TREES AND STANDS RESPONSES TO THE ENVIRONMENT

Forest ecosystems
- Global biogeochemical cycles
- Precipitation and temperature regimes
- Terrestrial biomes

Variations of the terrestrial radiative balance and induced forest dynamics
- climatic trends of temperature and precipitations
- drought and phenomena of forest mortality
- temperature increase in cold climates: the treeline advance

The soil-plant-atmosphere system
- functional balance between water transport and leaf transpiration
- the extremes of the hydraulic path: roots and leaves
- xylem: anatomy and hydraulic properties; differences between conifers and broadleaved
- phloem: anatomy and hydraulic properties
- long distance transport in xylem and phloem

Limiting climatic factors in the soil-plant-atmosphere system
- soil water availability and VPD
- loss of conductivity in the xylem due to embolism
- the viscosity of phloem lymph
- effect of temperature on photosynthesis and respiration
- effect of CO2 on photosynthesis
- effect of nitrogen availability on photosynthesis

The carbon balance at the single tree level
- allocation of carbon resources
- priority of functional processes for tree survival
- the problem of the trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety
- the hydraulic effect of tree growth

Adaptation and acclimation to climate change
- anatomical modifications of the xylem
- anatomical modifications of the phloem
- structural balance between different organs (leaves, xylem, phloem, aboveground biomass, belowground biomass)

Forest ecosystems
- carbon balance in forest ecosystems (GPP, NPP, NEP, NEE)
- the structure of the forest
- future scenarios