Université de Fribourg

The woody planet : from past triumph to manmade decline

Fazan, Laurence ; Song, Yi-Gang ; Kozlowski, Gregor

In: Plants, 2020, vol. 9, no. 11, p. 1593

Woodiness evolved in land plants approximately 400 Mya, and very soon after this evolutionary invention, enormous terrestrial surfaces on Earth were covered by dense and luxurious forests. Forests store close to 80% of the biosphere’s biomass, and more than 60% of the global biomass is made of wood (trunks, branches and roots). Among the total number of ca. 374,000 plant species worldwide,...

Université de Fribourg

Overcoming sexual sterility in conservation of endangered species: the prominent role of biotechnology in the multiplication of Zelkova sicula (Ulmaceae), a relict tree at the brink of extinction

Carra, Angela ; Catalano, Caterina ; Badalamenti, Ornella ; Carimi, Francesco ; Pasta, Salvatore ; Motisi, Antonio ; Abbate, Loredana ; La Bella, Francesca ; Fazan, Laurence ; Kozlowski, Gregor ; Garfì, Giuseppe

In: Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture (PCTOC), 2019, vol. 137, no. 1, p. 139–148

Biotechnology provides valuable tools to support conservation of plant species, especially in case of threatened taxa or when dealing with seed unavailability, low viability or sterility. However, plant cell culture methods have often to face problems associated with tissue recalcitrance to in vitro systems. Recalcitrance can be related to a variety of triggering factors, involving many...

Université de Fribourg

Imprisoned in the Cretan mountains: How relict Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae) trees cope with Mediterranean climate

Fazan, Laurence ; Guillet, Sébastien ; Corona, Christophe ; Kozlowski, Gregor ; Stoffel, Markus

In: Science of The Total Environment, 2017, vol. 599–600, no. Supplement C, p. 797–805

We investigate the sensitivity of the relict, endemic Cretan tree species Zelkova abelicea (Lam.) Boiss. (Ulmaceae) to several climate variables (temperature, precipitation and drought). For this purpose, we establish the first centennial tree-ring chronology for the species, and the first ever tree-ring chronology for a broadleaved species on Crete. We demonstrate the strong sensitivity of...

Université de Fribourg

Fine-scale spatial patterns of the Tertiary relict Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae) indicate possible processes contributing to its persistence to climate changes

Bosque, Marta ; Adamogianni, Maria Irene ; Bariotakis, Michael ; Fazan, Laurence ; Stoffel, Markus ; Garfi, Giuseppe ; Gratzfeld, Joachim ; Kozlowski, Gregor ; Pirintsos, Stergios

In: Regional Environmental Change, 2014, vol. 14, no. 2, p. 835–849

In this paper, the fine-scale spatial patterns of the Tertiary relict Zelkova abelicea (Lam.) Boiss. were studied (1) to reveal processes that contributed to its persistence to climate changes and (2) to assist future conservation planning, with the purpose of shifting the attention of conservation practitioners from patterns to processes. Results of the fine-scale spatial patterns of Z. abelicea...

Université de Fribourg

The Tertiary relict tree Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae): distribution, population structure and conservation status on Crete

Kozlowski, Gregor ; Frey, David ; Fazan, Laurence ; Egli, Bernhard ; Bétrisey, Sébastien ; Gratzfeld, Joachim ; Garfì, Giuseppe ; Pirintsos, Stergios

In: Oryx, 2013, p. -

Relict species provide a unique opportunity to understand past and recent biogeographical and evolutionary processes. Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae), which is endemic to the island of Crete (Greece), is one of the most prominent Tertiary relict trees of the Mediterranean region. We collected distribution, threat and population structure data by reviewing literature and herbaria and through field...

Université de Fribourg

Small does not mean young: Age estimation of severely browsed trees in anthropogenic Mediterranean landscapes

Fazan, Laurence ; Stoffel, Markus ; Frey, David J. ; Pirintsos, Stergios ; Kozlowski, Gregor

In: Biological Conservation, 2012, vol. 153, p. 97-100

The knowledge of the age of individual trees and of population age structure is of great importance for conservation purposes. In Mediterranean areas, however, trees are rarely used for dendroecological studies as ring growth is strongly perturbed by browsing and other disturbances. This study focused on the Tertiary relict tree species Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae) endemic to the mountains of...