Author Archives: Forest Biology Center

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,Continue reading „Data paper on leaf phenology „

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 playedContinue reading „Kasia Kondrat defended her master’s thesis”

Masting not only enhances plant reproductive efficiency and fitness but also influences entire food webs. However, quantifying the year-to-year variability in masting has been a subject of intense debate. The commonly used coefficient of variation falls short in accounting for the serial dependence and the presence of zeros in individual-level datasets, limiting its suitability forContinue reading „New Phytologist: measuring masting”

Understanding the timing of masting is crucial for successful management and conservation efforts in ecosystems dominated by masting species. That’s why understanding the mechanisms behind masting and developing forecasting tools for seed production is urgently needed. In our recent New Phytologist paper we evaluated the predictive capabilities of three models—foreMast, ΔT, and a sequential model—inContinue reading „New Phytologist: Mast-casting”

Climate change continues to reshape our natural ecosystems, and its impact on tree populations is a topic of great concern. Our recent study investigating the response of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) to climate warming has uncovered intriguing insights into the complex relationship between tree reproduction, climate change, and forest dynamics. The Masting Breakdown Phenomenon: OneContinue reading „Global Change Biology: masting breakdown and tree size”

We are thrilled to announce the publication of our latest paper in Ecology Letters, which was primarily developed in the Forest Biology Center. Masting is a fascinating natural phenomenon characterized by stunning, regional synchrony, with the Moran effect being responsible for reproduction in response to synchronized weather variations. However, species differ significantly in the degreeContinue reading „Ecology Letters: masting regional synchrony”

We are excited to announce the publication of our latest paper in Global Ecology and Biogeography. We utilized an extensive dataset of seed production estimates in trees, which included approximately 800 species, to map seed production onto the tree form and function map. This research was predominantly the result of Michał’s fellowship in France, whereContinue reading „GEB: reproduction of trees on a map of their form”