‐305 seedlings. One year post‐inoculation, ‘ Ca. P. phoenicium’ was detected in newly emergent leaves of inoculated seedlings. However, the characteristic symptoms of witches'‐broom were not observed. PCR amplified fragments from phytoplasma‐positive seedlings and from A. decedens samples showed 99.9% nucleotide identity in their 16S RNA region and phylogenetic analysis using a neighbour jointing tree confirmed that the phytoplasmas detected in both insects and inoculated seedlings belonged to 16SrIX‐B (D). The present manuscript is the first known report for a leafhopper vector of ‘ Ca. P. phoenicium’ and shows that the incubation period of the disease in plants may be longer than 1 year. The importance of phytosanitary control measures, the adoption of a national strategy and regional cooperation in order to contain the further spread of the disease are discussed.