PuRpOsE: PRotecting Oak Ecosystems: understanding and forecasting causes and consequences, management for future climates

橡树是英国和欧洲大部分地区的标志性树木。我们的两棵原生橡树是公众认可的物种，具有相当的文化、经济和生物多样性价值。事实上，我们还没有足够的知识来了解橡树面临的健康威胁，也没有为更广泛的利益攸关方和公众可能做出的反应做好准备。有梗和无梗的橡木在英国广泛分布。最近，在英国出现了非本地入侵病原体和害虫的增加，并对许多树种造成了损害和/或死亡。近年来，橡树面临着橡树行军蛾（OPM）和橡树急性衰退（AOD）等新型病虫害的威胁。对于其中的一些，我们还不知道它们是如何导致橡树健康下降的，而且除了卫生砍伐之外，目前通常没有其他治疗方法。因此，我们迫切需要确定为什么树木越来越容易受到病虫害的影响，并制定有助于降低橡树易感性的管理方法。树木健康状况的下降以及橡树的潜在损失或减少将对以橡树和/或橡树林为食的植物、动物和人类产生影响。因此，我们需要评估橡树病虫害对更广泛环境的影响，以及我们如何减轻这种影响。目的是一个研究项目，通过了解和预测原因和后果，以及未来气候预测的适应管理来保护橡树生态系统。我们的工作是了解害虫、疾病、环境和人类之间的相互作用，由一群世界领先的科学家领导，他们将解决这些问题。我们的工作重点之一是AOD，但本研究的结果将为其他病虫害（如OPM）的方法提供有价值的验证。我们的工作将增加我们对橡树衰退（特别是AOD）原因的理解，并确定AOD感染带来的生理和其他表型变化及其对根际相关群落的影响。我们将制作风险图和压力图，分别确定橡树最容易受到AOD和其他病虫害威胁的气候/土壤区域。我们将在预测未来气候的背景下进行水平扫描，以确定对橡树健康的潜在新威胁、风险标准和管理办法。结合风险制图、应力制图和水平扫描的知识，我们将评估森林管理如何减少橡树的衰退。缓解可能需要重新种植。在目的范围内，我们从生物多样性和生态系统功能以及与橡树林地相关的服务方面评估了可以取代橡树在景观中的功能的树种。根据这项研究的成果，我们将确定适应战略，以减少对生物多样性和生态系统服务（如碳储存和水质）的影响，让利益相关者参与开发动态适应途径，以管理和娱乐橡树的损失。所有这些工作的基础是一个强大的团队承诺，在自然科学和社会科学领域合作，了解涉及害虫和病原体、宿主、环境和人类的树木健康问题。该项目的目的是开发一种共同语言，以便为参与树木健康政策法规、贸易和森林政策与实践的决策者提供关于本地橡树健康威胁的知识和理解，包括现在和预测的气候未来。

Oaks are iconic trees in the UK and throughout much of Europe. Our two native oaks are species that members of the public recognise and which have considerable cultural, economic and biodiversity value. Indeed, we do not yet have the knowledge to understand health threats to oak or prepare for the likely reactions of wider stakeholders and the public. Pedunculate and sessile oak are widespread in the UK. Recently there has been an increase in non-native invasive pathogens and pests establishing in the UK and causing damage and/or death to many tree species. Oaks are under threat from several new pests and diseases, including Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) and Acute Oak Decline (AOD). For some of these, we do not yet understand how they cause decline in oak health and often there is no current treatment other than sanitation felling. We therefore urgently need to identify why trees are becoming more susceptible to pests and diseases and to develop management methods that would help reduce oak susceptibility. A decline in tree health and the potential loss or decline of oaks will have impacts on the plants, animals and humans that use oak trees and/or oak woods. Thus we need to assess the impacts of oak pests and diseases on the wider environment and how we can mitigate the impacts.PuRpOsE is a research project to PRotect Oak Ecosystems through understanding and forecasting causes and consequences, and adaptation management for future climate projections. Our work to understand interactions between pests, diseases, environments and humans is led by a group of world-leading scientists who will address these issues. One focus of our work is AOD, but the outcomes of this study will provide valuable validation of approaches to other diseases and pests, such as OPM. Our work will increase our understanding of the causes of oak decline (particularly AOD) and determine the physiological and other phenotypic changes brought on by AOD infections and their impact on associated communities in the rhizosphere. We will produce risk maps and stress maps to identify climatic/soil regions where oaks are most at risk from AOD and from other pests and diseases, respectively. We will conduct a horizon scanning exercise, framed within the context of projected future climates, to identify potential new threats to oak health, the risk criteria and management options. Combining knowledge from risk mapping, stress mapping and horizon scanning, we will assess how forest management can reduce oak decline. Mitigation might necessitate replacement planting. Within PuRpOsE we assess tree species that could replace the function oaks have in the landscape in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem functions and the services associated with oak woodlands. Armed with the outputs of this research, we will identify adaptation strategies to reduce the impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services such as carbon storage and water quality, engaging stakeholders in developing dynamic adaptive pathways for management and recreation from the loss of oak. Underpinning all of this work is a strong team commitment to working collaboratively across the natural and social sciences to understand tree health issues as involving pests and pathogens, hosts, environments and humans. The project aims to develop a common language to provide improved knowledge and understanding of health threats to native oaks, now and into the projected climate futures to decision-makers involved in tree health policy regulation, trade and forest policy and practice.