Boreal and Temperate Trees in a Changing Climate ― Modelling the Ecophysiology of Seasonality

Boreal and temperate tree species are adapted to the seasonally varying climatic conditions with their annual cycle of development so that the frost hardy dormant phase and the susceptible growth phase are synchronized with the seasonality of the climate. The annual cycle includes various attributes such as timing of bud burst and other phenological events, and seasonality of photosynthetic capacity or frost hardiness of the trees. During the last few decades dynamic ecophysiological models have been used increasingly in studies of the annual cycle, especially when projecting the ecological effects of climate change. These studies are reviewed and some additional new ideas on the topic are also introduced. A unifying notation is used throughout the book when discussing different aspects of the annual cycle. Main emphasis is on combining modelling with experimental studies and on the importance of the biological realism of the models

Heikki Hanninen was born in Laukaa, Central Finland, in 1957. He studied ecology in Jyvaskyla and forest science in Joensuu, where he received his PhD in 1990. He worked in various positions at the University of Joensuu (currently part of the University of Eastern Finland) until his appointment to Professor of Terrestrial Plant Ecology at the University of Helsinki in March 1997. Professor Hanninen’s main research interest is the seasonality and climatic adaptation of northern plants, with the assessment of the effects of the projected climatic change as the principal domain of application in his research work. During his early career he worked with forest trees, but after moving to Helsinki he broadened his scope to cover other plant life forms as well. Throughout his career, the combining of experimental ecophysiology with dynamic modelling has been a leading theme in Professor Hanninen’s research. He is a member of the Editorial Review Board ofTree Physiology.