Forest Biology Center

Our recent paper shows that in birds, anti-predator responses toward previously unfamiliar sounds (samples of punk rock songs) can be socially transmitted among territorial individuals, with naïve birds learning through the association of unfamiliar sounds and alarm calling reactions of conspecific neighbors. Moreover, once learned soon after nestlings hatching, the anti-predator response of parents can be retained until the end of nestlings rearing period. Thus, at the beginning of a pivotal phase of a breeding cycle, birds can acquire a vital life skill—recognition of novel risk cues—from conspecific neighbors, which they can incorporate into their own repertoire of anti-predator behaviors and use later when taking care of own nestlings. Jointly, these results demonstrate social learning as one of the mechanisms explaining the widespread abilities of animals to assess predation risk via acoustic signals. Read the full story here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01858-6

Our new paper explores how seed production in perennial plants, like European beech (Fagus sylvatica), synchronizes across vast distances, affecting ecosystem functions. The study reveals that the summer solstice serves as a celestial cue, triggering synchronized responses to weather conditions among widely separated populations of European beech. This ‘starting gun’ initiates ecological events with high spatial synchrony across the continent, highlighting the significance of celestial cues and weather coordination in shaping ecosystem dynamics.
Read the full story: https://rdcu.be/dADZx

Masting, the synchronized seed production among plants, is often seen as a reproductive strategy. But is it inherited? We studied 110 Sorbus aucuparia L. trees for 22 years to find out. We discovered that trees with similar genetics and growing conditions shared similar reproductive patterns. Also, trees of similar sizes had comparable fluctuations in fruiting from year to year, influenced partly by genetics. These findings suggest that masting behavior is inherited and can adapt to nature’s challenges, giving us new insights into how plants reproduce and thrive.

New study in European Journal of Forest Research dissects 22 years of rowan tree fecundity, emphasizing the pivotal role of DBH and the dominance of light availability. Notably, neighborhood crowding unveiled a correlation with pollinator competition. This research advances seed production ecology understanding, offering insights for effective fruit supply management. Read the full study:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10342-024-01661-5

New paper in Ecology shows that reproductive performance of Wood Warblers – small, ground-nesting songbirds – is much lower in years following mast seeding than in years preceded by mast failures, as mast seeding indirectly increases predation pressure on Wood Warbler nests. Moreover, matrix population models revealed that regional variation in mast seeding frequency is a possible explanation for divergent population trends of Wood Warblers in different regions of Europe. The paper can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4227

New paper in Nature Communications takes 517 plant species and links their interannual variation of seed production with functional traits. While interannual variation in seed production is highest in temperate and boreal zones, our analysis controlling for environment and phylogeny indicates that masting is more frequent in species that invest in tissue longevity.

There is a write-up on that paper in the Nature blog, and the paper is here.

Phenology, corresponding to the study of periodic events, plays an important role in fitness and species distribution because it determines when a species grows and reproduces. Here, F. Jean et al. compiled a dataset of leaf phenology observations for European Beech and Silver fir. The data has been recorded at the tree level, from bud development to leaf unfolding date, along the Mont-Ventoux, a mountain in the South of France. 

A new paper in Methods and Ecology Evolution rediscovers CVk, a CV-based metric that has some interesting features making it worth looking at in masting studies. These include the reduced sample size needed to discover trends, especially worthy one given the logistical challenges of long-term seed production monitoring and the scarcity of such data.

In June 2023, the Forest Biology Center organized a conference at Gułtowy Palace (near Poznań).
We had a great time discussing science, exchanging ideas, planning papers, and networking.
Now, we are in the process of writing a perspective paper that will gather the work we accomplished during the meeting. Stay tuned!

Last month our lab member, Kasia Kondrat defended her master’s thesis on Drivers of intraspecific variation in fecundity in rowan. This study investigated the factors influencing fecundity using a 22-year fruit-count dataset from 167 individual trees. Findings highlighted diameter at breast height (DBH) as the best size proxy for standardizing fecundity, and light availability played a major role in rowan’s fecundity. Congratulations Kasia!