MEMBRA

Project Summary:

Understanding Memory of UK Treescapes for Better Resilience and Adaptation (MEMBRA)

Tree rings provide a historical record of extreme events; for instance, UK trees planted more than 50 years ago show evidence of the severe 1976 drought. But tree memory may extend beyond purely physical records. MEMBRA (Understanding Memory of UK Treescapes for Better Resilience and Adaptation) aimed to understand if trees retain functional memories that shape their response to stress – like how the people who lived through the 1976 drought will respond differently to water shortages

MEMBRA’s research focused on DNA methylation, a process that allows trees to adapt by changing how genes are expressed. They explored how trees retain and transfer these “memories” to offspring through epigenetic imprints and if those imprints have lasting effects. MEMBRA’s insights could enhance future treescape resilience and management across the UK.

HOW?

MEMBRA investigates how trees adapt to stress through functional memories, focusing on DNA methylation and its role in shaping tree resilience. By monitoring over 8,000 trees across study plots, the project is exploring how stress responses are retained and passed on to offspring, providing insights that could be useful for future management practices, for example by priming young trees for climate change.

Key research areas include:

• Epigenetic Studies: Examining DNA methylation changes in trees exposed to stress, such as drought and disease.
• Generational Effects: Investigating how stress responses influence the growth and resilience of offspring.

The project is also exploring the importance of ethics and narratives, using arts and humanities to reshape the concepts, values and narratives that define our relationship with trees.