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Lehmann MM, Diao H, Ouyang S, Gessler A. Different responses of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in leaf and tree-ring organic matter to lethal soil drought. Tree Physiol 2024; 44:tpae043. [PMID: 38618738 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpae043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
The oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition (δ18O, δ2H) of plant tissues are key tools for the reconstruction of hydrological and plant physiological processes and may therefore be used to disentangle the reasons for tree mortality. However, how both elements respond to soil drought conditions before death has rarely been investigated. To test this, we performed a greenhouse study and determined predisposing fertilization and lethal soil drought effects on δ18O and δ2H values of organic matter in leaves and tree rings of living and dead saplings of five European tree species. For mechanistic insights, we additionally measured isotopic (i.e. δ18O and δ2H values of leaf and twig water), physiological (i.e. leaf water potential and gas-exchange) and metabolic traits (i.e. leaf and stem non-structural carbohydrate concentration, carbon-to-nitrogen ratios). Across all species, lethal soil drought generally caused a homogenous 2H-enrichment in leaf and tree-ring organic matter, but a low and heterogenous δ18O response in the same tissues. Unlike δ18O values, δ2H values of tree-ring organic matter were correlated with those of leaf and twig water and with plant physiological traits across treatments and species. The 2H-enrichment in plant organic matter also went along with a decrease in stem starch concentrations under soil drought compared with well-watered conditions. In contrast, the predisposing fertilization had generally no significant effect on any tested isotopic, physiological and metabolic traits. We propose that the 2H-enrichment in the dead trees is related to (i) the plant water isotopic composition, (ii) metabolic processes shaping leaf non-structural carbohydrates, (iii) the use of carbon reserves for growth and (iv) species-specific physiological adjustments. The homogenous stress imprint on δ2H but not on δ18O suggests that the former could be used as a proxy to reconstruct soil droughts and underlying processes of tree mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco M Lehmann
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Forest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Haoyu Diao
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Shengnan Ouyang
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Institute for Forest Resources and Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou University, Jiaxiu South Road, Huaxi District, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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Zhang Y, Qin Q, Zhu Q, Sun X, Bai Y, Liu Y. Stable isotopes in tree rings record physiological trends in Larix gmelinii after fires. Tree Physiol 2023:tpad033. [PMID: 36928744 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpad033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Fire is an important regulator of ecosystem dynamics in boreal forests, and especially has a complicated association with growth and physiological processes of fire-tolerant tree species. Stable isotope ratios in tree rings are used extensively in eco-physiological studies for evaluating the impact of past environmental (e.g., drought, air pollution) factors on tree growth and physiological processes. Yet, such studies based on carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope ratios in tree rings are rarely conducted on fire effect, especially not well explored for fire-tolerant trees. In this study, we investigated variations in basal area increment and isotopes of Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr. before and after three moderate fires (different fire years) at three sites across the Great Xing'an Mountains, Northeastern China. We found that the radial growth of L. gmelinii trees has significantly declined after the fires across study sites. Following the fires, a simultaneous increase in δ13C and δ18O has strengthened the link between the two isotopes. Further, fires have significantly enhanced the 13C-derived intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) and largely altered the relationships between δ13C, δ18O, iWUE and climate (temperature and precipitation). A dual-isotope conceptual model revealed that an initial co-increase in δ13C and δ18O in the fire year can be mainly attributed to a reduction in stomatal conductance with a constant photosynthetic rate. However, this physiological response would shift to different patterns over post-fire time between sites, which might be partly related to spring temperature. This study is beneficial to better understand, in a physiological perspective, how fire-tolerant tree species adapt to a fire-prone environment. We also remind that the limitation of model assumptions and constraints may challenge model applicability and further inferred physiological response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujian Zhang
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Beijing, China
| | - Qianqian Qin
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Beijing, China
| | - Qiang Zhu
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Beijing, China
| | - Xingyue Sun
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Beijing, China
| | - Yansong Bai
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Beijing, China
| | - Yanhong Liu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Forest Resources and Ecosystem Process, Beijing Forestry University, 100083, Beijing, China
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Roth-Nebelsick A, Hacke UG, Voigt D, Schreiber SG, Krause M. Foliar water uptake in Pinus species depends on needle age and stomatal wax structures. Ann Bot 2023; 131:287-300. [PMID: 36420705 PMCID: PMC9992939 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Foliar water uptake (FWU) has been documented in many species and is increasingly recognized as a non-trivial factor in plant-water relationships. However, it remains unknown whether FWU is a widespread phenomenon in Pinus species, and how it may relate to needle traits such as the form and structure of stomatal wax plugs. In this contribution, these questions were addressed by studying FWU in current-year and 1-year-old needles of seven Pinus species. METHODS We monitored FWU gravimetrically and analysed the needle surface via cryo-scanning electron microscopy. Additionally, we considered the effect of artificial wax erosion by application of the surfactant Triton X-100, which is able to alter wax crystals. KEY RESULTS The results show for all species that (1) FWU occurred, (2) FWU is higher in old needles compared to young needles and (3) there is substantial erosion of stomatal wax plugs in old needles. FWU was highest in Pinus canariensis, which has a thin stomatal wax plug. Surfactant treatment enhanced FWU. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study provide evidence for (1) widespread FWU in Pinus, (2) the influence of stomatal wax plugs on FWU and (3) age-related needle surface erosion.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Uwe G Hacke
- Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 442 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E3, Canada
| | - Dagmar Voigt
- Technische Universität Dresden, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Botany, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefan G Schreiber
- EnviroStats Solutions Inc., 4715 117A ST NW, Edmonton, Alberta, T6H 3R9, Canada
| | - Matthias Krause
- State Museum of Natural History, Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
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Fiorella RP, Kannenberg SA, Anderegg WRL, Monson RK, Ehleringer JR. Heterogeneous isotope effects decouple conifer leaf and branch sugar δ 18O and δ 13C. Oecologia 2022; 198:357-370. [PMID: 35107645 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05121-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Isotope ratios of tree-ring cellulose are a prominent tool to reconstruct paleoclimate and plant responses to environmental variation. Current models for cellulose isotope ratios assume a transfer of the environmental signals recorded in bulk leaf water to carbohydrates and ultimately into stem cellulose. However, the isotopic signal of carbohydrates exported from leaf to branch may deviate from mean leaf values if spatial heterogeneity in isotope ratios exists in the leaf. We tested whether the isotopic heterogeneity previously observed along the length of a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) leaf water was preserved in photosynthetic products. We observed an increase in both sugar and bulk tissue δ18O values along the needle, but the increase in carbohydrate δ18O values was dampened relative to the trend observed in leaf water. In contrast, δ13C values of both sugar and bulk organic matter were invariant along the needle. Phloem-exported sugar measured in the branch below the needles did not match whole-needle values of δ18O or δ13C. Instead, there was a near-constant offset observed between the branch and needle sugar δ13C values, while branch δ18O values were most similar to δ18O values observed for sugar at the base of the needle. The observed offset between the branch and needle sugar δ18O values likely arises from partial isotope oxygen exchange between sugars and water during phloem loading and transport. An improved understanding of the conditions producing differential δ13C and δ18O isotope effects between branch phloem and needle sugars could improve tree-ring-based climate reconstructions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard P Fiorella
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
- Global Change and Sustainability Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA.
| | - Steven A Kannenberg
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - William R L Anderegg
- Global Change and Sustainability Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
| | - Russell K Monson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - James R Ehleringer
- Global Change and Sustainability Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA
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