Bonaventure Ntirugulirwa

Current estimates of temperature effects on plants mostly rely on air temperature, although it can significantly deviate from leaf temperature (Tleaf). To address this, some studies have used canopy temperature (Tcan). However, Tcan fails to capture the fine‐scale variation in Tleaf among leaves and species in diverse canopies. We used infrared rad...

Plants face a trade‐off between hydraulic safety and growth, leading to a range of water‐use strategies in different species. However, little is known about such strategies in tropical trees and whether different water‐use traits can acclimate to warming. We studied five water‐use traits in 20 tropical tree species grown at three different altitude...

The response of tropical trees and tree communities to climate change is crucial for the carbon storage and biodiversity of the terrestrial biosphere. Trees in tropical montane rain forests (TMFs) are considered particularly vulnerable to climate change, but this hypothesis remains poorly evaluated due to data scarcity. To reduce the knowledge gap...

The productivity and climate feedbacks of tropical forests depend on tree physiological responses to warmer and, over large areas, seasonally drier conditions. However, knowledge regarding such responses is limited due to data scarcity. We studied the impact of growth temperature on net photosynthesis (An), maximum rates of Rubisco carboxylation at...

The response of tropical trees and tree communities to climate change is crucial for the carbon storage and biodiversity of the terrestrial biosphere. Trees in tropical montane rainforests (TMFs) are considered particularly vulnerable to climate change, but this hypothesis remains poorly evaluated due to data scarcity. To reduce the knowledge gap o...

Leaf morphological traits vary along climate gradients, but it is currently unclear to what extent this results from acclimation rather than adaptation. Knowing so is important for predicting the functioning of long-lived organisms, such as trees, in a rapidly changing climate. We investigated the leaf morphological warming responses of 18 tropical...

The effect of temperature change on leaf physiology has been extensively studied in temperate trees and to some extent in boreal and tropical tree species. While increased temperature typically stimulates leaf CO2 assimilation and tree growth in high-altitude ecosystems, tropical species are often negatively affected. They may operate close to thei...

Warming climate increases the risk for harmful leaf temperatures in terrestrial plants, causing heat stress and loss of productivity. The heat sensitivity may be particularly high in equatorial tropical tree species adapted to a thermally stable climate. Thermal thresholds of the photosynthetic system of sun‐exposed leaves were investigated in thre...

The temperature sensitivity of physiological processes and growth of tropical trees remains a key uncertainty in predicting how tropical forests will adjust to future climates. In particular, our knowledge regarding warming responses of photosynthesis, and its underlying biochemical mechanisms, is very limited. We grew seedlings of two tropical mon...

Tropical climates are getting warmer, with pronounced dry periods in large areas. The productivity and climate feedbacks of future tropical forests depend on the ability of trees to acclimate their physiological processes, such as leaf dark respiration (Rd), to these new conditions. However, knowledge on this is currently limited due to data scarci...

Tropical canopies are complex, with multiple canopy layers and pronounced gap dynamics contributing to their high species diversity and productivity. An important reason for this complexity is the large variation in shade tolerance among different tree species. At present we lack a clear understanding of which plant traits control this variation, e...

Elevation gradients offer excellent opportunities to explore the climate sensitivity of vegetation. Here, we investigated elevation patterns of structural, chemical, and physiological traits in tropical tree species along a 1700–2700 m elevation gradient in Rwanda, central Africa. Two early-successional (Polyscias fulva, Macaranga kilimandscharica)...

Bees are essential for pollination of many tree and food plant species. Beekeeping can sustainably generate income because the demand for honey is consistently high. There is little scientifically credible information on honey productivity in Rwanda. The objective of the current study was to determine annual patterns of honey productivity. Monthly...

Explants of two elite cooking banana cultivars, FHIA17 and INJAGI were collected from healthy source of stock plants growing in the field. Sterilization was evaluated using different concentrations (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60%) of a commercial bleach (JIK) for 25 min. Effects of cytokinins benzyl amino purine (BAP), 2-isopentenyl adenine (2iP) and kinet...

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing and highest yielding renewable natural resources with multiple uses in the world. It is used to make furniture, charcoal, food, control soil erosion and can assist in carbon sequestration. The increasing rate of tropical deforestation calls for search for alternative natural resources and the characteristics of...

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing and highest yielding renewable natural resources with multiple uses in the world. It is used to make furniture, charcoal, food, control soil erosion and can assist in carbon sequestration. The increasing rate of tropical deforestation calls for search for alternative natural resources and the characteristics of...