Drought damage and waterlogging damage are the most frequent abiotic injuries throughout the lifespan of trees. Nonetheless, because the signs of visible damage are similar between these types of injury, physiological indicators must be analyzed to make a scientific differential diagnosis. This study was aimed at investigating growth and physiological indicators of drought (DS) and waterlogging stress (WL) in Prunus yedoensis. Overall growth indices such as tree height, diameter at root collar (DRC), and total dry weight could be ranked in the decreasing order “control > DS > WL.” In particular, there was a prominent decrease in root growth in WL, and DRC in DS was lower by 9.2% than DRC before the experiment. As for water saturation deficit (WSD) increased to 37.4% by 28 days after treatment initiation (DAT) in DS. WL showed a sharp decline of photosynthetic indicators such as the net photosynthesis rate (A), stomatal conductance (g_s), and maximum carboxylation rate (V_cmax) starting from 7 DAT. By contrast, DS manifested a significant decrease starting from 14 DAT. The DS had higher levels of leaf and root inorganic components than WL did, suggesting an improvement in the osmoregulatory ability. The overall nutritional status of WL was low due to deterioration of the absorption function of the roots. In both DS and WL, energy transfer rates of photochemical reactions, e.g. absorbed photon leads to reduction further than Q_A^- (Φ_PO), absorbed photon leads to electron transport further than Q_A^- (Φ_EO), and absorbed photon leads to reduction of Q_A^- (Ψ_O), decreased, as did vitality indices, e.g. the performance index on absorption basis (PI_abs), driving force on absorption basis (DF_abs), and the structure function index on absorption basis (SFI_abs). However, WL featured a decrease in Electron transport flux from Q_A to Q_B (ETo/RC) and Electron transport flux until PSI acceptors (REo/RC), whereas DS experienced a slight increase or almost no change. Consequently, PI_abs, DF_abs, SFI_abs, and the drought factor index are highly sensitive environmental-stress indicators, whereas WSD, DRC growth, chlorophyll a content, ETo/RC, and REo/RC appear to have high potential as diagnostic indicators of drought or waterlogging damage.

No natural habitat of Sedirea japonica has been found in Korea for the past 20 years. This study was conducted to provide basic physiological data for the conservation strategy of this endangered plant in response to climate change. Soil fruit daylight system (SFDS) chambers were used and four treatment groups (2.6LVPD, 2.6HVPD, 8.5LVPD, and 8.5HVPD) were designed based on the RCP scenario (RCP 2.6, and 8.5) and VPD conditions (low VPD; LVPD, and high VPD; HVPD). Air dryness was induced in the HVPD groups during the daytime by increasing the atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD). There was no significant difference based on the RCP scenario. However, the difference between LVPD and HVPD was considerable. Total CO₂ uptake and transpiration were lower than those of LVPD due to the duration decrease of Phase I in 2.6HVPD and 8.5HVPD. There was a reduction in total biomass, leaf thickness, length, and the number of leaves. ABS/RC, DI₀/RC, φD₀, V_K, V_J, and other chlorophyll fluorescence markers increased. φP₀, RE₀/RC, φE₀, ψE₀, φR₀, RC/CS₀, Sm, N, PI_abs, DF_abs, SFI_abs, and PI_abs,Total declined. Daily drought stresses impact the physiological mechanisms occurring at nighttime. The defense mechanisms against drought stress occur by conserving water by controlling the stomata, inactivating the reaction center, and increasing the dissipated energy through heat. In summary, S. japonica is flexible against drought stress.

Climate change affects the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, such as drought and floods. This study aimed to investigate the effects of drought stress on the growth and physiological characteristics of Z. jujuba var. inermis based on the RCP 6.0 scenario. The experiment was performed in a soil-plant daylight system (SPDS) chamber under four conditions: Control-WW, Control-DS (Drought), RCP 6.0-WW (CO 2 650 ppm, control + 3°C), and RCP 6.0-DS. Although the net photosynthetic rate (A) was higher under RCP 6.0 than the control condition, V cmax and J max , which indicate the photosynthetic capacity, were lower by 19.6% and 27.8%, respectively. Furthermore, in the RCP 6.0 group, the carbon fertilization effect tended to stimulate growth; thus, the total dry weight in RCP 6.0-WW was approximately 35% higher than that in Control-WW. When the drought treatment was included, A decreased by 57% in Control-DS compared to Control-WW, and in RCP 6.0-DS, A decreased by 73% compared to RCP 6.0-WW. Moreover, RCP-DS showed the lowest values of V cmax , J max , PI abs , DF abs , and SFI abs , meaning that the photosynthetic capacity and vitality of the photosynthetic apparatus were diminished under combined climate change and drought stress. Furthermore, stomatal limitations (Ls) regulated photosynthesis in Control-DS, whereas in RCP 6.0-DS, non-stomatal limitations, in this case V cmax , J max , PI abs , DF abs , and SFI abs , were observed. Despite a decrease in mesophyll conductance (g m), g m /g s remained relatively high. Furthermore, even with stomatal closure, g m was maintained at a relatively high level by utilizing the intercellular CO 2 concentration (C i), demonstrating the plant's response to drought stress. Although there was an increase in the overall biomass, it was noted that water consumption increased under additional drought stress, showing that growth and physiological damage were aggravated. Therefore, it is essential to conduct experiments related to the growth and physiological characteristics of commercially valuable seedlings such as Jujube to identify the adverse effects of climate change alongside extreme weather. Further, active efforts with regard to plant management should be undertaken in addition to the implemented measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 12

Wildfires impact forest ecosystems, affecting tree survival and physiological responses. This study explored the effects of surface fires on Pinus densiflora and Quercus variabilis, assessing mortality, internal injuries, and canopy health. By 2024, P. densiflora had an 18.0% mortality rate, whereas Q. variabilis exhibited no crown dieback. Morphological traits, including tree height, the bark scorch index (BSI), and bark thickness, influenced fire resistance. Despite superior stand characteristics, P. densiflora showed higher mortality due to thin bark, whereas Q. variabilis maintained xylem integrity. While sonic tomography (SoT) showed no significant differences, electrical resistance tomography (ERT) detected physiological stress, with higher ERT_R and ERT_Y area ratios correlating with mortality risk. Notably, F-W-W classified trees showed elevated resistance a year before mortality, suggesting ERT as a predictive tool. ERT_R values exceeding 15.0% were associated with a 37.5% mortality rate, whereas ERT_B values below 55.0% corresponded to 42.9% mortality. Despite fire exposure, canopy responses, including chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic efficiency, remained stable, indicating that the surviving trees maintained functional integrity. This study underscores ERT’s efficacy in diagnosing fire-induced stress and predicting mortality risk. The findings highlight species-specific diagnostic criteria and inform post-fire management, supporting forest resilience through the early detection of high-risk trees and improved restoration strategies.

The Jeongseon Alpine Center, a degraded forestland, has a very unique soil feature as it was filled with soil cut from the nearby area and has not yet been rehabilitated since the end of the 2018 Winter Olympics. Therefore, this study attempted to identify a way to establish a stable and efficient planting groundwork to successfully restore this distinctive region. Six different planting groundworks, control, biochar, leaf-mold, mulching, tillage, and polyacrylamide treatments were constructed in September 2020. Soil-related indices have been tracked while the growth and physiological responses of planted Pinus densiflora (Pd) and Larix kaempferi (Lk) seedlings were monitored until May 2022. Mulching had 2–4 times the average SWC when compared to the control. Simultaneously, there was the least variation in soil temperature change, and total soil loss was only 0.05 ton/ha. Similarly, the leaf-mold had a relatively high SWC, and soil fertility increased, while total soil loss was 6.37 tons/ha, indicating a high trend in line with biochar. The Pd leaf-mold had the highest in A_max, E, g_s, and J_max. Furthermore, following the leaf-mold, mulching showed the second-highest photosynthetic indices in general, and the height and DRC also demonstrated favorable results in the above two treatments. Mulching had 1.6 to 2.2 times higher than the control group in PI_abs and PI_total, which represent photosynthetic vitality, so the impact on environmental stress was thought to be less than that of leaf-mold. The mulching of Lk showed the greatest growth and physiological responses, Nonetheless, the photosynthetic indices were rather low when compared to Pd, with no discernible differences across treatments. As a result, the considerable effect of the planting groundwork method could not be demonstrated. Therefore, in the case of Pd, the leaf-mold showed the best growth and physiological response. Nevertheless, in terms of soil temperature maintenance and soil loss for slope stability, mulching is assessed to be the most ideal planting groundwork method.

Climate change significantly influences plants’ physiology, flowering phenology, and nectar production, affecting pollinator interactions and apicultural sustainability. This study examines the physiological responses of Pseudolysimachion rotundum (Nakai) Holub var. subintegrum (Nakai) T.Yamaz. (Plantaginaceae) under projected climate change scenarios, focusing on flowering traits, nectar secretion, and honey production potential. Elevated CO₂ levels enhanced its net photosynthesis and water-use efficiency, supporting sustained carbohydrate assimilation and promoting aboveground biomass accumulation. However, the increased nitrogen demand for vegetative growth and inflorescence production may have led to reduced allocation of nitrogen to the nectar, contributing to a decline in its amino acid concentrations. The flowering period advanced with rising temperatures, with peak bloom occurring up to four days earlier under the SSP5 conditions. While the nectar secretion per flower remained stable, an increase in floral abundance led to a 3.8-fold rise in the estimated honey production per hectare. The analysis of the nectar’s composition revealed that sucrose hydrolysis intensified under higher temperatures, shifting the nectar toward a hexose-rich profile. Although nectar quality slightly declined due to reductions in sucrose and nitrogen-rich amino acids, phenylalanine—the most preferred amino acid by honeybees—remained dominant across all scenarios. These findings confirm the strong climate resilience of P. rotundum var. subintegrum, highlighting its potential as a sustainable nectar source in future apicultural landscapes. Given the crucial role of nitrogen in both plant growth and nectar composition, future research should explore soil nitrogen dynamics and plant nitrogen metabolism to ensure long-term sustainability in plant–pollinator interactions and apicultural practices.