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Articles by Matti Rousi

Category : Article

article id 5195, category Article

Matti Rousi. (1983). Susceptibility of pine to mammalian herbivores in northern Finland. Silva Fennica vol. 17 no. 4 article id 5195. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15178

Keywords: Pinus sylvestris; fertilization; Scots pine; Alces alces; moose; forest damage; seedling damages; arctic hare; Lepus timidus; root vole; Microtus oeconomus; bank vole; Microtus agrestis

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

An inventory of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) graft collection in Kolari (67°15’ N, 23°45’ S) showed that severe damage by arctic hare (Lepus timidus L.), root and bank vole (Microtus oeconomus Pallas and M. agrestis L.) and moose (Alces alces L.) was done to grafts in size and in rather poor condition. Furthermore, the damage by arctic hare was dependent on the dry matter content of the needles. Another inventory in a fertilization experiment in a pine pole-stage forest showed that nitrogen fertilization increased the damage by arctic hare. On the basis of the present results, an assumption was made that the formation of repellent substances against herbivorous mammals is connected with wintering process of northern pines.

The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

Rousi, E-mail: mr@mm.unknown

Category : Article

article id 7657, category Article

Matti Rousi. (1990). Breeding forest trees for resistance to mammalian herbivores - a study based on European white birch. Acta Forestalia Fennica no. 210 article id 7657. https://doi.org/10.14214/aff.7657

Keywords: Betula pendula; vole; breeding; resistance; clonal forestry; phenotypic plasticity; pests; mammals; Betula platyphylla; interspecific hybrids; climatic adaptibility; hare

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Resistance to browsing by mammals differs among birch species, and among origins and families of European white birch (Betula pendula Roth). The variation in resistance is large even among individual seedlings of the same family.

On the surface of the bark of European white birch seedlings there are resin droplets, and the number of droplets is strongly and positively correlated with resistance to browsing by hares. The resistance of European white birch apparently is not expensive metabolically because the rapid growth rate of seedlings was positively correlated with hare resistance, and no correlation was found between seedling size and vole resistance. In cafeteria experiments voles and hares were very discriminating in their feeding on birch seedlings. In field experiments, however, environmental heterogeneity partly masked differences in vole resistance among birch families. Fertilization of seedlings seems not to have a clear effect on resistance to hares. On the other hand, there were indications that greenhouse temperature had an effect on resistance to voles. Practical forestry applications of differences in resistance, e.g. use of species hybrids and clonal forestry, are discussed. The prospects for resistance breeding are good.

The PDF includes a summary in Finnish.

Rousi, E-mail: mr@mm.unknown

Category : Research article

article id 964, category Research article

Liisa Huttunen, Matthew P. Ayres, Pekka Niemelä, Susanne Heiska, Riitta Tegelberg, Matti Rousi, Seppo Kellomäki. (2013). Interactive effects of defoliation and climate change on compensatory growth of silver birch seedlings. Silva Fennica vol. 47 no. 3 article id 964. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.964

Keywords: root; shoot ratio; biomass; Betula pendula; elevated CO2; elevated temperature; folivory

Highlights: The main components affecting growth compensation in silver birch seedlings are the timing and severity of foliage damage; The ability to compensate growth is also dependent upon the limits of temperature and nutrient availability; The responses of birches imply that folivory does not necessarily lead to reduced net productivity under changing climate

Abstract | Full text in HTML | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Atmospheric warming increases the abundance of insect herbivores and intensifies the risk of defoliation, especially in high latitude forests. At the same time, the effects of increasing temperature and CO₂ on plant responses to foliage damage are poorly understood. We examined if previous-year defoliation, varying between 0 and 75% of total leaf area, and different combinations of elevated temperature, CO₂ and nutrient availability alter the growth of two-year old silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) seedlings. We measured the greatest height growth in seedlings that were fertilized and defoliated twice at the level of 50% of total leaf area, and subjected to elevated temperature with ambient CO₂. The lowest growth was recorded in unfertilized seedlings that were defoliated twice at the level of 25% of total leaf area, and grew under ambient temperature with ambient CO₂. The total biomass increased in all seedlings that were fertilized or grew under elevated temperature. The root: shoot ratios were low in defoliated seedlings, or seedlings subjected to fertilization or temperature elevation. Our conclusion is that ability of birches to compensate height growth is highly dependent upon the magnitude and frequency of defoliation on the limits of temperature and nutrient availability. These responses imply that folivory does not necessarily lead to reduced net productivity of trees under changing climate.

Huttunen, Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland E-mail: liisa.huttunen@utu.fi
Ayres, Biological Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755, USA E-mail: matt.ayres@dartmouth.edu
Niemelä, Section of Biodiversity and Environmental Science, Department of Biology, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku, Finland E-mail: pekka.niemela@utu.fi
Heiska, The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Punkaharju Unit, Finlandiantie 18, FI-58450 Punkaharju, Finland E-mail: susanne.heiska@metla.fi
Tegelberg, Digitarium - Digitization Centre of the Finnish Museum of Natural History and the University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu Science Park, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: riitta.tegelberg@helsinki.fi
Rousi, The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Unit, P.O. Box 18, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: matti.rousi@metla.fi
Kellomäki, Faculty of Science and Forestry, School of Forest Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FI-80101 Joensuu, Finland E-mail: seppo.kellomaki@uef.fi

article id 46, category Research article

Matti Rousi, Boy J.H.M. Possen, Risto Hagqvist, Barb R. Thomas. (2012). From the Arctic Circle to the Canadian prairies – a case study of silver birch acclimation capacity. Silva Fennica vol. 46 no. 3 article id 46. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.46

Keywords: acclimation; Betula papyrifera; Betula pendula; birch adaptability; critical night length; provenance transfers

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Earlier provenance research has indicated poor success even in short distance transfers (> 2–3° latitude) of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) southward from their origin. These results may indicate poor adaptability of silver birch to a warming climate. Some of the scenarios for a warming climate in Finland suggest effective heat sums are likely to double in the north and increase 1.5 fold in the south for the period of 2070–2099. Consequently, the outlook for silver birch appears bleak. To study the acclimation of birch to this projected change we established a provenance trial in northeastern Alberta, Canada, at the temperature area currently predicted for Central Finland (lat. 64–66°N) at the turn of this century (1400 dd). Our 10-year experiment showed that all the Finnish provenances (origins 61–67°N) have acclimated well to the warmer growth conditions experienced in Alberta at 54°N. These results suggest that silver birch has the potential to acclimate to thermal conditions predicted for Finland at the end of the 21st century. Our results also indicate that silver birch has the potential as a plantation species in Canada, where the Finnish birch grew faster in the boreal forest region of Canada than local paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) provenances.

Rousi, The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Finland E-mail: matti.rousi@metla.fi
Possen, The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Finland E-mail: bjhmp@nn.fi
Hagqvist, The Finnish Forest Research Institute, Finland E-mail: rh@nn.fi
Thomas, University of Alberta, Dept of Renewable Resources, Edmonton & Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., Boyle, Alberta, Canada E-mail: brt@nn.ca

article id 28, category Research article

Lu-Min Vaario, Kim Yrjälä, Matti Rousi, Timo Sipilä, Pertti Pulkkinen. (2011). Leaf number indicates salt tolerance of young seedling families of European aspen (Populus tremula L.) growing in different soils. Silva Fennica vol. 45 no. 1 article id 28. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.28

Keywords: leaf number; Populus tremula; root; shoot ratio; salt tolerance

Abstract | View details | Full text in PDF | Author Info

Soil salinity limits plant productivity and quality. We evaluated the response of 12 aspen (Populus tremula) families to salt stress in two different soils irrigated for 4-weeks with 0, 80 or 160 mM saline solution. Easily measurable characteristics such as shoot height, leaf number, dry mass as well as the distribution of sodium (Na⁺) ions were measured in 5-month-old aspen seedlings raised in controlled greenhouse conditions on two different soils. Growth among families varied significantly, and the interaction between family and soil type was significant. From 2–5 months, leaf number correlated with that of the first month and salinity tolerance. Sodium ions varied significantly within plants and among families; seedlings that accumulated higher Na⁺ concentrations in root had more leaves and lower Na⁺ in shoot. These results suggest that leaf number indicates salt tolerance in young seedlings. Seedling performance was also affected by soil type, especially the root/shoot ratio, suggesting an interaction between salt tolerance and growth medium. This study has identified significant intra-specific variation in salt tolerance of aspen in 160 mM saline and highlighted the potential to select and develop a method for efficient pre-screening of trees to be used in the reclamation of salt-affected land.

Vaario, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Unit, P. O. Box 18, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: lu-min.vaario@metla.fi
Yrjälä, MEM group, Department of Biosciences, P.O. Box 56, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland E-mail: ky@nn.fi
Rousi, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Vantaa Research Unit, P. O. Box 18, FI-01301 Vantaa, Finland E-mail: matti.rousi@metla.fi
Sipilä, Department of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 56, FI-00014 University of Helsinki, Finland E-mail: ts@nn.fi
Pulkkinen, Pulkkinen, Finnish Forest Research Institute, Haapastensyrjä Research Unit, Haapastensyrjäntie 34, FI-12600 Läyliäinen, Finland E-mail: pertti.pulkkinen@metla.fi

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