Description
Tree Physiology publishes studies of tree functional processes, from the molecular to ecosystem scale. Tree Physiology welcomes submissions on wild and cultivated tree species as well as other woody and arborescent species (e.g. shrubs, vines, lianas, tree ferns, palms, bamboo). Tree Physiology promotes research in a framework of hierarchically organized systems, measuring insight by the ability to link different scales of biological organization. Investigations of tree physiological phenomenon should seek mechanistic explanation in finer-scale phenomena as well as seek significance in larger-scale phenomena (Passioura 1979). A phenomenon not linked downscale is merely descriptive; an observation not linked upscale lacks context of the plant in its surroundings. With this emphasis on mechanistic understanding of functional processes, original research manuscripts submitted to Tree Physiology must have a focus on laboratory and/or field experimentation. Manuscripts that include in silico or modeling analyses must also contain laboratory or field experimentation to validate or extend the findings from computational analyses. Submissions on newly-developed methods that improve our ability to quantify or model parameters important to plant physiological processes are also invited.
