Evolutionary ecological study on tree crowns of broad-leaved trees: light competition and forest production

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K21332
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 40:Forestry and forest products science, applied aquatic science, and related fields
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Onoda Yusuke 京都大学, 農学研究科, 准教授 (70578864)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-07-30 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 樹形 / 光競争 / 個体成長 / 林分成長 / 力学

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The purpose of this study is to clarify the impact of crown shape on competition and forest production in broad-leaved trees through deep understanding of relationships between tree strength, crown shape, light acquisition, and light utilization. A comparative study on wood mechanics and tree shape of 15 species showed that broad-leaved trees can be extended the lateral branches more safely without changing the amount of biomass, even with high wood mass for a given volume. To evaluate the competition and growth mediated by genetic variation in tree morphology, we conducted cultivation experiments using eight chestnut strains with different tree morphologies. Our hypothesis that genotypes with more branches would grow better at low densities and worse at high densities was weakly supported. A new experimental site was established for long-term observation in the Kamigamo Experimental Station.

Free Research Field

森林科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

樹種によって、どうして樹形が異なるのかという、一般的な問いに対して、力学的かつ進化学的な視点から答えを見出した。また樹形が光競争を通して、個体生産と林分生産にどのような影響を及ぼすかを検討した。この研究が進むことにより、林分生産を向上させる樹形をもつ遺伝型の選抜など、林業への貢献が期待される。