Welcome to Climatree

Christiaan van der Schoot

Developmental and Adaptive Responses of Forest Trees to Climate Change 2003-2007

The WMO and UN’s Intergovermental Panel on Climate Change predicts that as a result of Clobal warming the world’s climate will undergo distinct alterations during the next 100 years. The average temperature will rise and some areas will become warmer and drier, whereas other areas will become colder and more humid. An even more acute thread is posed by the predicted instability of the climate (RegClim 2002) as temperature and humidity will show unusual fluctuations while the photoperiod remains unaffected. These changes will have dramatic consequences for the life of plants, as they are sessile organisms and cannot move to more suitable environments. The situation will be particularly problematic for species with long generation time, such as trees. Trees and other perennials strongly rely in their growth and development on proper combination of environmental cues. Such adaptive events as growth cessation, onset and breakage of dormancy, acclimation and deacclimation as well as flowering (especially in the case of vernalization) are dependent on environmental regulation, particularly the combination of photoperiod and temperature. This project aims to gain deeper understanding of various aspects of climatic adaptation of plants by carrying out studies at molecular, physiological and whole plant level. This information will be important, as climate instabilities might endanger the health and survival of some tree species in the future.

CLIMATREE is a Strategic University Program at the (Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB), Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (IPM). The project is financed by the Norwegian Research Council (NFR), Division "Bioproduksjon og Foredling".

Updated: 11.01.06
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