Wood Anatomy and Evaluation of Wood Structures and Their Modifications—2nd Edition

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Wood Science and Forest Products".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 November 2024 | Viewed by 1644

Special Issue Editors


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Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università, 100, Portici, 80055 Naples, Italy
Interests: functional anatomical traits; plant hydraulics; quantitative wood anatomy; dendro-sciences; xylogenesis; intra-annual density fluctuations; plant morpho-functional adaptation in natural environments and in crop production; plant adaptation to extreme environments
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Guest Editor
Department of Wood Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: wood anatomy; properties; wood use; archaeological wood; cultural heritage; rare species; invasive species; innovative products; wood products
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Guest Editor
Department of Wood Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Jamnikarjeva ulica 101, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Interests: wood and phloem formation; intra-annual density fluctuation; functional wood traits; quantitative wood anatomy; drought response; mediterranean ecosystems; scanning electron microscopy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wood is a remarkably complex and fascinating biological structure and natural lignocellulosic polymer. Xylem provides water with conductive function, structural support to the tree, as well as serving in the storage of nutrients. Xylem is built with different cell types and structures, which not only evolved over hundreds of millions of years to accomplish their function, but also undergo a continuous and rapid adaptation during their lifetime. The analysis of wood cells and structures can provide valuable information about a tree, including the tree species, its eco-physiological response, the stage of development, the co-occurring environmental conditions during growth, and the events that occurred during its life and its quality. Although the general features of the xylem are species specific, many quantitative traits are modified by the growth environment (such as extreme events: frost, drought, flooding, lack of light, and pests). These modifications appear as anomalies in the xylem and in tree rings, such as false-, frost-, light-, and blue-rings, etc.

Mechanical stress (such as wind, snow, ice storms, mechanical injuries, and pruning) can also lead to the formation of atypical wood structures, such as reaction wood, wound wood, scar tissue, callus, necrotic tissue, etc. Wood anatomy and atypical wood structures can serve as markers to reconstruct events in time, and they can provide important information regarding the adaptive response to functional and ecological variations and the recovery ability of a tree. Moreover, understanding xylem structures and responses may be useful in predicting functional trends and climate change impacts on woody plants. This Special Issue aims to provide an overview of the latest knowledge on xylem anatomy evaluation and the codification of xylem structures linked with their functional and ecological rule.

Prof. Dr. Veronica De Micco
Dr. Maks Merela
Dr. Angela Balzano
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • wood anatomy
  • false rings
  • frost rings
  • functional anatomical traits
  • quantitative wood anatomy
  • juvenile wood
  • reaction wood
  • vessels inclusions
  • wound wood
  • scar tissue
  • compartmentalization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 13582 KiB  
Article
Fabrication of Silica–Titanium Composite Film on Wood Surface and Optimization of Its Structure and Properties
by Zhigao Liu, Qianying Li, Si Cheng, Penglian Wei and Yunlin Fu
Forests 2024, 15(8), 1410; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15081410 - 12 Aug 2024
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Abstract
In this thesis, wood loaded with a silica–titanium (Si-Ti) composite film was prepared using the sol–gel method in order to achieve improved wood with high hydrophobicity and photocatalytic activity under visible light. The factors affecting the structure and properties of the composite film, [...] Read more.
In this thesis, wood loaded with a silica–titanium (Si-Ti) composite film was prepared using the sol–gel method in order to achieve improved wood with high hydrophobicity and photocatalytic activity under visible light. The factors affecting the structure and properties of the composite film, as well as the optimization process, were discussed. Infrared analysis revealed that the vibrational intensity of Si-O-Si, Ti-O-Ti, and Ti-O-Si telescopic vibration peaks increased with an increase in vinyltriethoxysilane (VETS). Additionally, the number of Ti-O-Ti telescopic vibration peaks also increased with an increase in VETS. Furthermore, the intensity of -NO3, Si-O-Si, and Ti-O-Ti telescopic vibrational peaks was enhanced with a higher dosage of nitric acid. Conversely, the intensity of -OH telescopic vibrational peaks decreased with an increase in drying temperature. XRD analysis showed that nitric acid could promote the transformation of TiO2 from amorphous to anatase, while SiO2 would reduce the grain size of anatase TiO2 and promote the growth of rutile TiO2. Additionally, wood surfaces loaded with Si-Ti composite film changed from hydrophilic to hydrophobic, with significant differences observed between different levels of each factor. The photocatalytic activity of surface-loaded Si-Ti composite films on wood was most affected by the amount of nitric acid, which influenced crystallinity of TiO2 and thus impacted the photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, changes in VTES dosage not only affected the crystalline phase of TiO2 and the grain size of Si-Ti composite film but also influenced the crystallinity of TiO2 through generating SiO2. Finally, based on optimal preparation process (titanium–alcohol ratio of 1:5, titanium–silicon ratio of 1:0.2, titanium–acid ratio of 1:0.5, and drying temperature of 100 °C), wood surfaces loaded with Si-Ti composite film achieved a contact angle up to 125.9° and exhibited a decolorization rate for rhodamine B under UV light reaching 94% within 180 min. Full article
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20 pages, 12372 KiB  
Article
Influence of Anatomical Spatial Architecture of Pinus devoniana on Pressure Gradients Inferred from Coupling Three-Dimensional CT Imaging and Numerical Flow Simulations
by Juan Gabriel Rivera-Ramos, José Cruz de León, Dante Arteaga, Raúl Espinoza-Herrera, Erica Arreola García, Manuel Arroyo-Albiter and Luis Olmos
Forests 2024, 15(8), 1403; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15081403 - 10 Aug 2024
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Abstract
Conifer forests in Michoacán are facing climate change. Pinus devoniana Lindley, with natural distribution in the state, has shown certain adaptability, and knowing the influence of anatomy in the flow system is essential to delimit how it contributes to safety margins and water [...] Read more.
Conifer forests in Michoacán are facing climate change. Pinus devoniana Lindley, with natural distribution in the state, has shown certain adaptability, and knowing the influence of anatomy in the flow system is essential to delimit how it contributes to safety margins and water efficiency. For this, the pressure gradients in the cell lumens and their ramifications were analyzed by numerical simulations of flow throughout the real microstructure. Xylem were evaluated in radial, tangential and longitudinal directions. With the skeletonization of lumens and their constrictions, a branching system of interconnection between tracheids, ray cells, intercellular chambers, extensions, and blind pits were identified. In the simulation, the branched system bypasses the longitudinal fluid passage through the pores in membranes of pairs of pits to redirect it through the direct path branching, contributing to safety margins and water efficiency. Thus, resilience at low pressures because of the lower pressure drop in the extensions. The interface between the branching system and the cell lumens are sites of higher pressure gradient, more conducive to water-vapor formation or air leakage in the face of the lowest pressure system. The flow lines move along easy paths, regardless of the simulated flow direction. Deposits in the cell extensions were shown to be attached to the S3 layer of the cell wall, leaving the center of the duct free to flow. It is concluded that the spatial architecture of the xylem anatomy of Pinus dvoniana is a factor in the resilience at low pressures due to high water stress of the species. Full article
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