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Promoting resilience of UK tree species to novel pests and pathogens: ecological and evolutionary solutions

Led by Dr Stephen Cavers, Natural Environment Research Council, Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

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Project website  www.protree.net

This project is in partnership with the University of Aberdeen, The University of Edinburgh, SRUC, Royal Botanic Gardens, The James Hutton Institute and Forest Research (project participants).

Specific objectives (edited for this web site):

We will focus on the native tree species Scots pine, initiating new studies that bring together and enhance existing and ongoing research. We will structure our research around three questions:

1. How variable and adaptable are the threat species? We will focus on one current (Dothistroma needle blight), one newly recognised (pine-tree Lappet moth) and one future (pine pitch canker) threat to show the range of variables that determine the severity of a threat. We will assess origins, genetic diversity and evolution capacity of threat species, and their interactions with management practices and landscape structure, such as density and distribution of host.

2. How much variation and adaptive potential is present in the host? Tree species have a large internal capacity to adapt through evolutionary change, due to high levels of genetic diversity, effective gene flow and high heritability of phenotypic traits. We will assess the capacity of a tree

species to respond to threats, by estimating variability in genotype and phenotype and how they underlie variation in host resistance to threats. We will assess genomic diversity, phenotypic diversity in Scots pine, and variation in the endophyte community.

3. What management options exist for increasing resilience to current and future threats? To ensure relevance of project outcome to stakeholders, we will seek early and ongoing involvement multi-way communications among stakeholders - scientists, policymakers, and practitioners.

4. Finally, we will aim for a legacy, for the focal species, for other tree species and for any other plant - centred on a spatially organised, synthesised database; an analysis template showing how to assess tree species for long-term health; and an holistic approach that prioritises the tree species itself.

Further Information

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