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Pubblicazioni Scientifiche

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Benchmarking tree species classification from proximally sensed laser scanning data: Introducing the FOR-species20K dataset
Mostra abstract
Proximally sensed laser scanning presents new opportunities for automated forest ecosystem data capture. However, a gap remains in deriving ecologically pertinent information, such as tree species, without additional ground data. Artificial intelligence approaches, particularly deep learning (DL), have shown promise towards automation. Progress has been limited by the lack of large, diverse, and, most importantly, openly available labelled single-tree point cloud datasets. This has hindered both (1) the robustness of the DL models across varying data types (platforms and sensors) and (2) the ability to effectively track progress, thereby slowing the convergence towards best practice for species classification. To address the above limitations, we compiled the FOR-species20K benchmark dataset, consisting of individual tree point clouds captured using proximally sensed laser scanning data from terrestrial (TLS), mobile (MLS) and drone laser scanning (ULS). Compiled collaboratively, the dataset includes data collected in forests mainly across Europe, covering Mediterranean, temperate and boreal biogeographic regions. It includes scattered tree data from other continents, totaling over 20,000 trees of 33 species and covering a wide range of tree sizes and forms. Alongside the release of FOR-species20K, we benchmarked seven leading DL models for individual tree species classification, including both point cloud (PointNet++, MinkNet, MLP-Mixer, DGCNNs) and multi-view 2D-based methods (SimpleView, DetailView, YOLOv5). 2D Image-based models had, on average, higher overall accuracy (0.77) than 3D point cloud-based models (0.72). Notably, the performance was consistently >0.8 across scanning platforms and sensors, offering versatility in deployment. The top-scoring model, DetailView, demonstrated robustness to training data imbalances and effectively generalized across tree sizes. The FOR-species20K dataset represents an important asset for developing and benchmarking DL models for individual tree species classification using proximally sensed laser scanning data. As such, it serves as a crucial foundation for future efforts to classify accurately and map tree species at various scales using laser scanning technology, as it provides the complete code base, dataset, and an initial baseline representative of the current state-of-the-art of point cloud tree species classification methods. © 2025 The Author(s). Methods in Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society.
Testing Removal of Carbon Dioxide, Ozone, and Atmospheric Particles by Urban Parks in Italy
Mostra abstract
Cities are responsible for more than 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Sequestration of air pollutants is one of the main ecosystem services that urban forests provide to the citizens. The atmospheric concentration of several pollutants such as carbon dioxide (CO2), tropospheric ozone (O3), and particulate matter (PM) can be reduced by urban trees through processes of adsorption and deposition. We predict the quantity of CO2, O3, and PM removed by urban tree species with the multilayer canopy model AIRTREE in two representative urban parks in Italy: Park of Castel di Guido, a 3673 ha reforested area located northwest of Rome, and Park of Valentino, a 42 ha urban park in downtown Turin. We estimated a total annual removal of 1005 and 500 kg of carbon per hectare, 8.1 and 1.42 kg of ozone per hectare, and 8.4 and 8 kg of PM10 per hectare. We highlighted differences in pollutant sequestration between urban areas and between species, shedding light on the importance to perform extensive in situ measurements and modeling analysis of tree characteristics to provide realistic estimates of urban parks to deliver ecosystem services. ©
Behaviour of Brown Bears Under Fluctuating Resource Availability
Mostra abstract
Mast seeding, the variable and intermittent production of seeds, has cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. This study explores its influence on the brown bear populations in the Italian Alps, focusing on beechnuts (Fagus sylvatica L.), the primary food source for bears in the region. Using historical data and field sampling, we estimated and mapped the annual seed biomass from 2007 to 2021 for the province of Trento. The energy content of beechnuts was assessed through high heating values, providing the caloric resources available. Data on beechnuts production, records of damages and GPS data from 16 Eurasian brown bears were integrated to perform a temporal and spatial analysis at home range and at landscape level. Standardised damages to beehives and livestock decreased during mast years, suggesting that bears met their trophic needs through natural food sources. In fact, bears used more agricultural areas and less beech forest during years of beech crop failure. At landscape level, agriculture and pasture areas close to beech forests and distant from cities showed a higher risk of damage, providing a tool to anticipate management actions. This work provides insights on the ecological dynamics and conservation implications of brown bears in the study area by mapping the spatial and temporal aspects of mast seeding and bear-related damages. © 2025 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by British Ecological Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The Relationship Between Maturation Size and Maximum Tree Size From Tropical to Boreal Climates
Journé , Valentin , Bogdziewicz , Michał , Courbaud , Benoít , Kunstler , Georges , Qiu , Tong , Aravena Acuña , Marie Claire , Ascoli , Davide , Bergeron , Yves , Berveiller , Daniel , Boivin , Thomas , Bonal , Raúl , Caignard , Thomas , Cailleret , Maxime , Calama , Rafael A. , Camarero , Jesús Julio , Chang-Yang , Chia Hao , Chave , Jérôme , Chianucci , Francesco , Curt , Thomas , Cutini , Andrea , Das , Adrian J. , Daskalakou , Evangelia N. , Davi , Hendrik , Delpierre , Nicolas , Delzon , Sylvain , Dietze , Michael C. , Calderon , Sergio Donoso , Dormont , Laurent , Espelta , Josep Maria , Farfan-Rios , William R. , Fenner , Michael , Franklin , Jerry F. , Gehring , Catherine A. , Gilbert , Gregory S. , Gratzer , Georg , Greenberg , Cathryn H. , Guignabert , Arthur , Guo , Qinfeng , Hacket-Pain , Andrew J. , Hampe , Arndt , Han , Qingmin , Hanley , Mick E. , Hille Ris Lambers , Janneke , Holik , Jan , Hoshizaki , K. , Ibáñez , Inés , Johnstone , Jill F. , Knops , Johannes Michael Hubertus , Kobe , Richard K. , Kurokawa , Hiroko , Lageard , Jonathan G.A. , LaMontagne , Jalene M. , Ledwoń , Mateusz , Lefèvre , François , Leininger , Theodor D. , Limousin , Jean Marc , Lutz , James A. , Macias , Diana S. , Mårell , Anders , McIntire , Eliot J.B. , Moran , Emily V. , Motta , Renzo , Myers , Jonathan A. , Nagel , Thomas A. , Naoe , Shoji , Noguchi , Mahoko , Norghauer , Julian M. , Oguro , Michio , Ourcival , Jean Marc , Parmenter , Robert R. , Pearse , Ian S. , Pérez-Ramos , Ignacio M. , Piechnik , Łukasz , Podgórski , Tomasz , Poulsen , John R. , Redmond , Miranda D. , Reid , Chantal D. , Šamonil , Pavel , Scher , C. Lane , Schlesinger , William H. , Seget , Barbara , Sharma , Shubhi , Shibata , Mitsue , Silman , Miles R. , Steele , Michael A. , Stephenson , Nathan L. , Straub , Jacob N. , Sutton , Samantha , Swenson , Jennifer J. , Swift , Margaret , Thomas , Peter A. , Uríarte , María , Vacchiano , Giorgio , Whipple , Amy Vaughn , Whitham , Thomas G. , Wright , Stuart Joseph , Zhu , Kai , Zimmerman , Jess K. , Żywiec , Magdalena , Clark , James S.
Mostra abstract
The fundamental trade-off between current and future reproduction has long been considered to result in a tendency for species that can grow large to begin reproduction at a larger size. Due to the prolonged time required to reach maturity, estimates of tree maturation size remain very rare and we lack a global view on the generality and the shape of this trade-off. Using seed production from five continents, we estimate tree maturation sizes for 486 tree species spanning tropical to boreal climates. Results show that a species' maturation size increases with maximum size, but in a non-proportional way: the largest species begin reproduction at smaller sizes than would be expected if maturation were simply proportional to maximum size. Furthermore, the decrease in relative maturation size is steepest in cold climates. These findings on maturation size drivers are key to accurately represent forests' responses to disturbance and climate change. © 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Masting is uncommon in trees that depend on mutualist dispersers in the context of global climate and fertility gradients
Qiu , Tong , Aravena Acuña , Marie Claire , Ascoli , Davide , Bergeron , Yves , Bogdziewicz , Michał , Boivin , Thomas , Bonal , Raúl , Caignard , Thomas , Cailleret , Maxime , Calama , Rafael A. , Calderon , Sergio Donoso , Camarero , Jesús Julio , Chang-Yang , Chia Hao , Chave , Jérôme , Chianucci , Francesco , Courbaud , Benoít , Cutini , Andrea , Das , Adrian J. , Delpierre , Nicolas , Delzon , Sylvain , Dietze , Michael C. , Dormont , Laurent , Espelta , Josep Maria , Fahey , Timothy J. , Farfan-Rios , William R. , Franklin , Jerry F. , Gehring , Catherine A. , Gilbert , Gregory S. , Gratzer , Georg , Greenberg , Cathryn H. , Guignabert , Arthur , Guo , Qinfeng , Hacket-Pain , Andrew J. , Hampe , Arndt , Han , Qingmin , Holik , Jan , Hoshizaki , K. , Ibáñez , Inés , Johnstone , Jill F. , Journé , Valentin , Kitzberger , Thomas A. , Knops , Johannes Michael Hubertus , Kunstler , Georges , Kurokawa , Hiroko , Lageard , Jonathan G.A. , LaMontagne , Jalene M. , Lefèvre , François , Leininger , Theodor D. , Limousin , Jean Marc , Lutz , James A. , Macias , Diana S. , Mårell , Anders , McIntire , Eliot J.B. , Moore , Christopher M. , Moran , Emily V. , Motta , Renzo , Myers , Jonathan A. , Nagel , Thomas A. , Naoe , Shoji , Noguchi , Mahoko , Oguro , Michio , Parmenter , Robert R. , Pearse , Ian S. , Pérez-Ramos , Ignacio M. , Piechnik , Łukasz , Podgórski , Tomasz , Poulsen , John R. , Redmond , Miranda D. , Reid , Chantal D. , Rodman , Kyle C. , Rodríguez-Sánchez , Francisco , Šamonil , Pavel , Sanguinetti , Javier D. , Scher , C. Lane , Seget , Barbara , Sharma , Shubhi , Shibata , Mitsue , Silman , Miles R. , Steele , Michael A. , Stephenson , Nathan L. , Straub , Jacob N. , Sutton , Samantha , Swenson , Jennifer J. , Swift , Margaret , Thomas , Peter A. , Uríarte , María , Vacchiano , Giorgio , Whipple , Amy Vaughn , Whitham , Thomas G. , Wion , Andreas P. , Wright , Stuart Joseph , Zhu , Kai , Zimmerman , Jess K. , Żywiec , Magdalena , Clark , James S.
Mostra abstract
The benefits of masting (volatile, quasi-synchronous seed production at lagged intervals) include satiation of seed predators, but these benefits come with a cost to mutualist pollen and seed dispersers. If the evolution of masting represents a balance between these benefits and costs, we expect mast avoidance in species that are heavily reliant on mutualist dispersers. These effects play out in the context of variable climate and site fertility among species that vary widely in nutrient demand. Meta-analyses of published data have focused on variation at the population scale, thus omitting periodicity within trees and synchronicity between trees. From raw data on 12 million tree-years worldwide, we quantified three components of masting that have not previously been analysed together: (i) volatility, defined as the frequency-weighted year-to-year variation; (ii) periodicity, representing the lag between high-seed years; and (iii) synchronicity, indicating the tree-to-tree correlation. Results show that mast avoidance (low volatility and low synchronicity) by species dependent on mutualist dispersers explains more variation than any other effect. Nutrient-demanding species have low volatility, and species that are most common on nutrient-rich and warm/wet sites exhibit short periods. The prevalence of masting in cold/dry sites coincides with climatic conditions where dependence on vertebrate dispersers is less common than in the wet tropics. Mutualist dispersers neutralize the benefits of masting for predator satiation, further balancing the effects of climate, site fertility and nutrient demands. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited.
Linking seed size and number to trait syndromes in trees
Bogdziewicz , Michał , Aravena Acuña , Marie Claire , Andrus , Robert A. , Ascoli , Davide , Bergeron , Yves , Brveiller , Daniel , Boivin , Thomas , Bonal , Raúl , Caignard , Thomas , Cailleret , Maxime , Calama , Rafael A. , Calderon , Sergio Donoso , Camarero , Jesús Julio , Chang-Yang , Chia Hao , Chave , Jérôme , Chianucci , Francesco , Cleavitt , Natalie L. , Courbaud , Benoít , Cutini , Andrea , Curt , Thomas , Das , Adrian J. , Davi , Hendrik , Delpierre , Nicolas , Delzon , Sylvain , Dietze , Michael C. , Dormont , Laurent , Farfan-Rios , William R. , Gehring , Catherine A. , Gilbert , Gregory S. , Gratzer , Georg , Greenberg , Cathryn H. , Guignabert , Arthur , Guo , Qinfeng , Hacket-Pain , Andrew J. , Hampe , Arndt , Han , Qingmin , Hoshizaki , K. , Ibáñez , Inés , Johnstone , Jill F. , Journé , Valentin , Kitzberger , Thomas A. , Knops , Johannes Michael Hubertus , Kunstler , Georges , Kobe , Richard K. , Lageard , Jonathan G.A. , LaMontagne , Jalene M. , Ledwoń , Mateusz , Leininger , Theodor D. , Limousin , Jean Marc , Lutz , James A. , Macias , Diana S. , Mårell , Anders , McIntire , Eliot J.B. , Moran , Emily V. , Motta , Renzo , Myers , Jonathan A. , Nagel , Thomas A. , Naoe , Shoji , Noguchi , Mahoko , Oguro , Michio , Kurokawa , Hiroko , Ourcival , Jean Marc , Parmenter , Robert R. , Pérez-Ramos , Ignacio M. , Piechnik , Łukasz , Podgórski , Tomasz , Poulsen , John R. , Qiu , Tong , Redmond , Miranda D. , Reid , Chantal D. , Rodman , Kyle C. , Šamonil , Pavel , Holik , Jan , Scher , C. Lane , van Marle , Harald Schmidt , Seget , Barbara , Shibata , Mitsue , Sharma , Shubhi , Silman , Miles R. , Steele , Michael A. , Straub , Jacob N. , Sun , I. Fang , Sutton , Samantha , Swenson , Jennifer J. , Thomas , Peter A. , Uríarte , María , Vacchiano , Giorgio , Veblen , Thomas Thorstein , Wright , Boyd R. , Wright , Stuart Joseph , Whitham , Thomas G. , Zhu , Kai , Zimmerman , Jess K. , Żywiec , Magdalena , Clark , James S.
Mostra abstract
Aim: Our understanding of the mechanisms that maintain forest diversity under changing climate can benefit from knowledge about traits that are closely linked to fitness. We tested whether the link between traits and seed number and seed size is consistent with two hypotheses, termed the leaf economics spectrum and the plant size syndrome, or whether reproduction represents an independent dimension related to a seed size–seed number trade-off. Location: Most of the data come from Europe, North and Central America and East Asia. A minority of the data come from South America, Africa and Australia. Time period: 1960–2022. Major taxa studied: Trees. Methods: We gathered 12 million observations of the number of seeds produced in 784 tree species. We estimated the number of seeds produced by individual trees and scaled it up to the species level. Next, we used principal components analysis and generalized joint attribute modelling (GJAM) to map seed number and size on the tree traits spectrum. Results: Incorporating seed size and number into trait analysis while controlling for environment and phylogeny with GJAM exposes relationships in trees that might otherwise remain hidden. Production of the large total biomass of seeds [product of seed number and seed size; hereafter, species seed productivity (SSP)] is associated with high leaf area, low foliar nitrogen, low specific leaf area (SLA) and dense wood. Production of high seed numbers is associated with small seeds produced by nutrient-demanding species with softwood, small leaves and high SLA. Trait covariation is consistent with opposing strategies: one fast-growing, early successional, with high dispersal, and the other slow-growing, stress-tolerant, that recruit in shaded conditions. Main conclusions: Earth system models currently assume that reproductive allocation is indifferent among plant functional types. Easily measurable seed size is a strong predictor of the seed number and species seed productivity. The connection of SSP with the functional traits can form the first basis of improved fecundity prediction across global forests. © 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Climate, tree masting and spatial behaviour in wild boar (Sus scrofa L.): insight from a long-term study
Mostra abstract
Key message: Climate factors affect seed biomass production which in turn influences autumn wild boar spatial behaviour. Adaptive management strategies require an understanding of both masting and its influence on the behaviour of pulsed resource consumers like wild boar. Context: Pulsed resources ecosystem could be strongly affected by climate. Disantangling the role of climate on mast seeding allow to understand a seed consumer spatial behaviour to design proper wildlife and forest management strategies. Aims: We investigated the relationship between mast seeding and climatic variables and we evaluated the influence of mast seeding on wild boar home range dynamics. Methods: We analysed mast seeding as seed biomass production of three broadleaf tree species (Fagus sylvatica L., Quercus cerris L., Castanea sativa Mill.) in the northern Apennines. Next, we explored which climatic variables affected tree masting patterns and finally we tested the effect of both climate and seed biomass production on wild boar home range size. Results: Seed biomass production is partially regulated by climate; high precipitation in spring of the current year positively affects seed biomass production while summer precipitation of previous year has an opposite effect. Wild boar home range size is negatively correlated to seed biomass production, and the climate only partially contributes to determine wild boar spatial behaviour. Conclusion: Climate factors influence mast seeding, and the negative correlation between wild boar home range and mast seeding should be taken into account for designing integrated, proactive hunting management. © 2018, INRA and Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.