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Lin WC, Chang HH, Huang ZB, Huang LC, Kuo WC, Cheng MC. COP1-ERF1-SCE1 regulatory module fine-tunes stress response under light-dark cycle in Arabidopsis. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024; 47:1877-1894. [PMID: 38343027 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14850] [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: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 1 (ERF1) plays an important role in integrating hormone crosstalk and stress responses. Previous studies have shown that ERF1 is unstable in the dark and its degradation is mediated by UBIQUITIN-CONJUGATING ENZYME 18. However, whether there are other enzymes regulating ERF1's stability remains unclear. Here, we use various in vitro and in vivo biochemical, genetic and stress-tolerance tests to demonstrate that both CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1) and SUMO-CONJUGATING ENZYME 1 (SCE1) regulate the stability of ERF1. We also performed transcriptomic analyses to understand their common regulatory pathways. We show that COP1 mediates ERF1 ubiquitination in the dark while SCE1 mediates ERF1 sumoylation in the light. ERF1 stability is positively regulated by SCE1 and negatively regulated by COP1. Upon abiotic stress, SCE1 plays a positive role in stress defence by regulating the expression of ERF1's downstream stress-responsive genes, whereas COP1 plays a negative role in stress response. Moreover, ERF1 also promotes photomorphogenesis and the expression of light-responsive genes. Our study reveals the molecular mechanism of how COP1 and SCE1 counteract to regulate ERF1's stability and light-stress signalling crosstalk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Chi Lin
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hui-Hsien Chang
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Zi-Bin Huang
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Lin-Chen Huang
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Chieh Kuo
- Fruit and Flower Industry Division, Agriculture and Food Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Nantou, Taiwan
| | - Mei-Chun Cheng
- Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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2
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Almeida SMZ, Almeida LPD, Giacobbo CL, Galon L, Perboni AT, Sant'Anna-Santos BF, Bermeo P, Danner MA. Campomanesia xanthocarpa (Myrtaceae: Myrtoideae) seedlings reveal morpho-physiological plasticity under shade conditions. BRAZ J BIOL 2023; 83:e276695. [PMID: 37971088 DOI: 10.1590/1519-6984.276695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants exposed to different light intensities generate physiological, morphological, and anatomical changes conducting to plasticity. Thus, this characteristic establishes the ability of plants to present phenotypic adjustments by the same genotype under different environmental conditions. The objective of this study was to verify the morphophysiological alterations in Campomanesia xanthocarpa (Mart.) O. Berg (guabiroba) seedlings cultivated in different shading levels. The seedlings were grown for 21 months under full sun or 30%, 50%, and 80% under shading. Growth, photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange rate, chlorophyll fluorescence, and leaf anatomy were evaluated. In all the treatments subjected to shading, plasticity mechanisms involved structural and physiological changes such as an increase in leaf area and chlorophyll content (total and Chl a), reduction in leaf thickness, and increased gas exchange and quantum yield of photosystem II. The guabiroba seedlings can be cultivated in full sun or different shading environments; even under high shading intensity (80%), the plants showed vigor similar to those produced in a sunny environment. These results confirmed our hypothesis about guabiroba acclimation capacity to shading, noteworthy information for nurseries, orchards, agroforestry systems, or forest restoration in a wide range of light environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- S M Z Almeida
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - UTFPR, Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia, Pato Branco, PR, Brasil
| | - L P de Almeida
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - UTFPR, Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia, Pato Branco, PR, Brasil
- Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul - UFFS, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia Ambiental, Erechim, RS, Brasil
| | - C L Giacobbo
- Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul - UFFS, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia Ambiental, Erechim, RS, Brasil
| | - L Galon
- Universidade Federal da Fronteira Sul - UFFS, Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciência e Tecnologia Ambiental, Erechim, RS, Brasil
| | - A T Perboni
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - UTFPR, Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia, Pato Branco, PR, Brasil
| | - B F Sant'Anna-Santos
- Universidade Federal do Paraná - UFPR, Departamento de Botânica, Curitiba, PR, Brasil
| | - P Bermeo
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - UTFPR, Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia, Pato Branco, PR, Brasil
- Corporación Colombiana de Investigación Agropecuaria - AGROSAVIA, Espinal, Tolima, Colômbia
| | - M A Danner
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná - UTFPR, Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronomia, Pato Branco, PR, Brasil
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Ansah PB, Addo‐Danso SD, Belford EJD, Asomaning JM, Asare‐Ansah AB, Fosu NA, Ankobiah RA. Temperature and soil nutrients drive seed traits variation in Pterocarpus erinaceus (African rosewood) in Ghana. PLANT-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS (HOBOKEN, N.J.) 2023; 4:215-227. [PMID: 37583878 PMCID: PMC10423977 DOI: 10.1002/pei3.10120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023]
Abstract
Among plant populations, variation in seed traits has important consequences on species recruitment and performance under different environmental conditions. Knowing such variations and understanding its environmental drivers could help with conservation efforts that protect against the loss of diversity. This information is however lacking in the extinction-threatened Pterocarpus erinaceus Poir (African rosewood) in Ghana. Here, we assessed variation in seed set, seed morphological and chemical traits, germinability, and seedling growth of African rosewood from four distant provenances (Tumu, Wa, Carpenter, and Ejura) in Ghana. We sought to answer how local environmental conditions influence the expression of seed traits by examining the relationship between seed traits and maternal environmental factors (temperature, rainfall, soil nutrient, and vegetation index) using regression models and correlation analysis. Seed size, mass, and nutrient composition differed considerably among provenances. Seed size and mass increased as the seed source moved further away from the forest-savanna transition toward the Guineo-Sudanian savanna regions. Temperature mainly accounted for the variability observed in seed traits. Phenology curves of the seed source vegetation expressed a strong correlation with monthly rainfall. Overall, the occurrence of samara containing whole seeds was low (<50%) except for Tumu provenance. Seeds were rich in carbohydrate and crude protein content consistent with most leguminous plants while mean percentage germination ranged between 30 and 62% among provenances. Our results highlight the adaptive strategies of African rosewood to different environments through the expression of their seed traits and suggest the need for priority action to maintain its conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Padmore B. Ansah
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, College of ScienceKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana
- CSIR‐Forestry Research Institute of GhanaKumasiGhana
| | | | - Ebenezer J. D. Belford
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, College of ScienceKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana
| | | | - Abena B. Asare‐Ansah
- Department of Urban Forestry and Natural ResourcesSouthern University and A&M CollegeBaton RougeLouisianaUSA
| | - Naomi A. Fosu
- Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, College of ScienceKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana
- CSIR‐Crops Research InstituteFumesuaGhana
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4
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Mukherjee A, Dwivedi S, Bhagavatula L, Datta S. Integration of light and ABA signaling pathways to combat drought stress in plants. PLANT CELL REPORTS 2023; 42:829-841. [PMID: 36906730 DOI: 10.1007/s00299-023-02999-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Drought is one of the most critical stresses, which causes an enormous reduction in crop yield. Plants develop various strategies like drought escape, drought avoidance, and drought tolerance to cope with the reduced availability of water during drought. Plants adopt several morphological and biochemical modifications to fine-tune their water-use efficiency to alleviate drought stress. ABA accumulation and signaling plays a crucial role in the response of plants towards drought. Here, we discuss how drought-induced ABA regulates the modifications in stomatal dynamics, root system architecture, and the timing of senescence to counter drought stress. These physiological responses are also regulated by light, indicating the possibility of convergence of light- and drought-induced ABA signaling pathways. In this review, we provide an overview of investigations reporting light-ABA signaling cross talk in Arabidopsis as well as other crop species. We have also tried to describe the potential role of different light components and their respective photoreceptors and downstream factors like HY5, PIFs, BBXs, and COP1 in modulating drought stress responses. Finally, we highlight the possibilities of enhancing the plant drought resilience by fine-tuning light environment or its signaling components in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arpan Mukherjee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, 462066, India
| | - Shubhi Dwivedi
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, 462066, India
| | - Lavanya Bhagavatula
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, 462066, India
| | - Sourav Datta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhopal Bypass Road, Bhauri, Bhopal, 462066, India.
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Sadeghzadeh Hallaj MH, Azadfar D, Mirzaei Nodoushan H, Eskandari S, Tiefenbacher JP. Shade moderates the drought stress on saplings of Beneh (Pistacia atlantica Desf. subsp. mutica) in semiarid areas of Iran. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2022; 29:55201-55212. [PMID: 35314941 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-19635-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Pistacia atlantica Desf. (Beneh) is an important woody species that has been facing significant challenges to its natural regeneration and reforestation in Iran. This study investigates the interaction of soil moisture and shade on growth, chemical contents, and morphological and physiological characteristics of Beneh saplings. One-year-old Beneh saplings were treated with varying amounts of soil moisture (20, 50, and 100% of field capacity) and shade (0, 30, and 50% of full sunlight) in a split-plot experiment of a randomized complete block design in semiarid conditions of the Alborz Research Station of the Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands (RIFR) in Iran. The results indicate that soil moisture significantly affects the water content of the leaf, total chlorophyll, proline content, activity of catalase enzyme, leaf dry biomass, leaflet area, and dry stem biomass in the leaf. Shade significantly affected total chlorophyll, catalase enzyme activity, specific leaflet area, relative water content of the leaf, proline content, dry root biomass, and leaflet area. The interaction of shade and soil moisture significantly affected seedling height, catalase enzyme activity, specific leaflet area, and nitrogen and potassium content of the leaf. Shade moderates the stress of drought on Beneh saplings, but shading of Beneh saplings is not recommended in conditions where there is no concern about soil moisture. These conclusions can be used to improve the production of Beneh saplings in nurseries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Hosein Sadeghzadeh Hallaj
- Forest Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands (RIFR), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran
| | - Davoud Azadfar
- Department of Forest Sciences, Grogan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran
| | - Hossein Mirzaei Nodoushan
- Department of Biotechnology Researches, Research Institute of Forest and Rangelands, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran
| | - Saeedeh Eskandari
- Forest Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands (RIFR), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran.
| | - John P Tiefenbacher
- Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA
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6
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Klimeš A, Klimešová J, Janovský Z, Herben T. Demographic correction—A tool for inference from individuals to populations. Funct Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.14031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Klimeš
- Department of Botany Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Pruhonice Czech Republic
| | - Jitka Klimešová
- Department of Botany Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Pruhonice Czech Republic
| | - Zdeněk Janovský
- Department of Botany Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Pruhonice Czech Republic
| | - Tomáš Herben
- Department of Botany Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany Czech Academy of Sciences Pruhonice Czech Republic
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Roeber VM, Bajaj I, Rohde M, Schmülling T, Cortleven A. Light acts as a stressor and influences abiotic and biotic stress responses in plants. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2021; 44:645-664. [PMID: 33190307 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Light is important for plants as an energy source and a developmental signal, but it can also cause stress to plants and modulates responses to stress. Excess and fluctuating light result in photoinhibition and reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation around photosystems II and I, respectively. Ultraviolet light causes photodamage to DNA and a prolongation of the light period initiates the photoperiod stress syndrome. Changes in light quality and quantity, as well as in light duration are also key factors impacting the outcome of diverse abiotic and biotic stresses. Short day or shady environments enhance thermotolerance and increase cold acclimation. Similarly, shade conditions improve drought stress tolerance in plants. Additionally, the light environment affects the plants' responses to biotic intruders, such as pathogens or insect herbivores, often reducing growth-defence trade-offs. Understanding how plants use light information to modulate stress responses will support breeding strategies to enhance crop stress resilience. This review summarizes the effect of light as a stressor and the impact of the light environment on abiotic and biotic stress responses. There is a special focus on the role of the different light receptors and the crosstalk between light signalling and stress response pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venja M Roeber
- Institute of Biology/Applied Genetics, Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ishita Bajaj
- Institute of Biology/Applied Genetics, Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Mareike Rohde
- Institute of Biology/Applied Genetics, Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Schmülling
- Institute of Biology/Applied Genetics, Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anne Cortleven
- Institute of Biology/Applied Genetics, Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS), Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Roy R, Wang J, Mostofa MG, Fornara D, Sikdar A, Sarker T, Wang X, Jahan MS. Fine-tuning of soil water and nutrient fertilizer levels for the ecological restoration of coal-mined spoils using Elaeagnus angustifolia. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2020; 270:110855. [PMID: 32501241 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Revised: 05/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Coal mining activities remain of great environmental concern because of several negative impacts on soil ecosystems. Appropriate revegetation interventions of coal-spoiled lands can provide environmental management solutions to restore soil degraded ecosystems. The present study addressed the potential of the pioneer woody species, Elaeagnus angustifolia, in the restoration of coal-mined spoils under a range of different water (W) levels and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) applications. Our results show how moderate applications of N (N60 = 60 mg N kg-1 soil) and P (P90 = 90 mg P kg-1 soil) fertilizers led either to maximum or minimum growth performance of E. angustifolia depending on whether W was applied at very high (W80 = 80% field capacity) or very low (W40 = 40% field capacity) levels suggesting that W was the main limiting factor for plant growth. Very low-W regime (W40N60P90) also caused significant reduction of photosynthetic parameters, including net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate and water use efficiency. The combination of high W-N doses with low P doses (W70N96P36) positively influenced gas-exchange parameters, chlorophyll and carotenoid contents. Seedlings treated with low-W and -N doses (W50N24P144) showed highest increases in malondialdehyde content and lowest levels of relative water content (RWC). Decreases in malondialdehyde content and increases in RWC were observed following a gradual increment of W and N doses, indicating that high W and N doses contributed to drought tolerance of E. angustifolia by protecting cell membranes and increasing water status. Low-W and -N applications considerably increased the activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidase) and the contents of proline and soluble sugars, suggesting that E. angustifolia developed defensive strategies to avoid damage induced by water scarcity. Results from heatmap and principal component analyses confirmed that W and N were the main clustering factors, and both N and P performed well at high-W dose. The optimum growth performance of E. angustifolia was found under a combination of W level at 66.0% of field capacity, N dose of 74.0 mg kg-1 soil, and P dose of 36.0 mg kg-1 soil. Our findings demonstrate how optimum growth performance of E. angustifolia can be achieved by fine-tuning doses of W, N, and P resources, and how this in turn could greatly support the ecological restoration of coal-mined degraded environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana Roy
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People's Republic of China; Department of Agroforestry & Environmental Science, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, 3100, Bangladesh.
| | - Jinxin Wang
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People's Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-Environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People's Republic of China.
| | - Mohammad Golam Mostofa
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, Gazipur, 1706, Bangladesh.
| | - Dario Fornara
- Agri-Food & Biosciences Institute, Newforge Lane, BT9 5PX, Belfast, UK.
| | - Ashim Sikdar
- College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People's Republic of China; Department of Agroforestry & Environmental Science, Sylhet Agricultural University, Sylhet, 3100, Bangladesh.
| | - Tanwne Sarker
- School of Economics and Finance, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710049, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiuqing Wang
- Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People's Republic of China.
| | - Mohammad Shah Jahan
- Key Laboratory of Southern Vegetable Crop Genetic Improvement in Ministry of Agriculture, College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, 210095, People's Republic of China; Department of Horticulture, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka, 1207, Bangladesh.
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Amissah L, Mohren GMJ, Kyereh B, Agyeman VK, Poorter L. Rainfall seasonality and drought performance shape the distribution of tropical tree species in Ghana. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8582-8597. [PMID: 30250725 PMCID: PMC6144999 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Tree species distribution in lowland tropical forests is strongly associated with rainfall amount and distribution. Not only plant water availability, but also irradiance, soil fertility, and pest pressure covary along rainfall gradients. To assess the role of water availability in shaping species distribution, we carried out a reciprocal transplanting experiment in gaps in a dry and a wet forest site in Ghana, using 2,670 seedlings of 23 tree species belonging to three contrasting rainfall distributions groups (dry species, ubiquitous species, and wet species). We evaluated seasonal patterns in climatic conditions, seedling physiology and performance (survival and growth) over a 2-year period and related seedling performance to species distribution along Ghana's rainfall gradient. The dry forest site had, compared to the wet forest, higher irradiance, and soil nutrient availability and experienced stronger atmospheric drought (2.0 vs. 0.6 kPa vapor pressure deficit) and reduced soil water potential (-5.0 vs. -0.6 MPa soil water potential) during the dry season. In both forests, dry species showed significantly higher stomatal conductance and lower leaf water potential, than wet species, and in the dry forest, dry species also realized higher drought survival and growth rate than wet species. Dry species are therefore more drought tolerant, and unlike the wet forest species, they achieve a home advantage. Species drought performance in the dry forest relative to the wet forest significantly predicted species position on the rainfall gradient in Ghana, indicating that the ability to grow and survive better in dry forests and during dry seasons may allow species to occur in low rainfall areas. Drought is therefore an important environmental filter that influences forest composition and dynamics. Currently, many tropical forests experience increase in frequency and intensity of droughts, and our results suggest that this may lead to reduction in tree productivity and shifts in species distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Amissah
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research‐Forestry Research Institute of GhanaKumasiGhana
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Godefridus M. J. Mohren
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Boateng Kyereh
- College of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana
| | - Victor K. Agyeman
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research‐Forestry Research Institute of GhanaKumasiGhana
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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Gaviria J, Engelbrecht BMJ. Effects of Drought, Pest Pressure and Light Availability on Seedling Establishment and Growth: Their Role for Distribution of Tree Species across a Tropical Rainfall Gradient. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0143955. [PMID: 26619138 PMCID: PMC4664389 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0143955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Tree species distributions associated with rainfall are among the most prominent patterns in tropical forests. Understanding the mechanisms shaping these patterns is important to project impacts of global climate change on tree distributions and diversity in the tropics. Beside direct effects of water availability, additional factors co-varying with rainfall have been hypothesized to play an important role, including pest pressure and light availability. While low water availability is expected to exclude drought-intolerant wet forest species from drier forests (physiological tolerance hypothesis), high pest pressure or low light availability are hypothesized to exclude dry forest species from wetter forests (pest pressure gradient and light availability hypothesis, respectively). To test these hypotheses at the seed-to-seedling transition, the potentially most critical stage for species discrimination, we conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment combined with a pest exclosure treatment at a wet and a dry forest site in Panama with seeds of 26 species with contrasting origin. Establishment success after one year did not reflect species distribution patterns. However, in the wet forest, wet origin species had a home advantage over dry forest species through higher growth rates. At the same time, drought limited survival of wet origin species in the dry forest, supporting the physiological tolerance hypothesis. Together these processes sort species over longer time frames, and exclude species outside their respective home range. Although we found pronounced effects of pests and some effects of light availability on the seedlings, they did not corroborate the pest pressure nor light availability hypotheses at the seed-to-seedling transition. Our results underline that changes in water availability due to climate change will have direct consequences on tree regeneration and distributions along tropical rainfall gradients, while indirect effects of light and pests are less important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Gaviria
- Department of Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Bettina M. J. Engelbrecht
- Department of Plant Ecology, Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER), University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama
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