On tree longevity

Abstract

Large, majestic trees are iconic symbols of great age among living organisms. Published evidence suggests that trees do not die because of genetically programmed senescence in their meristems, but rather are killed by an external agent or a disturbance event. Long tree lifespans are therefore allowed by specific combinations of life history traits within realized niches that support resistance to, or avoidance of, extrinsic mortality. Another requirement for trees to achieve their maximum longevity is either sustained growth over extended periods of time or at least the capacity to increase their growth rates when conditions allow it. The growth plasticity and modularity of trees can then be viewed as an evolutionary advantage that allows them to survive and reproduce for centuries and millennia. As more and more scientific information is systematically collected on tree ages under various ecological settings, it is becoming clear that tree longevity is a key trait for global syntheses of life history strategies, especially in connection with disturbance regimes and their possible future modifications. In addition, we challenge the long-held notion that shade-tolerant, late-successional species have longer lifespans than earlysuccessional species by pointing out that tree species with extreme longevity do not fit this paradigm. Identifying extremely old trees is therefore the groundwork not only for protecting and/or restoring entire landscapes, but also to revisit and update classic ecological theories that shape our understanding of environmental change.

Limited sink but large storage: Biomass dynamics in naturally developing beech (Fagus sylvatica) and oak (Quercus robur,Quercus petraea) forests of north‐western Germany

“…Although the decrease in growth with increasing age is paradigmatic for even-aged stands (Binkley et al, 2002), whether this relationship also holds true for more complex (uneven-aged, mixed, naturally developing) forests is thus far unclear (Carey et al, 2001). Results from plant physiology cast doubt on a simple negative effect of age on growth, as clear evidence for genetically programmed senescence in plant tissues has yet to be presented (Munné-Bosch, 2008;Piovesan & Biondi, 2021).…”

Copy number analyses of DNA repair genes reveal the role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in tree longevity

“…An inverse relationship between copy number ratios in PARPs and growth rate in tree species Next, we tested whether there is a significant association between copy number ratio of PARPs and longevity. Because reliable estimation of plant lifespan is difficult and maximum tree lifespans published in prestigious scientific journals are not always supported by scientific evidence (Piovesan and Biondi, 2020), we used growth rate (the rate of height increment) instead of lifespan. In the field of forest ecology, ll OPEN…”

“…To assess the possibility that the increased copy number of PARP is associated with longevity, it is useful to investigate the relationship between copy number ratio of PARP and plant lifespan. Because reliable estimation of plant lifespan is very difficult and published maximum tree lifespans are not always supported by scientific evidence (Piovesan and Biondi, 2020), we used growth rate that is inversely related to lifespan of many plant species (Johnson and Abrams, 2009;Black et al, 2008). It has been discussed that long-lived, late successional species typically grow more slowly, invest more resources for defensive compounds and structural support, and maintain lower rates of photosynthesis and respiration than shorter-lived, early successional species (Loehle, 1988).…”

Old and ancient trees are life history lottery winners and act as evolutionary buffers against long-term environmental change

“…Among tropical tree species in aseasonal climates, growth rings are not tightly linked to annual cycles, making temporal dynamics difficult to interpret [10][11] . Overall, the most reliable methods require complex -time consumingstudies and these are rare at the population or community level 12 .…”