TY - JOUR
T1 - Will “Tall Oaks from Little Acorns Grow”? White Oak (Quercus alba) Biology in the Anthropocene
AU - Abbott, Albert G.
AU - Staton, Margaret E.
AU - Lhotka, John M.
AU - DeWald, Laura E.
AU - Zhebentyayeva, Tetyana
AU - Kapoor, Beant
AU - Thomas, Austin M.
AU - Larson, Drew A.
AU - Hadziabdic, Denita
AU - DeBolt, Seth
AU - Nelson, C. Dana
AU - Carlson, John E.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 by the authors.
PY - 2024/2
Y1 - 2024/2
N2 - Quercus alba L., also known as white oak, eastern white oak, or American white oak, is a quintessential North American species within the white oak section (Quercus) of the genus Quercus, subgenus Quercus. This species plays a vital role as a keystone species in eastern North American forests and plays a significant role in local and regional economies. As a long-lived woody perennial covering an extensive natural range, Q. alba’s biology is shaped by a myriad of adaptations accumulated throughout its natural history. Populations of Q. alba are crucial repositories of genetic, genomic, and evolutionary insights, capturing the essence of successful historical adaptations and ongoing responses to contemporary environmental challenges in the Anthropocene. This intersection offers an exceptional opportunity to integrate genomic knowledge with the discovery of climate-relevant traits, advancing tree improvement, forest ecology, and forest management strategies. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the current understanding of Q. alba’s biology, considering past, present, and future research perspectives. It encompasses aspects such as distribution, phylogeny, population structure, key adaptive traits to cyclical environmental conditions (including water use, reproduction, propagation, and growth), as well as the species’ resilience to biotic and abiotic stressors. Additionally, this review highlights the state-of-the-art research resources available for the Quercus genus, including Q. alba, showcasing developments in genetics, genomics, biotechnology, and phenomics tools. This overview lays the groundwork for exploring and elucidating the principles of longevity in plants, positioning Q. alba as an emerging model tree species, ideally suited for investigating the biology of climate-relevant traits.
AB - Quercus alba L., also known as white oak, eastern white oak, or American white oak, is a quintessential North American species within the white oak section (Quercus) of the genus Quercus, subgenus Quercus. This species plays a vital role as a keystone species in eastern North American forests and plays a significant role in local and regional economies. As a long-lived woody perennial covering an extensive natural range, Q. alba’s biology is shaped by a myriad of adaptations accumulated throughout its natural history. Populations of Q. alba are crucial repositories of genetic, genomic, and evolutionary insights, capturing the essence of successful historical adaptations and ongoing responses to contemporary environmental challenges in the Anthropocene. This intersection offers an exceptional opportunity to integrate genomic knowledge with the discovery of climate-relevant traits, advancing tree improvement, forest ecology, and forest management strategies. This review provides a comprehensive examination of the current understanding of Q. alba’s biology, considering past, present, and future research perspectives. It encompasses aspects such as distribution, phylogeny, population structure, key adaptive traits to cyclical environmental conditions (including water use, reproduction, propagation, and growth), as well as the species’ resilience to biotic and abiotic stressors. Additionally, this review highlights the state-of-the-art research resources available for the Quercus genus, including Q. alba, showcasing developments in genetics, genomics, biotechnology, and phenomics tools. This overview lays the groundwork for exploring and elucidating the principles of longevity in plants, positioning Q. alba as an emerging model tree species, ideally suited for investigating the biology of climate-relevant traits.
KW - Anthropocene
KW - Quercus alba
KW - adaptations
KW - climate-relevant traits
KW - environmental stress
KW - research resources
KW - woody perennial
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U2 - 10.3390/f15020269
DO - 10.3390/f15020269
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85185828804
SN - 1999-4907
VL - 15
JO - Forests
JF - Forests
IS - 2
M1 - 269
ER -