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Varga T, Nagy D, Molnár M, Jull AT, Futó I, Lisztes-Szabó Z. Spring buds of European woody plants have old 14C age. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32777. [PMID: 38975105 PMCID: PMC11226849 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/09/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Trees and shrubs maintain carbon reserves to support their functions during periods when metabolic demand exceeds carbon supply, such as during the dormant season. To gain a better understanding of carbon storage and utilisation dynamics of eight woody plant species in temperate Central Europe, bud scale and leaf samples were collected to determine the radiocarbon age of fresh sprouts in trees and shrubs, at three background sites avoiding local emissions that may influence affect the observed 14C/12C ratio. The accelerator mass spectrometry-based bomb-radiocarbon approach, to determine the age of the mobilized carbon in the plant bud samples from storage, was complemented by stable carbon isotope measurements. The bomb-radiocarbon dating technique was used to determine the age of the samples, while a northern hemispheric atmosphere 14CO2 dataset was used to calibrate the radiocarbon ages of the plant samples. The youngest observed calibrated radiocarbon age of the buds was over 4 years, and the oldest was even 9 years old. There was no significant difference between the ages of bud scales and embryonal leaf laminas. Our results show that there is a considerable amount of stored older carbon in the woody stems that can be used to produce buds in spring, which is a complex mixture of stored carbon of different ages, but there is no relationship between the radiocarbon age and the stable carbon isotope composition. The observed results show that not only the tree species, but shrubs also can store and use significantly older carbon pools, the carbon storage intensity is similar for trees with trunks and short-stemmed shrubs branching directly above the ground, i.e. carbon storage starts in young twigs and continues in ageing branches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamás Varga
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
- Isotoptech Ltd., Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
| | - Dominik Nagy
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
| | - Mihály Molnár
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
- Isotoptech Ltd., Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
| | - A.J. Timothy Jull
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
- Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
- University of Arizona AMS Laboratory, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | - István Futó
- International Radiocarbon AMS Competence and Training (INTERACT) Center, HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
| | - Zsuzsa Lisztes-Szabó
- HUN-REN, Institute for Nuclear Research, Debrecen, H-4026, Hungary
- Department of Botany, University of Debrecen, H-4032, Hungary
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2
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Salomón RL, Helm J, Gessler A, Grams TEE, Hilman B, Muhr J, Steppe K, Wittmann C, Hartmann H. The quandary of sources and sinks of CO2 efflux in tree stems-new insights and future directions. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 44:tpad157. [PMID: 38214910 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpad157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Stem respiration (RS) substantially contributes to the return of photo assimilated carbon to the atmosphere and, thus, to the tree and ecosystem carbon balance. Stem CO2 efflux (ECO2) is often used as a proxy for RS. However, this metric has often been challenged because of the uncertain origin of CO2 emitted from the stem due to post-respiratory processes. In this Insight, we (i) describe processes affecting the quantification of RS, (ii) review common methodological approaches to quantify and model RS and (iii) develop a research agenda to fill the most relevant knowledge gaps that we identified. Dissolution, transport and accumulation of respired CO2 away from its production site, reassimilation of respired CO2 via stem photosynthesis and the enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase, axial CO2 diffusion in the gas phase, shifts in the respiratory substrate and non-respiratory oxygen (O2) consumption are the most relevant processes causing divergence between RS and measured stem gas exchange (ECO2 or O2 influx, IO2). Two common methodological approaches to estimate RS, namely the CO2 mass balance approach and the O2 consumption technique, circumvent some of these processes but have yielded inconsistent results regarding the fate of respired CO2. Stem respiration modelling has recently progressed at the organ and tree levels. However, its implementation in large-scale models, commonly operated from a source-driven perspective, is unlikely to reflect adequate mechanisms. Finally, we propose hypotheses and approaches to advance the knowledge of the stem carbon balance, the role of sap pH on RS, the reassimilation of respired CO2, RS upscaling procedures, large-scale RS modelling and shifts in respiratory metabolism during environmental stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto L Salomón
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Research Group FORESCENT, Antonio Novais 10, 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Plants and Crops, Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Juliane Helm
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Biogeochemical Processes, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Department of Environmental Sciences - Botany, Basel University, Schönbeinstr. 6, Basel CH-4056, Switzerland
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zurcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zürich, Rämistrasse 101, 8902 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Thorsten E E Grams
- Technical University of Munich, Ecophysiology of Plants, Land Surface - Atmosphere Interactions, Von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Boaz Hilman
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Biogeochemical Processes, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Jan Muhr
- Department of Forest Botany and Tree Physiology, Laboratory for Radioisotopes, Georg-August Universität Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Kathy Steppe
- Department of Plants and Crops, Laboratory of Plant Ecology, Ghent University, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Christiane Wittmann
- Faculty of Biology, Botanical Garden, University of Duisburg-Essen, Universitätsstrasse 5, 45117 Essen, Germany
| | - Henrik Hartmann
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Biogeochemical Processes, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07743 Jena, Germany
- Institute for Forest Protection, Julius Kühn Institute Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Erwin-Baur-Straße 27, 06484 Quedlinburg, Germany
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3
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Sierra CA, Quetin GR, Metzler H, Müller M. A decrease in the age of respired carbon from the terrestrial biosphere and increase in the asymmetry of its distribution. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2023; 381:20220200. [PMID: 37807689 PMCID: PMC10642774 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2022.0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
We provide here a model-based estimate of the transit time of carbon through the terrestrial biosphere, since the time of carbon uptake through photosynthesis until its release through respiration. We explored the consequences of increasing productivity versus increasing respiration rates on the transit time distribution and found that while higher respiration rates induced by higher temperature increase the transit time because older carbon is respired, increases in productivity cause a decline in transit times because more young carbon is available to supply increased metabolism. The combined effect of increases in temperature and productivity results in a decrease in transit times, with the productivity effect dominating over the respiration effect. By using an ensemble of simulation trajectories from the Carbon Data Model Framework (CARDAMOM), we obtained time-dependent transit time distributions incorporating the twentieth century global change. In these simulations, transit time declined over the twentieth century, suggesting an increased productivity effect that augmented the amount of respired young carbon, but also increasing the release of old carbon from high latitudes. The transit time distribution of carbon becomes more asymmetric over time, with more carbon transiting faster through tropical and temperate regions, and older carbon being respired from high latitude regions. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Radiocarbon in the Anthropocene'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A. Sierra
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Gregory R. Quetin
- Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Holger Metzler
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena 07745, Germany
- Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala 75651, Sweden
| | - Markus Müller
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena 07745, Germany
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
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Solly EF, Jaeger ACH, Barthel M, Werner RA, Zürcher A, Hagedorn F, Six J, Hartmann M. Water limitation intensity shifts carbon allocation dynamics in Scots pine mesocosms. PLANT AND SOIL 2023; 490:499-519. [PMID: 37780069 PMCID: PMC10533586 DOI: 10.1007/s11104-023-06093-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Background and aims Tree species worldwide suffer from extended periods of water limitation. These conditions not only affect the growth and vitality of trees but also feed back on the cycling of carbon (C) at the plant-soil interface. However, the impact of progressing water loss from soils on the transfer of assimilated C belowground remains unresolved. Methods Using mesocosms, we assessed how increasing levels of water deficit affect the growth of Pinus sylvestris saplings and performed a 13C-CO2 pulse labelling experiment to trace the pathway of assimilated C into needles, fine roots, soil pore CO2, and phospholipid fatty acids of soil microbial groups. Results With increasing water limitation, trees partitioned more biomass belowground at the expense of aboveground growth. Moderate levels of water limitation barely affected the uptake of 13C label and the transit time of C from needles to the soil pore CO2. Comparatively, more severe water limitation increased the fraction of 13C label that trees allocated to fine roots and soil fungi while a lower fraction of 13CO2 was readily respired from the soil. Conclusions When soil water becomes largely unavailable, C cycling within trees becomes slower, and a fraction of C allocated belowground may accumulate in fine roots or be transferred to the soil and associated microorganisms without being metabolically used. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11104-023-06093-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily F. Solly
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Astrid C. H. Jaeger
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Matti Barthel
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Roland A. Werner
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Grassland Sciences Group, ETH Zurich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alois Zürcher
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Biogeochemistry Group, Zürcherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf, 8903 Switzerland
| | - Frank Hagedorn
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Biogeochemistry Group, Zürcherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf, 8903 Switzerland
| | - Johan Six
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Hartmann
- Department of Environmental Systems Science, Sustainable Agroecosystems Group, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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Gao D, Joseph J, Werner RA, Brunner I, Zürcher A, Hug C, Wang A, Zhao C, Bai E, Meusburger K, Gessler A, Hagedorn F. Drought alters the carbon footprint of trees in soils-tracking the spatio-temporal fate of 13 C-labelled assimilates in the soil of an old-growth pine forest. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:2491-2506. [PMID: 33739617 PMCID: PMC8251913 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Above and belowground compartments in ecosystems are closely coupled on daily to annual timescales. In mature forests, this interlinkage and how it is impacted by drought is still poorly understood. Here, we pulse-labelled 100-year-old trees with 13 CO2 within a 15-year-long irrigation experiment in a naturally dry pine forest to quantify how drought regime affects the transfer and use of assimilates from trees to the rhizosphere and associated microbial communities. It took 4 days until new 13 C-labelled assimilates were allocated to the rhizosphere. One year later, the 13 C signal of the 3-h long pulse labelling was still detectable in stem and soil respiration, which provides evidence that parts of the assimilates are stored in trees before they are used for metabolic processes in the rhizosphere. Irrigation removing the natural water stress reduced the mean C residence time from canopy uptake until soil respiration from 89 to 40 days. Moreover, irrigation increased the amount of assimilates transferred to and respired in the soil within the first 10 days by 370%. A small precipitation event rewetting surface soils altered this pattern rapidly and reduced the effect size to +35%. Microbial biomass incorporated 46 ± 5% and 31 ± 7% of the C used in the rhizosphere in the dry control and irrigation treatment respectively. Mapping the spatial distribution of soil-respired 13 CO2 around the 10 pulse-labelled trees showed that tree rhizospheres extended laterally 2.8 times beyond tree canopies, implying that there is a strong overlap of the rhizosphere among adjacent trees. Irrigation increased the rhizosphere area by 60%, which gives evidence of a long-term acclimation of trees and their rhizosphere to the drought regime. The moisture-sensitive transfer and use of C in the rhizosphere has consequences for C allocation within trees, soil microbial communities and soil carbon storage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Decai Gao
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security of Changbai MountainsMinistry of EducationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Jobin Joseph
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Roland A Werner
- Department of Environmental Systems ScienceETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Ivano Brunner
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Alois Zürcher
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Christian Hug
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Ao Wang
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
- Terrestrial EcosystemsETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Chunhong Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security of Changbai MountainsMinistry of EducationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
| | - Edith Bai
- Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security of Changbai MountainsMinistry of EducationNortheast Normal UniversityChangchunChina
| | | | - Arthur Gessler
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
- Terrestrial EcosystemsETH ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Frank Hagedorn
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
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6
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Furze ME, Huggett BA, Chamberlain CJ, Wieringa MM, Aubrecht DM, Carbone MS, Walker JC, Xu X, Czimczik CI, Richardson AD. Seasonal fluctuation of nonstructural carbohydrates reveals the metabolic availability of stemwood reserves in temperate trees with contrasting wood anatomy. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 40:1355-1365. [PMID: 32578851 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpaa080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) play a critical role in plant physiology and metabolism, yet we know little about their distribution within individual organs such as the stem. This leaves many open questions about whether reserves deep in the stem are metabolically active and available to support functional processes. To gain insight into the availability of reserves, we measured radial patterns of NSCs over the course of a year in the stemwood of temperate trees with contrasting wood anatomy (ring porous vs diffuse porous). In a subset of trees, we estimated the mean age of soluble sugars within and between different organs using the radiocarbon (14C) bomb spike approach. First, we found that NSC concentrations were the highest and most seasonally dynamic in the outermost stemwood segments for both ring-porous and diffuse-porous trees. However, while the seasonal fluctuation of NSCs was dampened in deeper stemwood segments for ring-porous trees, it remained high for diffuse-porous trees. These NSC dynamics align with differences in the proportion of functional sapwood and the arrangement of vessels between ring-porous and diffuse-porous trees. Second, radial patterns of 14C in the stemwood showed that sugars became older when moving toward the pith. The same pattern was found in the coarse roots. Finally, when taken together, our results highlight how the radial distribution and age of NSCs relate to wood anatomy and suggest that while deeper, and likely older, reserves in the stemwood fluctuated across the seasons, the deepest reserves at the center of the stem were not used to support tree metabolism under usual environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan E Furze
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- School of the Environment, Yale University, 195 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Brett A Huggett
- Department of Biology, Bates College, 44 Campus Ave, Lewiston, ME, 04240, USA
| | - Catherine J Chamberlain
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Molly M Wieringa
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Donald M Aubrecht
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Mariah S Carbone
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5640, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5620, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Jennifer C Walker
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, 3200 Croul Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Xiaomei Xu
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, 3200 Croul Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Claudia I Czimczik
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, 3200 Croul Hall, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Andrew D Richardson
- Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5620, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
- School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, Northern Arizona University, PO Box 5693, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
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Hartmann H, Bahn M, Carbone M, Richardson AD. Plant carbon allocation in a changing world - challenges and progress: introduction to a Virtual Issue on carbon allocation: Introduction to a virtual issue on carbon allocation. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 227:981-988. [PMID: 32662104 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Hartmann
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knoll Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Michael Bahn
- Department of Ecology, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Mariah Carbone
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, 200 Beckwith Way, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - Andrew D Richardson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Center for Ecosystem Science and Society, Northern Arizona University, 200 Beckwith Way, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
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Herrera-Ramírez D, Muhr J, Hartmann H, Römermann C, Trumbore S, Sierra CA. Probability distributions of nonstructural carbon ages and transit times provide insights into carbon allocation dynamics of mature trees. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 226:1299-1311. [PMID: 31997347 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
●In trees, the use of nonstructural carbon (NSC) under limiting conditions impacts the age structure of the NSC pools. We compared model predictions of NSC ages and transit times for Pinus halepensis, Acer rubrum and Pinus taeda, to understand differences in carbon (C) storage dynamics in species with different leaf phenology and growth environments. ●We used two C allocation models from the literature to estimate the NSC age and transit time distributions, to simulate C limitation, and to evaluate the sensitivity of the mean ages to changes in allocation fluxes. ●Differences in allocation resulted in different NSC age and transit time distributions. The simulated starvation flattened the NSC age distribution and increased the mean NSC transit time, which can be used to estimate the age of the NSC available and the time it would take to exhaust the reserves. Mean NSC ages and transit times were sensitive to C fluxes in roots and allocation of C from wood storage. ●Our results demonstrate how trees with different storage traits are expected to react differently to starvation. They also provide a probabilistic explanation for the 'last-in, first-out' pattern of NSC mobilization from well-mixed C pools.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jan Muhr
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, Jena, 07745, Germany
- Department of Bioclimatology, Georg August University Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | - Henrik Hartmann
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Christine Römermann
- Institute for Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Philosophenweg 16, Jena, 07743, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, D-04103, Germany
| | - Susan Trumbore
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, Jena, 07745, Germany
| | - Carlos A Sierra
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str 10, Jena, 07745, Germany
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9
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Mannerheim N, Blessing CH, Oren I, Grünzweig JM, Bachofen C, Buchmann N. Carbon allocation to the root system of tropical tree Ceiba pentandra using 13C pulse labelling in an aeroponic facility. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 40:350-366. [PMID: 31976538 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpz142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2019] [Revised: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite the important role of tropical forest ecosystems in the uptake and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), the carbon (C) dynamics of tropical tree species remains poorly understood, especially regarding belowground roots. This study assessed the allocation of newly assimilated C in the fast-growing pioneer tropical tree species Ceiba pentandra (L.), with a special focus on different root categories. During a 5-day pulse-labelling experiment, 9-month-old (~3.5-m-tall) saplings were labelled with 13CO2 in a large-scale aeroponic facility, which allowed tracing the label in bulk biomass and in non-structural carbohydrates (sugars and starch) as well as respiratory CO2 from the canopy to the root system, including both woody and non-woody roots. A combined logistic and exponential model was used to evaluate 13C mean transfer time and mean residence time (MRT) to the root systems. We found 13C in the root phloem as early as 2 h after the labelling, indicating a mean C transfer velocity of 2.4 ± 0.1 m h-1. Five days after pulse labelling, 27% of the tracers taken up by the trees were found in the leaves and 13% were recovered in the woody tissue of the trunk, 6% in the bark and 2% in the root systems, while 52% were lost, most likely by respiration and exudation. Larger amounts of 13C were found in root sugars than in starch, the former also demonstrating shorter MRT than starch. Of all investigated root categories, non-woody white roots (NRW) showed the largest 13C enrichment and peaked in the deepest NRW (2-3.5 m) as early as 24 ± 2 h after labelling. In contrast to coarse woody brown roots, the sink strength of NRW increased with root depth. The findings of this study improve the understanding of C allocation in young tropical trees and provide unique insights into the changing contributions of woody and non-woody roots to C sink strengths with depth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neringa Mannerheim
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Carola H Blessing
- Landwirtschaftliches Technologiezentrum Augustenberg, Kutschenweg 20, 76287 Rheinstetten-Forchheim, Germany
| | - Israel Oren
- Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, POB 12, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - José M Grünzweig
- Robert H. Smith Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, POB 12, Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Christoph Bachofen
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Nina Buchmann
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Universitaetstrasse 2, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
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10
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Collalti A, Tjoelker MG, Hoch G, Mäkelä A, Guidolotti G, Heskel M, Petit G, Ryan MG, Battipaglia G, Matteucci G, Prentice IC. Plant respiration: Controlled by photosynthesis or biomass? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:1739-1753. [PMID: 31578796 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Two simplifying hypotheses have been proposed for whole-plant respiration. One links respiration to photosynthesis; the other to biomass. Using a first-principles carbon balance model with a prescribed live woody biomass turnover, applied at a forest research site where multidecadal measurements are available for comparison, we show that if turnover is fast the accumulation of respiring biomass is low and respiration depends primarily on photosynthesis; while if turnover is slow the accumulation of respiring biomass is high and respiration depends primarily on biomass. But the first scenario is inconsistent with evidence for substantial carry-over of fixed carbon between years, while the second implies far too great an increase in respiration during stand development-leading to depleted carbohydrate reserves and an unrealistically high mortality risk. These two mutually incompatible hypotheses are thus both incorrect. Respiration is not linearly related either to photosynthesis or to biomass, but it is more strongly controlled by recent photosynthates (and reserve availability) than by total biomass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio Collalti
- Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISAFOM), Rende (CS), Italy
- Department of Innovation in Biological, Agro-food and Forest Systems, University of Tuscia, Viterbo, Italy
| | - Mark G Tjoelker
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - Günter Hoch
- Department of Environmental Sciences - Botany, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Annikki Mäkelä
- Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR), Faculty of Science and Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Gabriele Guidolotti
- Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystem, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IRET), Rome, Italy
| | - Mary Heskel
- Department of Biology, Macalester College, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Giai Petit
- Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Padua, Italy
| | - Michael G Ryan
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Experiment Station, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Giovanna Battipaglia
- Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania "L. Vanvitelli", Caserta, Italy
| | - Giorgio Matteucci
- Institute for Agriculture and Forestry Systems in the Mediterranean, National Research Council of Italy (CNR-ISAFOM), Rende (CS), Italy
| | - Iain Colin Prentice
- AXA Chair of Biosphere and Climate Impacts, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, North Ryde, NSW, Australia
- Department of Earth System Science, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Earth System Modeling, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
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11
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D'Andrea E, Rezaie N, Battistelli A, Gavrichkova O, Kuhlmann I, Matteucci G, Moscatello S, Proietti S, Scartazza A, Trumbore S, Muhr J. Winter's bite: beech trees survive complete defoliation due to spring late-frost damage by mobilizing old C reserves. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 224:625-631. [PMID: 31282591 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/30/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Late frost can destroy the photosynthetic apparatus of trees. We hypothesized that this can alter the normal cyclic dynamics of C-reserves in the wood. We measured soluble sugar concentrations and radiocarbon signatures (Δ14 C) of soluble nonstructural carbon (NSC) in woody tissues sampled from a Mediterranean beech forest that was completely defoliated by an exceptional late frost in 2016. We used the bomb radiocarbon approach to estimate the time elapsed since fixation of mobilized soluble sugars. During the leafless period after the frost event, soluble sugar concentrations declined sharply while Δ14 C of NSC increased. This can be explained by the lack of fresh assimilate supply and a mobilization of C from reserve pools. Soluble NSC became increasingly older during the leafless period, with a maximum average age of 5 yr from samples collected 27 d before canopy recovery. Following leaf re-growth, soluble sugar concentrations increased and Δ14 C of soluble NSC decreased, indicating the allocation of new assimilates to the stem soluble sugars pool. These data highlight that beech trees rapidly mobilize reserve C to survive strong source-sink imbalances, for example due to late frost, and show that NSC is a key trait for tree resilience under global change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Negar Rezaie
- CNR-ISAFOM, via Patacca 2, 80056, Ercolano, Italy
| | | | - Olga Gavrichkova
- CNR-IRET, via Marconi 2, 05010, Porano, Italy
- Agro-Technology Institute, Peoples Friendship University of Russia, 117198, Moscow, Russia
| | - Iris Kuhlmann
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | - Susan Trumbore
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Jan Muhr
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Bioclimatology, University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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12
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Kunert N, Mercado Cárdenas A. Treasures in insect collections: the future of the bomb-radiocarbon analysis. INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 25:1128-1131. [PMID: 28940771 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2017] [Revised: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 09/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Kunert
- Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, Jena, Germany
- Chair of Silviculture, Universität Freiburg, Tennenbacherstr. 4, Freiburg, Germany
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13
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Muhr J, Trumbore S, Higuchi N, Kunert N. Living on borrowed time - Amazonian trees use decade-old storage carbon to survive for months after complete stem girdling. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2018; 220:111-120. [PMID: 30067298 PMCID: PMC6175381 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/11/2018] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Nonstructural carbon (NSC) reserves act as buffers to sustain tree activity during periods when carbon (C) assimilation does not meet C demand, but little is known about their age and accessibility; we designed a controlled girdling experiment in the Amazon to study tree survival on NSC reserves. We used bomb-radiocarbon (14 C) to monitor the time elapsed between C fixation and release ('age' of substrates). We simultaneously monitored how the mobilization of reserve C affected δ13 CO2 . Six ungirdled control trees relied almost exclusively on recent assimilates throughout the 17 months of measurement. The Δ14 C of CO2 emitted from the six girdled stems increased significantly over time after girdling, indicating substantial remobilization of storage NSC fixed up to 13-14 yr previously. This remobilization was not accompanied by a consistent change in observed δ13 CO2 . These trees have access to storage pools integrating C accumulated over more than a decade. Remobilization follows a very clear reverse chronological mobilization with younger reserve pools being mobilized first. The lack of a shift in the δ13 CO2 might indicate a constant contribution of starch hydrolysis to the soluble sugar pool even outside pronounced stress periods (regular mixing).
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Muhr
- Max‐Planck‐Institute for BiogeochemistryHans‐Knöll‐Str. 10Jena07745Germany
| | - Susan Trumbore
- Max‐Planck‐Institute for BiogeochemistryHans‐Knöll‐Str. 10Jena07745Germany
- Earth System ScienceUniversity of California IrvineIrvineCA92697‐3100USA
| | - Niro Higuchi
- Laboratory of Forest ManagementBrazilian National Institute for Research in the AmazonManausBrazil
| | - Norbert Kunert
- Max‐Planck‐Institute for BiogeochemistryHans‐Knöll‐Str. 10Jena07745Germany
- Conservation Ecology CenterSmithsonian Conservation Biology Institute1500 Remount Rd. MRC 5535Front RoyalVA22630USA
- Center for Tropical Forest Science‐Forest Global Earth ObservatorySmithsonian Tropical Research InstitutePanama CityPanama
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14
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Castagneri D, Battipaglia G, von Arx G, Pacheco A, Carrer M. Tree-ring anatomy and carbon isotope ratio show both direct and legacy effects of climate on bimodal xylem formation in Pinus pinea. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2018; 38:1098-1109. [PMID: 29688500 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpy036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how climate affects xylem formation is critical for predicting the impact of future conditions on tree growth and functioning in the Mediterranean region, which is expected to face warmer and drier conditions. However, mechanisms of growth response to climate at different temporal scales are still largely unknown, being complicated by separation between spring and autumn xylogenesis (bimodal temporal pattern) in most species such as Mediterranean pines. We investigated wood anatomical characteristics and carbon stable isotope composition in Mediterranean Pinus pinea L. along tree-ring series at intra-ring resolution to assess xylem formation processes and responses to intra-annual climate variability. Xylem anatomy was strongly related to environmental conditions occurring a few months before and during the growing season, but was not affected by summer drought. In particular, the lumen diameter of the first earlywood tracheids was related to winter precipitation, whereas the size of tracheids produced later was influenced by mid-spring precipitation. Diameter of latewood tracheids was associated with precipitation in mid-autumn. In contrast, tree-ring carbon isotope composition was mostly related to climate of the previous seasons. Earlywood was likely formed using both recently and formerly assimilated carbon, while latewood relied mostly on carbon accumulated many months prior to its formation. Our integrated approach provided new evidence on the short-term and carry-over effects of climate on the bimodal temporal xylem formation in P. pinea. Investigations on different variables and time scales are necessary to disentangle the complex climate influence on tree growth processes under Mediterranean conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniele Castagneri
- University of Padua, Department TeSAF, viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Giovanna Battipaglia
- University of Campania 'L. Vanvitelli', Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, via Vivaldi 43, Caserta, Italy
- Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (PALECO EPHE), Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution-ISEM, University of Montpellier 2, Montpellier, France
| | - Georg von Arx
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf (ZH), Switzerland
- Climatic Change and Climate Impacts, Institute for Environmental Sciences, 66 Blvd Carl Vogt, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Arturo Pacheco
- University of Padua, Department TeSAF, viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - Marco Carrer
- University of Padua, Department TeSAF, viale dell'Università 16, Legnaro (PD), Italy
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15
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16
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Hartmann H, Trumbore S. Understanding the roles of nonstructural carbohydrates in forest trees - from what we can measure to what we want to know. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 211:386-403. [PMID: 27061438 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 284] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/01/2016] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Contents 386 I. 386 II. 388 III. 392 IV. 392 V. 396 VI. 399 399 References 399 SUMMARY: Carbohydrates provide the building blocks for plant structures as well as versatile resources for metabolic processes. The nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC), mainly sugars and starch, fulfil distinct functional roles, including transport, energy metabolism and osmoregulation, and provide substrates for the synthesis of defence compounds or exchange with symbionts involved in nutrient acquisition or defence. At the whole-plant level, NSC storage buffers the asynchrony of supply and demand on diel, seasonal or decadal temporal scales and across plant organs. Despite its central role in plant function and in stand-level carbon cycling, our understanding of storage dynamics, its controls and response to environmental stresses is very limited, even after a century of research. This reflects the fact that often storage is defined by what we can measure, that is, NSC concentrations, and the interpretation of these as a proxy for a single function, storage, rather than the outcome of a range of NSC source and sink functions. New isotopic tools allow direct quantification of timescales involved in NSC dynamics, and show that NSC-C fixed years to decades previously is used to support tree functions. Here we review recent advances, with emphasis on the context of the interactions between NSC, drought and tree mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Hartmann
- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knöll Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Susan Trumbore
- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knöll Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
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17
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Yang J, He Y, Aubrey DP, Zhuang Q, Teskey RO. Global patterns and predictors of stem CO2 efflux in forest ecosystems. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2016; 22:1433-1444. [PMID: 26667780 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2015] [Revised: 10/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/29/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Stem CO2 efflux (ES) plays an important role in the carbon balance of forest ecosystems. However, its primary controls at the global scale are poorly understood and observation-based global estimates are lacking. We synthesized data from 121 published studies across global forest ecosystems and examined the relationships between annual ES and biotic and abiotic factors at individual, biome, and global scales, and developed a global gridded estimate of annual ES . We tested the following hypotheses: (1) Leaf area index (LAI) will be highly correlated with annual ES at biome and global scales; (2) there will be parallel patterns in stem and root CO2 effluxes (RA) in all forests; (3) annual ES will decline with forest age; and (4) LAI coupled with mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) will be sufficient to predict annual ES across forests in different regions. Positive linear relationships were found between ES and LAI, as well as gross primary production (GPP), net primary production (NPP), wood NPP, soil CO2 efflux (RS), and RA . Annual ES was correlated with RA in temperate forests after controlling for GPP and MAT, suggesting other additional factors contributed to the relationship. Annual ES tended to decrease with stand age. Leaf area index, MAT and MAP, predicted 74% of variation in ES at global scales. Our statistical model estimated a global annual ES of 6.7 ± 1.1 Pg C yr(-1) over the period of 2000-2012 with little interannual variability. Modeled mean annual ES was 71 ± 43, 270 ± 103, and 420 ± 134 g C m(2) yr(-1) for boreal, temperate, and tropical forests, respectively. We recommend that future studies report ES at a standardized constant temperature, incorporate more manipulative treatments, such as fertilization and drought, and whenever possible, simultaneously measure both aboveground and belowground CO2 fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinyan Yang
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Yujie He
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA
| | - Doug P Aubrey
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, 29802, USA
| | - Qianlai Zhuang
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
- Department of Agronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Robert O Teskey
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
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18
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Raven JA, Colmer TD. Life at the boundary: photosynthesis at the soil-fluid interface. A synthesis focusing on mosses. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY 2016; 67:1613-23. [PMID: 26842980 DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erw012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Mosses are among the earliest branching embryophytes and probably originated not later than the early Ordovician when atmospheric CO2 was higher and O2 was lower than today. The C3 biochemistry and physiology of their photosynthesis suggests, by analogy with tracheophytes, that growth of extant bryophytes in high CO2 approximating Ordovician values would increase the growth rate. This occurs for many mosses, including Physcomitrella patens in suspension culture, although recently published transcriptomic data on this species at high CO2 and present-day CO2 show down-regulation of the transcription of several genes related to photosynthesis. It would be useful if transcriptomic (and proteomic) data comparing growth conditions are linked to measurements of growth and physiology on the same, or parallel, cultures. Mosses (like later-originating embryophytes) have been subject to changes in bulk atmospheric CO2 and O2 throughout their existence, with evidence, albeit limited, for positive selection of moss Rubisco. Extant mosses are subject to a large range of CO2 and O2 concentrations in their immediate environments, especially aquatic mosses, and mosses are particularly influenced by CO2 generated by, and O2 consumed by, soil chemoorganotrophy from organic C produced by tracheophytes (if present) and bryophytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Raven
- Permanent address: Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee at the James Hutton Institute, Invergowrie, Dundee DD2 5DA, UK School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, M084, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Timothy D Colmer
- School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, M084, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
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19
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Muhr J, Messier C, Delagrange S, Trumbore S, Xu X, Hartmann H. How fresh is maple syrup? Sugar maple trees mobilize carbon stored several years previously during early springtime sap-ascent. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 209:1410-1416. [PMID: 26639654 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
While trees store substantial amounts of nonstructural carbon (NSC) for later use, storage regulation and mobilization of stored NSC in long-lived organisms like trees are still not well understood. At two different sites with sugar maple (Acer saccharum), we investigated ascending sap (sugar concentration, δ(13) C, Δ(14) C) as the mobilized component of stored stem NSC during early springtime. Using the bomb-spike radiocarbon approach we were able to estimate the average time elapsed since the mobilized carbon (C) was originally fixed from the atmosphere and to infer the turnover time of stem storage. Sites differed in concentration dynamics and overall δ(13) C, indicating different growing conditions. The absence of temporal trends for δ(13) C and Δ(14) C indicated sugar mobilization from a well-mixed pool with average Δ(14) C consistent with a mean turnover time (TT) of three to five years for this pool, with only minor differences between the sites. Sugar maple trees hence appear well buffered against single or even several years of negative plant C balance from environmental stress such as drought or repeated defoliation by insects. Manipulative investigations (e.g. starvation via girdling) combined with Δ(14) C measurements of this mobilized storage pool will provide further new insights into tree storage regulation and functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Muhr
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Messier
- Institut des Sciences de la Forêt Tempéré (ISFORT), Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), 58 Rue Principale, Ripon, QC, JOV 1V0, Canada
- Center for Forest Research (CEF), Université du Québec à Montréal, PO Box 8888, Centre-ville Station, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Sylvain Delagrange
- Center for Forest Research (CEF), Université du Québec à Montréal, PO Box 8888, Centre-ville Station, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Susan Trumbore
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-3100, USA
| | - Xiaomei Xu
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, 92697-3100, USA
| | - Henrik Hartmann
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans-Knöll-Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany
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20
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Gessler A, Treydte K. The fate and age of carbon - insights into the storage and remobilization dynamics in trees. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2016; 209:1338-1340. [PMID: 26840248 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Gessler
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Kerstin Treydte
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Zürcherstr. 111, 8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
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21
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Trumbore S, Czimczik CI, Sierra CA, Muhr J, Xu X. Non-structural carbon dynamics and allocation relate to growth rate and leaf habit in California oaks. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 35:1206-1222. [PMID: 26452766 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpv097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Trees contain non-structural carbon (NSC), but it is unclear for how long these reserves are stored and to what degree they are used to support plant activity. We used radiocarbon ((14)C) to show that the carbon (C) in stemwood NSC can achieve ages of several decades in California oaks. We separated NSC into two fractions: soluble (∼50% sugars) and insoluble (mostly starch) NSC. Soluble NSC contained more C than insoluble NSC, but we found no consistent trend in the amount of either pool with depth in the stem. There was no systematic difference in C age between the two fractions, although ages increased with stem depth. The C in both NSC fractions was consistently younger than the structural C from which they were extracted. Together, these results indicate considerable inward mixing of NSC within the stem and rapid exchange between soluble and insoluble pools, compared with the timescale of inward mixing. We observed similar patterns in sympatric evergreen and deciduous oaks and the largest differences among tree stems with different growth rates. The (14)C signature of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from tree stems was higher than expected from very recent photoassimilates, indicating that the mean age of C in respiration substrates included a contribution from C fixed years previously. A simple model that tracks NSC produced each year, followed by loss (through conversion to CO2) in subsequent years, matches our observations of inward mixing of NSC in the stem and higher (14)C signature of stem CO2 efflux. Together, these data support the idea of continuous accumulation of NSC in stemwood and that 'vigor' (growth rate) and leaf habit (deciduous vs evergreen) control NSC pool size and allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Trumbore
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-3100, USA Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, 07701 Jena, Germany
| | - Claudia I Czimczik
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-3100, USA
| | - Carlos A Sierra
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, 07701 Jena, Germany
| | - Jan Muhr
- Department of Biogeochemical Processes, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, 07701 Jena, Germany
| | - Xiaomei Xu
- Department of Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-3100, USA
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22
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Richardson AD, Carbone MS, Huggett BA, Furze ME, Czimczik CI, Walker JC, Xu X, Schaberg PG, Murakami P. Distribution and mixing of old and new nonstructural carbon in two temperate trees. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2015; 206:590-7. [PMID: 25558814 PMCID: PMC4405048 DOI: 10.1111/nph.13273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
We know surprisingly little about whole-tree nonstructural carbon (NSC; primarily sugars and starch) budgets. Even less well understood is the mixing between recent photosynthetic assimilates (new NSC) and previously stored reserves. And, NSC turnover times are poorly constrained. We characterized the distribution of NSC in the stemwood, branches, and roots of two temperate trees, and we used the continuous label offered by the radiocarbon (carbon-14, (14) C) bomb spike to estimate the mean age of NSC in different tissues. NSC in branches and the outermost stemwood growth rings had the (14) C signature of the current growing season. However, NSC in older aboveground and belowground tissues was enriched in (14) C, indicating that it was produced from older assimilates. Radial patterns of (14) C in stemwood NSC showed strong mixing of NSC across the youngest growth rings, with limited 'mixing in' of younger NSC to older rings. Sugars in the outermost five growth rings, accounting for two-thirds of the stemwood pool, had a mean age < 1 yr, whereas sugars in older growth rings had a mean age > 5 yr. Our results are thus consistent with a previously-hypothesized two-pool ('fast' and 'slow' cycling NSC) model structure. These pools appear to be physically distinct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew D Richardson
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Mariah S Carbone
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Earth Systems Research Center, University of New HampshireDurham, NH, 03824, USA
| | - Brett A Huggett
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA, 02138, USA
- Department of Biology, Bates CollegeLewiston, ME, 04240, USA
| | - Morgan E Furze
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Claudia I Czimczik
- Department of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaIrvine, CA, 92697-3100, USA
| | - Jennifer C Walker
- Department of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaIrvine, CA, 92697-3100, USA
| | - Xiaomei Xu
- Department of Earth System Science, University of CaliforniaIrvine, CA, 92697-3100, USA
| | - Paul G Schaberg
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research StationBurlington, VT, 05405, USA
| | - Paula Murakami
- USDA Forest Service, Northern Research StationBurlington, VT, 05405, USA
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23
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Hartmann H, McDowell NG, Trumbore S. Allocation to carbon storage pools in Norway spruce saplings under drought and low CO2. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2015; 35:243-252. [PMID: 25769339 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpv019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2014] [Accepted: 02/10/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) are critical to maintain plant metabolism under stressful environmental conditions, but we do not fully understand how NSC allocation and utilization from storage varies with stress. While it has become established that storage allocation is unlikely to be a mere overflow process, very little empirical evidence has been produced to support this view, at least not for trees. Here we present the results of an intensively monitored experimental manipulation of whole-tree carbon (C) balance (young Picea abies (L.) H Karst.) using reduced atmospheric [CO2] and drought to reduce C sources. We measured specific C storage pools (glucose, fructose, sucrose, starch) over 21 weeks and converted concentration measurement into fluxes into and out of the storage pool. Continuous labeling ((13)C) allowed us to track C allocation to biomass and non-structural C pools. Net C fluxes into the storage pool occurred mainly when the C balance was positive. Storage pools increased during periods of positive C gain and were reduced under negative C gain. (13)C data showed that C was allocated to storage pools independent of the net flux and even under severe C limitation. Allocation to below-ground tissues was strongest in control trees followed by trees experiencing drought followed by those grown under low [CO2]. Our data suggest that NSC storage has, under the conditions of our experimental manipulation (e.g., strong progressive drought, no above-ground growth), a high allocation priority and cannot be considered an overflow process. While these results also suggest active storage allocation, definitive proof of active plant control of storage in woody plants requires studies involving molecular tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henrik Hartmann
- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knöll Str. 10, Jena 07745, Germany
| | - Nate G McDowell
- Earth and Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Susan Trumbore
- Max-Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knöll Str. 10, Jena 07745, Germany
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Dietze MC, Sala A, Carbone MS, Czimczik CI, Mantooth JA, Richardson AD, Vargas R. Nonstructural carbon in woody plants. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2014; 65:667-87. [PMID: 24274032 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-050213-040054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 287] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Nonstructural carbon (NSC) provides the carbon and energy for plant growth and survival. In woody plants, fundamental questions about NSC remain unresolved: Is NSC storage an active or passive process? Do older NSC reserves remain accessible to the plant? How is NSC depletion related to mortality risk? Herein we review conceptual and mathematical models of NSC dynamics, recent observations and experiments at the organismal scale, and advances in plant physiology that have provided a better understanding of the dynamics of woody plant NSC. Plants preferentially use new carbon but can access decade-old carbon when the plant is stressed or physically damaged. In addition to serving as a carbon and energy source, NSC plays important roles in phloem transport, osmoregulation, and cold tolerance, but how plants regulate these competing roles and NSC depletion remains elusive. Moving forward requires greater synthesis of models and data and integration across scales from -omics to ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Dietze
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215; ,
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Carbone MS, Czimczik CI, Keenan TF, Murakami PF, Pederson N, Schaberg PG, Xu X, Richardson AD. Age, allocation and availability of nonstructural carbon in mature red maple trees. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2013; 200:1145-55. [PMID: 24032647 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 07/14/2013] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The allocation of nonstructural carbon (NSC) to growth, metabolism and storage remains poorly understood, but is critical for the prediction of stress tolerance and mortality. We used the radiocarbon ((14) C) 'bomb spike' as a tracer of substrate and age of carbon in stemwood NSC, CO2 emitted by stems, tree ring cellulose and stump sprouts regenerated following harvesting in mature red maple trees. We addressed the following questions: which factors influence the age of stemwood NSC?; to what extent is stored vs new NSC used for metabolism and growth?; and, is older, stored NSC available for use? The mean age of extracted stemwood NSC was 10 yr. More vigorous trees had both larger and younger stemwood NSC pools. NSC used to support metabolism (stem CO2 ) was 1-2 yr old in spring before leaves emerged, but reflected current-year photosynthetic products in late summer. The tree ring cellulose (14) C age was 0.9 yr older than direct ring counts. Stump sprouts were formed from NSC up to 17 yr old. Thus, younger NSC is preferentially used for growth and day-to-day metabolic demands. More recently stored NSC contributes to annual ring growth and metabolism in the dormant season, yet decade-old and older NSC is accessible for regrowth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariah S Carbone
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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