Enhancing Forest Resilience through Plant Functional Traits: A Practical Approach

This book explores the relationship between plant functional traits and the resilience of forest ecosystems. Understanding how these traits influence forest ecosystems has significant implications for conservation, forestry, and ecosystem management. This book explores the intersection of ecology, botany, and forestry, providing a comprehensive guide to using plant functional traits as a tool to advance sustainable forest development as sustainable forest management becomes increasingly important in the face of global environmental challenges.

This book also discusses the role that plant functional traits play in ecosystem dynamics and how they support forest resilience. It emphasizes how crucial these characteristics are for dealing with environmental stresses like drought and climate change, as well as how they affect soil interactions, carbon sequestration, and nutrient cycling. By integrating contemporary developments in trait-based research and analytical instruments, this book provides useful tactics for improving forest resilience via sustainable management techniques.

Key Features:

· A comprehensive overview of the latest advancements in plant functional traits and their role in forest resilience.

· Detailed explanations of the anatomical, physiological, and genetic aspects of plant functional traits, emphasizing their importance in tree growth and adaptation.

· Insights into how functional traits influence nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, soil interactions, and responses to environmental stressors like drought and climate change.

· Discussion of modern tools and methodologies in trait-based research, along with future directions for integrating functional traits into forest management strategies.

· Practical applications of functional traits in conservation, biodiversity management, and sustainable forest management to enhance ecosystem resilience.

This book serves as a valuable reference for researchers and academicians studying species composition within forest ecosystems and exploring ways to enhance forest resilience in the context of climate change. It is also suitable as a textbook for graduate, postgraduate, and Ph.D. students in fields such as agriculture, botany, plant physiology, forestry, biotechnology, environmental science, and agroforestry.

Narendra Kumar obtained his Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from G.B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Pantnagar, India. His research focused on the response of plants to abiotic stresses. Later, he served as an Assistant Professor in various reputed academic institutes, especially Surajmal Aggarwal (Pvt.) Kanya Mahavidyalaya, Kichha, US Nagar, India; Dev Bhoomi Group of Institutions, Dehradun, India; and Uttaranchal University, Dehradun, India. He also worked as Research Associate at Forest Research Institute, Dehradun. His research interests primarily include plant physiology, ecophysiology, plant response to abiotic stresses, climate change adaptation and mitigation, functional traits, and climate change modeling. He has supervised many M.Sc. students, with many more currently under supervision. He has published various papers/chapters/articles in national and international peer-reviewed journals with high impact factors. He has edited many books with international publishers, and has served as an editor for many journals on current subjects. He is currently employed as Assistant Professor in the College of Agriculture at Central Agriculture University (Imphal), Kyrdemkulai, Meghalaya, India.

Amit Kumar is a distinguished researcher, a renowned author, and a leading expert in the fields of plant physiology, forestry, and climate change. Driven by an insatiable curiosity about the natural world and a deep-rooted passion for environmental conservation, he has dedicated his life to understanding the intricate relationships between plants, ecosystems, and the ever-changing climate. He earned his Ph.D. in Forestry from Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, India. His research is primarily focused on plant functional traits of forestry ecosystems. Earlier, he worked as an Assistant Professor in many organizations, i.e., Dolphin P.G. Institute of Biomedical and Natural Sciences, Dehradun, and Alpine Group of Institutes, Dehradun, Uttarakhand. He has published several research articles, books, and book chapters in peer-reviewed journals with high impact factors. He has edited many books with international publishers. He has received several awards from prestigious organizations, i.e. Young Scientist Award from UCOST Dehradun, Uttarakhand; Emerging Scientist Award from VDGOOD Foundation, Kolkata; and Best Research Paper Award from Indian Association of Soil and Water Conservationists, Dehradun. He has participated in more than 30 national and international conferences, symposia, and seminars. He has published more than 25 research papers in well-reputed national and international journals. Currently, he is working as Scientist in CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology, Palampur, Himachal Pradesh.

Pramod Kumar Pandey is presently working as an Assistant Maize Breeder in All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Maize, Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Central Agriculture University (Imphal), Kyrdemkulai, Meghalaya. He completed his postgraduate degree in Biotechnology at KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha. He obtained his Ph.D. in Biotechnology from Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, Assam. He has authored more than 50 scholarly research papers and articles and contributed to various book chapters. He has served as an editor for many journals on current subjects. He has supervised many M.Sc. and Ph.D. students, and many more are under supervision. He possesses around 10 years of academic and professional experience in his area of expertise.