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PubMed2002

Needle life span, photosynthetic rate and nutrient concentration of Picea glehnii, P. jezoensis and P. abies planted on serpentine soil in northern Japan.

We investigated the adaptation of three spruce species (Picea glehnii Masters, P. jezoensis Carr. and P. abies Karst.) to growth in northern Japan on serpentine soils (characterized by high concentrations of heavy metals and Mg, a low Ca/Mg ratio and low fertility) and fertile brown forest soils. Among species, seedling survival on serpentine soil was highest in P. glehnii. Shoot growth of P. glehnii was similar whether grown on serpentine or brown forest soil, whereas shoot growth of the other species was significantly less on serpentine soil than on brown forest soil. On serpentine soil, needle life span of P. glehnii was at least 3 years longer than that of the other two species. Needle area per shoot of P. glehnii was significantly higher on serpentine soil than on brown forest soil up to a shoot age of 8 years. In all three species, light-saturated photosynthetic rate (Pmax) decreased with needle age independently of soil type. However, on serpentine soil, Pmax in P. glehnii was higher, particularly in older needles, than in the other species. Furthermore, on serpentine soil, needle concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were higher in P. glehnii than in the other species. We conclude that P. glehnii is better adapted to serpentine soil than P. jezoensis and P. abies at least in part because of its greater needle life span and higher needle nutrient concentrations.

Asbestos, Serpentine↗
PubMed2002

Fertilization has little effect on light-interception efficiency of Picea abies shoots.

We investigated effects of nutrient availability on shoot structure and light-interception efficiency based on data from control (C) and irrigated + fertilized (IL) trees of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). The sampling of 1-year-old shoots was designed to cover the variation in canopy exposure within the live crown zone, where current-year shoots were still found. Canopy openness was used as a measure of light availability at the shoot's position. Openness values for the sample shoots ranged from 0.02 to 0.77 on the IL plot, and from 0.10 to 0.96 on the C plot. Among needle dimensions, needle width increased most with canopy openness. At fixed canopy openness, needle width was larger, and the ratio of needle thickness to width was smaller in IL trees than in C trees. Specific needle area (SNA) and the ratio of shoot silhouette area to total needle area (STAR) decreased with canopy openness, so that the combined effect was a threefold decrease in the ratio of shoot silhouette area to unit dry mass (SMR = STAR x SNA) along the studied range of openness values. This means that the light-interception efficiency of shoots per unit needle dry mass was three times higher for the most shaded shoots than for sun shoots. A test of the effect of fertilization on the relationships of SNA, STAR and SMR indicated statistically significant differences in both slope and intercept for SNA and STAR, and in the intercept for SMR. However, the differences partly cancelled each other so that, at medium values of canopy openness, differences between treatments in predicted SNA, STAR and SMR were small. At 0.5 canopy openness, predicted STAR of IL shoots was 6.1% larger than STAR of C shoots, but SMR of IL shoots was 10% smaller than that of C shoots. The results suggest that light-interception efficiency per unit needle area or mass of the shoots is not greatly affected by fertilization.

Light↗
PubMed2002

Minimum cuticular conductance and cuticle features of Picea abies and Pinus cembra needles along an altitudinal gradient in the Dolomites (NE Italian Alps).

Winter desiccation is believed to contribute to stress in coniferous trees growing at the treeline because cuticular conductance increases with altitude. To test whether winter desiccation occurs in high-altitude conifers of the Dolomites (NE Italian Alps), we measured minimum cuticular conductance (g(min)), needle wettability (contact angle) and cuticle thickness in Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Pinus cembra L. needles from December to August. Samples were collected from adult trees along an altitudinal gradient from valley bottom (1050 m a.s.l.) to the treeline (2170 m a.s.l.). The treeline site is one of the highest in the area and is characterized by a generally low wind exposure. Altitude had no effect on g(min) in either species. In P. abies, large seasonal variations in g(min) were recorded but no changes were related to needle age class. Pinus cembra had a low g(min) and appeared to be efficient in reducing needle water losses. There was a significant increase in g(min) with needle aging in P. cembra growing at low altitude that could be related to a shorter needle longevity compared with P. abies. High contact angles (> 110-120 ) suggested the presence of tubular epicuticular waxes on needles of both species. Contact angles were higher (low wettability) in high-altitude needles than in low-altitude needles. By the end of winter, there was no difference in contact angles between needles in the windward and leeward positions. Wax structures transformed toward planar shapes as demonstrated by the decrease in contact angle from winter to summer. In both species, the cuticle was thicker in needles of high-altitude trees than in needles of low-altitude trees and there was no correlation between g(min) and cuticle thickness. Because desiccation resistance did not decrease with altitude in either species, we conclude that they are not susceptible to winter desiccation at the tree line.

Altitude↗
PubMed2002

Stomatal conductance alone does not explain the decline in foliar photosynthetic rates with increasing tree age and size in Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris.

Foliar light-saturated net assimilation rates (A) generally decrease with increasing tree height (H) and tree age (Y), but it is unclear whether the decline in A is attributable to size- and age-related modifications in foliage morphology (needle dry mass per unit projected area; M(A)), nitrogen concentration, stomatal conductance to water vapor (G), or biochemical foliage potentials for photosynthesis (maximum carboxylase activity of Rubisco; V(cmax)). I studied the influences of H and Y on foliage structure and function in a data set consisting of 114 published studies reporting observations on more than 200 specimens of various height and age of Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Pinus sylvestris L. In this data set, foliar nitrogen concentrations were independent of H and Y, but net assimilation rates per unit needle dry mass (A(M)) decreased strongly with increasing H and Y. Although M(A) scaled positively with H and Y, net assimilation rates per unit area (A(A) = M(A) x A(M)) were strongly and negatively related to H, indicating that the structural adjustment of needles did not compensate for the decline in mass-based needle photosynthetic rates. A relevant determinant of tree height- and age-dependent modifications of A was the decrease in G. This led to lower needle intercellular CO2 concentrations and thereby to lower efficiency with which the biochemical photosynthetic apparatus functioned. However, V(cmax) per unit needle dry mass and area strongly decreased with increasing H, indicating that foliar photosynthetic potentials were lower in larger trees at a common intercellular CO2 concentration. Given the constancy of foliar nitrogen concentrations, but the large decline in apparent V(cmax) with tree size and age, I hypothesize that the decline in Vcmax results from increasing diffusive resistances between the needle intercellular air space and carboxylation sites in chloroplasts. Increased diffusive limitations may be the inevitable consequence of morphological adaptation (changes in M(A) and needle density) to greater water stress in needles of larger trees. Foliage structural and physiological variables were nonlinearly related to H and Y, possibly because of hyperbolic decreases in shoot hydraulic conductances with increasing tree height and age. Although H and Y were correlated, foliar characteristics were generally more strongly related to H than to Y, suggesting that increases in height rather than age are responsible for declines in foliar net assimilation capacities.

Biomass↗
PubMed2002

Age-related effects on leaf area/sapwood area relationships, canopy transpiration and carbon gain of Norway spruce stands (Picea abies) in the Fichtelgebirge, Germany.

Stand age is an important structural determinant of canopy transpiration (E(c)) and carbon gain. Another more functional parameter of forest structure is the leaf area/sapwood area relationship, A(L)/A(S), which changes with site conditions and has been used to estimate leaf area index of forest canopies. The interpretation of age-related changes in A(L)/A(S) and the question of how A(L)/A(S) is related to forest functions are of current interest because they may help to explain forest canopy fluxes and growth. We conducted studies in mature stands of Picea abies (L.) Karst. varying in age from 40 to 140 years, in tree density from 1680 to 320 trees ha(-1), and in tree height from 15 to 30 m. Structural parameters were measured by biomass harvests of individual trees and stand biometry. We estimated E(c) from scaled-up xylem sap flux of trees, and canopy-level fluxes were predicted by a three-dimensional microclimate and gas exchange model (STANDFLUX). In contrast to pine species, A(L)/A(S) of P. abies increased with stand age from 0.26 to 0.48 m(2) cm(-2). Agreement between E(c) derived from scaled-up sap flux and modeled canopy transpiration was obtained with the same parameterization of needle physiology independent of stand age. Reduced light interception per leaf area and, as a consequence, reductions in net canopy photosynthesis (A(c)), canopy conductance (g(c)) and E(c) were predicted by the model in the older stands. Seasonal water-use efficiency (WUE = A(c)/E(c)), derived from scaled-up sap flux and stem growth as well as from model simulation, declined with increasing A(L)/A(S) and stand age. Based on the different behavior of age-related A(L)/A(S) in Norway spruce stands compared with other tree species, we conclude that WUE rather than A(L)/A(S) could represent a common age-related property of all species. We also conclude that, in addition to hydraulic limitations reducing carbon gain in old stands, a functional change in A(L)/A(S) that is related to reduced light interception per leaf area provides another potential explanation for reduced carbon gain in old stands of P. abies, even when hydraulic constraints increase in response to changes in canopy architecture and aging.

Germany↗
PubMed2002

Age effects on Norway spruce (Picea abies) susceptibility to ozone uptake: a novel approach relating stress avoidance to defense.

Cumulative ozone (O3) uptake and O3 flux were related to physiological, morphological and biochemical characteristics of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) trees of different ages. Under ambient CO2 conditions, photosynthetic capacity (Amax) declined in mature trees when cumulative O3 uptake into needles, which provides a measure of effective O3 dose, exceeded 21 mmol m-2 of total needle surface area. A comparable decline in Amax of seedlings occurred when cumulative O(3) uptake was only 4.5 mmol m-2. The threshold O3 flux causing a significant decline in Amax ranged between 2.14 and 2.45 nmol m-2 s-1 in mature trees and seedlings subjected to exposure periods of > or = 70 and > or = 23 days, respectively. The greater O3 sensitivity of young trees compared with mature trees was associated with needle morphology. Biomass of a 100-needle sample increased significantly with tree age, whereas a negative correlation was found for specific leaf area, these changes parallel those observed during differentiation from shade-type to sun-type needles with tree ontogeny. Age-dependent changes in leaf morphology were related to changes in detoxification capacity, with area-based concentrations of ascorbate increasing during tree ontogeny. These findings indicate that the extent of O3-induced injury is related to the ratio of potentially available antioxidants to O3 influx. Because this ratio, when calculated for ascorbate, increased with tree age, we conclude that the ratio may serve as an empirical basis for characterizing age-related differences in tree responses to O3.

Ascorbic Acid↗
PubMed2002

Water content and bark thickness of Norway spruce (Picea abies) stems: phloem water capacitance and xylem sap flow.

To determine the relationship between phloem transport and changes in phloem water content, we measured temporal and spatial variations in water content and sucrose, glucose and fructose concentrations in phloem samples and phloem exudates of 70- and 30-year-old Norway spruce trees (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). Large temporal and spatial variations in phloem water content (1.4-2.6 mg mg(dw)(-1)) and phloem total sugar concentration (31-70 mg g(dw)(-1)) paralleled each other (r(2) = 0.83, P < 0.0001 for the temporal profile and r(2) = 0.96, P < 0.008 for the spatial profile), indicating that phloem water content depends on the total amount of sugar to be transferred. Changes in phloem water content were unrelated to changes in bark thickness. Maximum changes in phloem water content calculated from dendrometer readings were only 8-11% of the maximum measured changes in phloem water content, indicating that reversible changes in bark thickness did not reflect changes in internal water relations. We also studied the relationship between xylem sap velocity and changes in bark thickness in 70-year-old trees during summer 1999 and winter 1999-2000. Sap flow occurred sporadically throughout the winter, but there was no relationship between bark shrinkage or swelling and sap velocity. In winter, mean daily xylem sap velocity was significantly correlated with mean daily vapor pressure deficit and air temperature (P < 0.0001, in both cases). Changes in bark thickness corresponded with both short- and long-term changes in relative humidity, in both winter and summer. Under controlled conditions at > 0 degrees C, changes in relative humidity alone caused changes in thickness of boiled bark samples. Because living bark of Norway spruce trees contains large areas with crushed and dead sieve cell zones-up to 24% of the bark is air-filled space-we suggest that this space can compensate for volume changes in living phloem cells independently of total tissue water content. We conclude that changes in bark thickness are not indicative of changes in either phloem water capacitance or xylem sap flow.

Extracellular Space↗
PubMed2003

Root turnover and root necromass accumulation of Norway spruce (Picea abies) are affected by soil acidity.

Fine root distribution and turnover were investigated in ca. 40-year-old pure Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) stands in Germany, growing on four sites that differed in soil acidity (Ebergötzen < Barbis < Fichtelgebirge = Harz). The density of fine root biomass and necromass in different soil horizons differed among the sites. At one of the most acidic sites (Harz), fine root density in the humus layer was more than twice that at the least acidic site (Ebergötzen). At the two most acidic sites, Fichtelgebirge and Harz, the ratio of biomass to necromass was significantly lower than at Ebergötzen and Barbis, particularly in the subsoil layer. In each stand, clear vertical gradients in fine root length density and root tip density were observed. Most of the roots and the root tips were in the humus layer and in the first mineral soil horizon (0-10 cm). There was a significantly different decrease in specific root length (cm gDM (-1)) and specific root tip density (root tips gDM (-1)) in the more acidified stands Fichtelgebirge and Harz compared with Ebergötzen and Barbis. Fine root production estimated by ingrowth cores and a net method was approximately twice as high in the more acidic stands Fichtelgebirge and Harz compared with Ebergötzen and Barbis. Rates of living fine root biomass turnover were higher at the Fichtelgebirge and Harz sites than at the Ebergötzen site. Rates of necromass turnover were similar at all sites. The results suggest that the accumulation of necromass was not due to a slower disappearance at the more acid sites, but to earlier root death. Roots contributed 46% to root + needle litter and 32% to root + total aboveground litter at the Harz site in 1997.

Hydrogen-Ion Concentration↗
PubMed2003

Effects of exogenous gibberellin and auxin on shoot elongation and vegetative bud development in seedlings of Pinus sylvestris and Picea glauca.

The hormonal control of stem unit (foliar appendage and axillary structure, if present, plus subtending internode) number and length was investigated in shoots of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss). Seedlings were treated with six gibberellins (GA1, GA3, GA4, GA5, GA9 and GA20) and two auxins (indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA)) when either neoformed growth was occurring or the terminal vegetative bud was developing. Hormones were applied by drenching the shoot tip, injecting the stem or spraying the foliage. Combined results for all three application methods indicated that shoot elongation in first-year seedlings (i.e., neoformed growth) was promoted in both species by GA1, GA3, GA4 and, less obviously, by GA9. This promotion was attributable to an increase in length, rather than number, of stem units. However, the number of stem units formed during terminal bud development, as reflected in the number of needles (white spruce) or cataphylls (Scots pine) present on the shoot resulting from the terminal bud, was stimulated by GA1, GA3 and GA4 in both species and by GA9 in Scots pine. The GA-induced increase in the number of preformed stem units was associated with increased bud width in white spruce and increased bud length and resulting shoot length in Scots pine. In contrast, application of IAA or NAA either did not affect or inhibited both neoformed growth and terminal bud stem unit number, depending on the application method and concentration. We conclude that, in the Pinaceae, (1) GA stimulates the activity of both the subapical meristem during neoformed growth and the apical meristem during vegetative bud development, and (2) the early non-hydroxylation pathway, via GA9, is the major route of GA biosynthesis. The role of auxin in the control of stem unit number and length remains to be resolved.

Gibberellins↗
PubMed2003

Intra- and inter-provenance variability in phloem phenols of Picea abies and relationship to a bark beetle-associated fungus.

One hundred Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) clones (three ramets per clone) were analyzed for phloem phenol composition and concentration before and 10 days after wound inoculation with sterile malt agar. Fifty clones (Experiment 1) belonged to the same provenance, whereas the remaining clones (Experiment 2) belonged to five provenances from three geographic areas. In Experiment 2, two additional ramets from the same clones were mass inoculated with Ceratocystis polonica (Siem.) C. Moreau to quantify the resistance of each clone. Tree response to wound inoculations was characterized by increased catechin concentration in both experiments, accompanied by increases in astringin and decreases in piceid in Experiment 1. In both experiments, we observed a diverse group of phenolic compounds whose concentrations increased (catechin, astringin) or did not vary (taxifolin glucoside) in response to wound inoculations, whereas concentrations of a homogeneous group of stilbene compounds decreased (piceid) or did not vary (isorhapontin, unidentified stilbene). In Experiment 2, provenances from the alpine and Hercynian-Carpatic areas differed from provenances from the Baltic area with respect to the relative importance of these two groups of compounds, further indicating that the two groupings of phenolic compounds structure the Norway spruce populations. Eighty days after mass inoculation, the percentage of healthy sapwood, which was taken as a measure of tree resistance, indicated that clones from the Baltic area were less resistant to mass inoculations than clones from the alpine and Hercynian-Carpatic areas. We conclude that the degree of resistance of Norway spruce trees to mass inoculations with a bark beetle-associated fungus can be predicted based on the diversity of constitutive phloem phenols and the ability to induce phenol synthesis in response to wounding.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Boron influences pollen germination and pollen tube growth in Picea meyeri.

To study the role of boron in pollen germination and pollen tube growth of Picea meyeri Rehd. et Wils., pollen grains were cultured in standard medium or boron-deficient medium. Effects of boron on the localization of pectins and callose in the walls of pollen tubes were observed by laser scanning confocal microscopy after staining with aniline blue or immunolabeling with antibodies JIM5 and JIM7. Changes in the structures of pectins and phenolics were investigated by fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy. Pollen germination in boron-deficient medium ranged from 18 to 24%, whereas pollen germination in standard medium reached 61%. Callose accumulated in the tip-regions of pollen tubes cultured in boron-deficient medium, but not in standard medium. Immunolabeling with antibody JIM5 revealed that acidic pectin preferentially accumulated in the tip regions of pollen tubes cultured in boron-deficient medium, whereas acidic pectin was weakly distributed along the entire lengths of pollen tubes cultured in standard medium. Esterified pectin, detected by immunolabeling with antibody JIM7, showed a similar distribution pattern in pollen tubes in both the boron-deficient and standard treatments. The FTIR spectra indicated slight increases in contents of phenolics and carboxylic acids and a substantial decrease in the content of saturated esters in boron-deficient pollen tubes compared with normal pollen tubes. The FTIR spectra confirmed that boron deficiency enhanced acidic pectin accumulation in pollen tubes, which may be associated with the increased content of carboxylic acid. We conclude that boron has a regulatory role in pollen germination and pollen tube growth.

Boron↗
PubMed2003

Responses of black spruce (Picea mariana) and tamarack (Larix laricina) to flooding and ethylene.

Black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) and tamarack (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) are the predominant tree species in the boreal peatlands of Alberta, Canada, where low nutrient availability, low soil temperature and a high water table limit their growth. Effects of flooding for 28 days on morphological and physiological responses were investigated in greenhouse-grown black spruce and tamarack seedlings in a growth chamber. Flooding reduced root hydraulic conductance, net assimilation rate and stomatal conductance, and increased water-use efficiency (WUE) and needle electrolyte leakage in both species. Although flooded black spruce seedlings maintained higher net assimilation rates and stomatal conductance than flooded tamarack seedlings, flooded tamarack seedlings were able to maintain higher root hydraulic conductance than flooded black spruce seedlings. Needles of flooded black spruce developed tip necrosis and electrolyte leakage after 14 days of flooding, and these symptoms were subsequently more prominent than in needles of flooded tamarack seedlings. Flooded tamarack seedlings exhibited no visible injury symptoms and developed hypertrophied lenticels at their stem base. Application of exogenous ethylene resulted in a significant reduction in net assimilation, stomatal conductance and root respiration, whereas root hydraulic conductivity increased in both species. Thus, although flooded black spruce seedlings maintained a higher stomatal conductance and net assimilation rate than tamarack seedlings, black spruce did not cope with the deleterious effects of prolonged soil flooding and exogenous ethylene as well as tamarack.

Environment↗
PubMed2004

Abiotic factors limiting photosynthesis in Abies lasiocarpa and Picea engelmannii seedlings below and above the alpine timberline.

Most research on the occurrence and stability of alpine timberlines has focused on correlations between adult tree growth and mean temperatures rather than on specific mechanisms. Timberline migration to higher altitude is dependent on new seedling establishment in the tree-line ecotone; however, reductions in photosynthetic carbon gain in establishing seedlings have previously been interpreted solely in terms of decreased seedling survival. Our objective was to evaluate the impact of abiotic factors (temperature, light and water) on photosynthetic carbon gain in young seedlings of the two dominant conifer tree species occurring naturally above (tree-line ecotone site, TS) and below (forest site, FS) a Rocky Mountain timberline in southeastern Wyoming, USA. Coincidentally, measurements were made during an unusually dry summer. Mean daily photosynthesis in seedlings of both Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. (subalpine fir) and Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm. (Engelmann spruce) was less at TS than at FS (19 and 29%, respectively). Minimum nighttime temperatures below 2 degrees C were more frequent at TS than at FS and were associated with reduced maximum photosynthesis the following day. Low midday water potentials were associated with a reduction in carbon gain at both sites early in the season, prior to snowmelt, as well as late in the season when soils began to dry. However, the lower photosynthetic rates at TS than at FS appeared to be unrelated to seedling water status because seedlings at both sites had similar xylem pressure potentials. Solar irradiance was highly variable at both sites as a result of uneven shading by neighboring trees, although this variation was substantially reduced on cloudy days (44% of all days observed). Compared with sunny days, cloudy days resulted in greater integrated daily carbon gain at both sites (41% increase at TS and 69% increase at FS), based on a simulated photosynthesis model. Photosynthetic responses to temperature, sunlight and water suggest that variable solar irradiance and nighttime temperatures were major abiotic factors limiting photosynthetic carbon acquisition in these young seedlings, especially for seedlings growing in the tree-line ecotone.

Abies↗
PubMed2004

Growth, allocation and tissue chemistry of Picea abies seedlings affected by nutrient supply during the second growing season.

One-year-old Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) seedlings were grown hydroponically in a growth chamber to investigate the effects of low and high nutrient availability (LN; 0.25 mM N and HN; 2.50 mM N) on growth, biomass allocation and chemical composition of needles, stem and roots during the second growing season. Climatic conditions in the growth chamber simulated the mean growing season from May to early October in Flakaliden, northern Sweden. In the latter half of the growing season, biomass allocation changed in response to nutrient availability: increased root growth and decreased shoot growth led to higher root/shoot ratios in LN seedlings than in HN seedlings. At high nutrient availability, total biomass, especially stem biomass, increased, as did total nonstructural carbohydrate and nitrogen contents per seedling. Responses of stem chemistry to nutrient addition differed from those of adult trees of the same provenance. In HN seedlings, concentrations of alpha-cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin decreased in the secondary xylem. Our results illustrate the significance of retranslocation of stored nutrients to support new growth early in the season when root growth and nutrient uptake are still low. We conclude that nutrient availability alters allocation patterns, thereby influencing the success of 2-year-old Norway spruce seedlings at forest planting sites.

Biomass↗
PubMed2004

Online analysis of volatile organic compound emissions from Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis).

Volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Bong.) growing in a range of controlled light and temperature regimes were monitored online with a proton transfer reaction-mass spectrometer (PTR-MS) operating at a temporal resolution of approximately 1 min. Isoprene emissions accounted for an average of more than 70% of measured VOCs and up to 3.5% of assimilated carbon. Emission rates (E) for isoprene correlated closely with photosynthetic photon flux (PPF) and temperature, showing saturation at a PPF of between 300 and 400 micromol m(-2) s(-1) and a maximum between 35 and 38 degrees C. Under standard conditions of 30 degrees C and 1000 micromol m(-2) s(-1) PPF, the mean isoprene E was 13 microg gdm(-1) h(-1), considerably higher than previously observed in this species. Mean E for acetaldehyde, methanol and monoterpenes at 30 degrees C were 0.37, 0.78 and 2.97 microg gdm(-1) h(-1), respectively. In response to a sudden light to dark transition, isoprene E decreased exponentially by > 98% over about 3 h; however, during the first 7 min, this otherwise steady decay was temporarily but immediately depressed to approximately 40% of the pre-darkness rate, before rallying during the following 7 min to rejoin the general downward trajectory of the exponential decay. The sudden sharp fall in isoprene E was mirrored by a burst in acetaldehyde E. The acetaldehyde E maximum coincided with the isoprene E minimum (7 min post-illumination), and ceased when isoprene emissions resumed their exponential decay. The causes of, and linkages between, these phenomena were investigated.

Acetaldehyde↗
PubMed2005

Estimating foliage biomass in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) plots.

Dynamic decomposition models are needed to estimate changes in the carbon stock of boreal soil because these changes are difficult to measure directly. An important aboveground carbon flux to the soil is foliage litterfall. To estimate this flux, both the amount and the turnover rate of the foliage biomass component must be known. Several methods for estimating foliage biomass of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), including biomass equations and biomass expansion factors (BEFs), were compared with predicted foliage biomass based on forest inventory plot-level measurements. Measured foliage biomass was up-scaled from the branch-level to the plot-level by combining forest inventory variables (diameter, height, height at the crown base and crown base diameter) based on the assumptions of pipe model theory. Combining the foliage biomass: cross-sectional area ratio with the forest inventory variables provided accurate estimates of foliage biomass at the plot-level for plots in southern Finland. The results emphasize the need to test biomass equations with independent data, especially when the equations applied are based on neighboring regions.

Biomass↗
PubMed2005

Seasonal variations in photosynthesis of Picea morrisonicola growing in the subalpine region of subtropical Taiwan.

From January 1999 to May 2001, we investigated seasonal variations in the photosynthetic capacity of Taiwan spruce (Picea morrisonicola Hay.) growing in the subalpine region of subtropical Taiwan (23 degrees 29' N, 120 degrees 53' E, 2600 m a.s.l.). Photosynthetic capacity (near light-saturated net photosynthetic rate, Pnsat, chlorophyll fluorescence (Fv/Fm) and soluble protein concentration of needles all increased from mid or late spring to early winter. Even when minimum air temperature of the measuring day dropped to near 0 degrees C, Pnsat remained at about 20% of the highest value observed in winter. There was a curvilinear relationship between Fv/Fm and the minimum or mean air temperature of the measuring day. The increase in Fv/Fm with temperature was slowed when the daily mean air temperature was above 7 degrees C, or the minimum air temperature was above 3 degrees C; however, when air temperatures dropped below these values, Fv/Fm varied sharply. Seasonal variations in Pnsat paralleled those in Fv/Fm and needle soluble protein concentration. In early or mid spring when air temperature and Fv/Fm increased, Pnsat and soluble protein concentration remained low. Multiple regression analysis showed that seasonal variations in Pnsat were affected by Fv/Fm, air temperature and needle soluble protein concentration, and the multiple regression equation could be used to estimate Pnsat in different seasons. We conclude that the decrease in photosynthetic capacity of Taiwan spruce in winter and its subsequent recovery in spring were mainly caused by photoinhibition and its reversal, and changes in needle soluble protein concentration. Another possible explanation for the delayed recovery of photosynthetic capacity in spring may be associated with the slow increase in needle soluble protein concentration.

Chlorophyll↗
PubMed2006

Vertical and horizontal water redistribution in Norway spruce (Picea abies) roots in the Moravian Upland.

Hydraulic redistribution (HR) by roots of large Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) trees was investigated by means of sap flow measurements made with the heat field deformation method. Irrigation was applied to a limited portion of the root system to steepen gradients of water potential in the soil and thus enhance rates of HR. On completion of the sap flow measurements, and to aid in their interpretation, the structure of the root system of seven of the investigated trees was exposed to a depth of 30 cm with a supersonic air-stream (air-spade). Before irrigation, vertical redistribution of water was observed in large coarse roots and some adjacent small lateral roots. Immediately after localized irrigation, horizontal redistribution of water from watered roots to dry roots via the stem base was demonstrated. The amount of horizontal distribution depended on the position of the receiving roots relative to the watered roots and the absorbing area of the watered root. No redistribution from watered roots via dry soil to roots of neighboring trees was detected. Responses of sap flow to localized irrigation were more pronounced in small lateral roots than in large branching roots where release and uptake of water are integrated. Sap flow measurements with multi-point sensors along radii in large lateral roots demonstrated water extraction from different soil horizons. We conclude that synchronous measurements of sap flow in both small and large lateral roots are needed to study water absorption and transport in tree root systems.

Circadian Rhythm↗