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The paleoecological information on the distribution of the Tertiary relic and Balkan endemic Pinus peuce Griseb. (Macedonian pine) is summarized on the basis of the results from pollen analysis, plant macrofossil determination and radiocarbon dating of lake and peat bog sediments in the mountains of Southwestern Bulgaria. The oldest record is of Middle Pleniglacial age (30000-24000 cal. yrs. BP) when pollen of P. peuce, together with pollen of other coniferous and deciduous trees, was established from the West Rhodopes Mountain. During the Late Glacial (14500-11600 cal. yrs. BP) stands of pines, P. peuce included, thrived among coldtolerant herb communities in the Rila, Pirin and the West Rhodopes mountains, confirmed by the first macrofossils (needles) determined. The minor participation of P. peuce in the early Holocene (11600-8800 cal. yrs. BP) Betula forests was succeeded by its wider distribution after 8200-7900 cal. yrs. BP when a coniferous belt composed by pines and Abies was shaped in the Rila and Pirin mountains. This vegetation reconstruction is supported by numerous macrofossils of P. peuce (needles, seeds, and partly stomata). Since 2600 cal. yrs. BP in the conditions of a more humid and cooler climate, the pulsating invasion of Picea abies restricted to some extent the distribution of P. peuce. Both species, together with Pinus sylvestris, shaped the timber-line at many places. The main conclusion from this survey is that populations of P. peuce survived the harsh glacial climatic conditions in montane refugia with subsequent gradual widespread during the Holocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dendrochronological study of a mixed forest of Macedonian pine (Pinus peuce Griseb.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) in the Tsarichina forest reserve, Balkan range Mountains. Frost rings were found in Macedonian pine tree-rings. Light rings have been found in Norway spruce rings. Permanent growth depression has been found in the last 30 years in Norway spruce. The applied multifactor regression analysis for the influence of the average air temperature and the monthly amounts of precipitation for the formation of annual tree-rings found that summer temperatures are of leading importance for the radial growth in both species. The Norway spruce is very sensitive to rainfall in August. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Macedonain pine (Pinus peuce Griseb.) is one of the main species in the subalpine forests on the Balkan Peninsula. Given the forecasted increase of temperatures in the next decades there are worries about the health status and distribution of many species, including the currently dominant coniferous. Studies of low localities may provide valuable insight in the potential reaction to higher temperatures and increased drought stress. We studied unusually low location of Macedonian pine in Rila Mts. in Bulgaria where the lowest groups of trees are found at 850-900 m a.s.l. We described the specifics of trees' position and took tree-ring cores for dendrochronological analysis. We found that the Pinus peuce groups are located mostly on top of high rock bands. At the lower elevations they are mixed with Quercus petraea Liebl. and sometimes have undergrowth of Vaccinium myrtillus L. and Bruckenthalia spiculifolia Rchb. Single trees of Pinus sylvestris L., Pinus nigra Arn., Fraxinus excelsior L., Sorbus aucuparia L. are found. At higher elevations the dominant surrounding forests is of Fagus sylvatica L. with single Tilia cordata Mill., Abies alba Mill. and Picea abies (L.) H.Karst. The age of the oldest Pinus peuce trees is above 170 years. The oldest ones at the lowest-situated groups are 40-60 years old. The dendroclimatic analysis revealed atypical response to climate variables compared to the usual Macedonain pine locations. We found negative correlations with early summer temperatures and positive correlations with summer precipitation, which is indication of drought sensitivity of the trees in this very low location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context:Inflammation and cell differentiation lead to a number of severe diseases. In the recent years, various studies focused on the anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity of essential oils (EOs) of numerous plants, including differentPinusspecies. Objective:The phytochemical composition, anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic activity of EOs from needles and twigs ofPinus heldreichiiChrist (Pinaceae) andP. peuceGriseb., and from needles, twigs and cones ofP. mugoTurra were determined. Materials and methods:For separation and identification of the EOs, gas chromatography/flame ion detector (GC/FID) and GC/mass spectrometry were performed. The amount of secreted IL-6 in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated macrophage model was quantified (concentration of oils: 0.0001–0.2%, 3 h incubation). Cytotoxicity on the cancer cell lines HeLa, CaCo-2 and MCF-7 were determined using a MTT (Thiazolyl Blue Tetrazolium Bromide) assay (concentration of oils: 0.001–0.1%, 24 h incubation). Results:The most prominent members in the oils include: δ-3-carene, α-pinene and linalool-acetate (P. mugo); α-pinene, β-phellandrene and β-pinene (P. peuce); limonene, α-pinene and (E)-caryophyllene (P. heldreichii). EOs showed significant cytotoxic effects on cancer cell lines (IC500.007 to >0.1%), with a reduction in cell viability with up to 90% at a concentration of 0.1%, and anti-inflammatory activity (IC500.0008–0.02%) with a reduction of IL-6 secretion with up to 60% at a concentration of 0.01%. Discussion and conclusion:The EOs of needles and twigs fromP. peuceandP. heldreichiias well as of needles, twigs and cones ofP. mugocan be considered as promising agents for anticancer and anti-inflammatory drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Variability of eight morpho-anatomical traits of two-year-old needles of the Macedonian pine (Pinus peuceGriseb.), collected from natural populations of Montenegro (Zeletin and Sjekirica) and Serbia (Mokra Gora), was investigated. The needles have two resin ducts of the external type (touching epidermis). The average values were as follows: 7.14 cm (needle length), 0.86 mm (needle width), 0.66 mm (needle thickness), 13.32 μm (cuticle+epidermis thickness), 16.24 μm (height of hypodermal cells), 1.45 (number of hypodermis layers), 2 (number of resin ducts) and 52.45 μm (resin duct diameter). The most variable characters were needle width and needle thickness. PCA visualizes overlapping of three populations. Cluster analysis suggests that the Sjekirica population is more similar to the Mokra Gora population than to the geographically nearest population of Zeletin. Given results are discussed in relation to our previous investigations of this species based on terpenes andn-alkanes, where the population from Mt. Zeletin also exhibited differences compared to the population from other Balkan localities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Balkan pine (Pinus peuce) is a Balkan Peninsula endemic tree species, growing in high mountains of Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, and Greece and forming pure and mixed stands in subalpine forests. The paper gives a survey of biodiversity of Balkan pine stands in the Rogów Arboretum in reference to environmental data. In the plots examined, 29 taxa of vascular plants, 29 taxa of macrofungi and 127 taxa of invertebrates were recorded. The revealed diversity is discussed with regard to the data from Pinus peuce natural habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Plant Pathology is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Numerous proxy climate reconstructions have been developed for Europe, but there are still regions with limited data of this kind. One region is the Balkan Peninsula, which is characterized by complex interactions between mountains and climate. We present and discuss two tree-ring chronologies—a 758-year-long one of Pinus heldreichii Christ and 340-year-long one of Pinus peuce Griseb. from treeline locations in the Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria. Climate–growth relationships were computed with bootstrap correlation functions and their consistency over time assessed by calculating the correlations over shortened periods. In addition, we reviewed and analyzed climate situations in years with unusually narrow or wide tree rings. Both species were negatively influenced by previous summer drought conditions and cold winters. Early summer temperatures were positively correlated with P. peuce radial growth, whereas P. heldreichii displayed dependence on summer precipitation. In the second half of the twentieth century, the P. heldreichii trees displayed higher sensitivity to summer drought, which was probably a result of increased summer temperatures and decreased winter precipitation. Our findings contribute to more reliable proxy climate records for the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of European Journal of Forest Pathology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Studies report the good potential of Pinus heldreichii (PIHE) and Pinus peuce (PIPE) for developing long chronologies from living trees and warn that the climate signal is weak in tree-ring widths of PIHE, and particularly PIPE. The goals of the study were to develop long chronologies, and to analyze the climate–growth relationship and potential for long climate reconstructions using tree-ring widths (TRW) and stable carbon isotopes ratios (δ13C) in tree rings at the northern edge of species distribution in the eastern part of Montenegro. The PIHE TRW chronology covers the period 1571–2013 (443 years) and the PIPE TRW chronology 1521–2013 (493 years). The temperature signal in PIHE TRW is weak and the precipitation signal is non-existent. PIPE has no climate signal in TRW. Both studied species have very similar δ13C chronologies, which allows us to merge isotope chronologies into a single composite δ13C Pinus chronology. The composite chronology has a strong signal related to average monthly temperature in June, July, and August and monthly values for cloudiness in July and August, with r > 0.6 and r < −0.6 for individual months, respectively. The climate signal was enhanced when June, July, and August values were merged into seasonal variables. The temporal stability of temperature, precipitation and cloudiness signals is consistent. The spatial extent of the δ13C chronology extends over a very large region, including all surrounding countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]