High versus coppice forests: comparison of sap flow and stem growth of Quercus petraea Matt. during two growing seasons with different precipitation patterns

High ozone (O3) pollution impairs the carbon and water balance of trees, which is of special interest in planted forests. However, the effect of long-term O3 exposure on tree growth and water use, little remains known. In this study, we analysed the relationships of intra-annual stem growth pattern, seasonal sap flow dynamics and xylem morphology to assess the effect of long term O3 exposure of mature O3-sensitive hybrid poplars (‘Oxford’ clone). Rooted cuttings were planted in autumn 2007 and drip irrigated with 2 liters of water as ambient O3 treatment, or 450 ppm ethylenediurea (N-[2-(2-oxo-1-imidazolidinyl)ethyl]-N0-phenylurea, abbreviated as EDU) solution as O3 protection treatment over all growing seasons. During 2013, point dendrometers and heat pulses were installed to monitor radial growth, stem water relations and sap flow. Ambient O3 did not affect growth rates, even if the seasonal culmination point was 20 days earlier on average than that recorded in the O3 protected trees. Under ambient O3, trees showed reduced seasonal sap flow, however, the lower water use was due to a decrease of Huber value (decrease of leaf area for sapwood unit) rather than to a change in xylem morphology or due to a direct effect of sluggish stomatal responses on transpiration. Under high evaporative demand and ambient O3 concentrations, trees showed a high use of internal stem water resources modulated by stomatal sluggishness, thus predisposing them to be more sensitive water deficit during summer. The results of this study help untangle the compensatory mechanisms involved in the acclimation processes of forest species to long-term O3 exposure in a context of global change.

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The Dynamics of Transpiration to Evapotranspiration Ratio under Wet and Dry Canopy Conditions in a Humid Boreal Forest

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11020237 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 237 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Bram Hadiwijaya ◽

Steeve Pepin ◽

Pierre-Erik Isabelle ◽

Daniel F. Nadeau

Keyword(s):

Boreal Forest ◽

Sap Flow ◽

Boreal Forests ◽

Cold Climate ◽

Thermal Dissipation ◽

Evaporative Demand ◽

Sap Flux Density ◽

Flow Measurements ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

The Impact

Humid boreal forests are unique environments characterized by a cold climate, abundant precipitation, and high evapotranspiration. Transpiration ( E T ), as a component of evapotranspiration (E), behaves differently under wet and dry canopy conditions, yet very few studies have focused on the dynamics of transpiration to evapotranspiration ratio ( E T / E ) under transient canopy wetness states. This study presents field measurements of E T / E at the Montmorency Forest, Québec, Canada: a balsam fir boreal forest that receives ∼ 1600 mm of precipitation annually (continental subarctic climate; Köppen classification subtype Dfc). Half-hourly observations of E and E T were obtained over two growing seasons using eddy-covariance and sap flow (Granier’s constant thermal dissipation) methods, respectively, under wet and dry canopy conditions. A series of calibration experiments were performed for sap flow, resulting in species-specific calibration coefficients that increased estimates of sap flux density by 34 % ± 8 % , compared to Granier’s original coefficients. The uncertainties associated with the scaling of sap flow measurements to stand E T , especially circumferential and spatial variations, were also quantified. From 30 wetting–drying events recorded during the measurement period in summer 2018, variations in E T / E were analyzed under different stages of canopy wetness. A combination of low evaporative demand and the presence of water on the canopy from the rainfall led to small E T / E . During two growing seasons, the average E T / E ranged from 35 % ± 2 % to 47 % ± 3 % . The change in total precipitation was not the main driver of seasonal E T / E variation, therefore it is important to analyze the impact of rainfall at half-hourly intervals.

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Drought Treated Seedlings of Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Q. robur L. and Their Morphological Intermediates Show Differential Radial Growth and Wood Anatomical Traits

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11020250 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 250

Author(s):

Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge ◽

Arion Turcsán ◽

Éva Erdélyi ◽

Hans Beeckman

Keyword(s):

Drought Stress ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Explanatory Power ◽

Ring Width ◽

Growing Season ◽

Quercus Petraea ◽

Ring Closure ◽

Drought Treatment ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Earlywood Vessels

Background and Objectives: Studying responses in woody plants upon water limitation is gaining importance due to the predicted increase in frequency and intensity of droughts in Europe. We studied the variation in radial growth and in wood anatomical traits caused by water limited growth conditions in offspring from Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Q. robur L. and their morphological intermediates grown in the same environment. Materials and Methods: Cross sections were prepared from the stems of 210 three-year-old potted seedlings, comprising control plants and seedlings that experienced from late spring until early autumn of the first growing season two sequential periods of water with-holding each followed by plentiful re-watering. Pith radius, ring width of the three growing seasons and latewood vessel diameter in second and third growing season were measured. Presence of intra-annual density fluctuations, dendritic patterns of latewood vessels and the level of ring closure of earlywood vessels were observed. The traits were modelled to examine the explanatory power of the taxon of the mother tree and the drought treatment. Results: Most of the traits displayed significant differences between offspring from Q. petraea and Q. robur and offspring from the morphological intermediates behaved inconsistent among the traits. Most of the traits were significantly affected by the drought stress in the first growing season. Apart from radial growth, also latewood vessel size was reduced in the two growing seasons following the year in which drought was imposed on the seedlings, suggesting an adaptation to improve the tolerance to drought stress. We also found an indication for a compensation growth mechanism, counteracting the lost growing time during the drought stress, as the level of ring closure of the earlywood vessels in the year following the drought treatment was further advanced in the treated seedlings, an effect that disappeared in the subsequent year. Conclusion: Oaks exposed to drought adapt their growth and xylem structure to improve drought resistance. While youth growth of Q. robur is more competition-oriented, with a faster juvenile growth, Q. petraea seems to invest more in a precautious growth, being more prepared for stressful conditions. It is therefore possible that Q. robur seedlings may suffer more from intensified droughts than Q. petraea seedlings.

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Short-term survival and crown rebuilding of European broadleaf tree species following a severe ice storm

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/cjfr-2020-0063 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 50 (11) ◽

pp. 1131-1137

Author(s):

Dušan Roženbergar ◽

Jakob Pavlin ◽

Thomas A. Nagel

Keyword(s):

Castanea Sativa ◽

Quercus Petraea ◽

Tree Level ◽

Acer Pseudoplatanus ◽

Ice Storm ◽

Term Survival ◽

Ice Storms ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Castanea Sativa Mill ◽

Broadleaf Species

Ice storms cause widespread damage to forests in many temperate regions, leaving behind many live trees with severe crown damage. Following a severe ice storm in 2014 that damaged forests across Slovenia, we examined how tree-level attributes influenced survival and crown rebuilding three growing seasons after the storm. Field sampling was carried out in four mature stands dominated by native broadleaf species. Of the 763 sampled trees, the annual mortality rate following the storm was 2.2%, and nearly all trees that died experienced >75% crown removal. Oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) and chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) had higher rates of mortality than beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.). Mixed models revealed that survival significantly increased with tree diameter and decreased with increasing crown damage. Although we observed sprouting across all the dominant species, maple, oak, and chestnut showed a more vigorous response than beech, and maple had the fastest sprout growth. Model results showed that sprout density and length increased with level of crown damage. The results indicate that these broadleaf forests are resilient to severe ice damage. Consequently, hasty salvage cutting of trees with canopy damage should be avoided, as many individuals with >75% crown damage are likely to survive and recover.

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Sap-flow velocities and distribution of wet-wood in trunks of healthy and unhealthy Quercus robur, Quercus petraea and Quercus cerris oak trees in Hungary

Chemosphere ◽

10.1016/s0045-6535(97)10150-3 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 36 (4-5) ◽

pp. 931-936 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

A. Fenyvesi ◽

Cs. Béres ◽

A. Raschi ◽

R. Tognietti ◽

H.-W. Ridder ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sap Flow ◽

Quercus Robur ◽

Quercus Petraea ◽

Oak Trees ◽

Quercus Cerris ◽

Flow Velocities

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Effects of thinning and nitrogen fertilization on xylem development in Douglas-fir

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x80-023 ◽

1980 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 121-128 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

H. Brix ◽

A. K. Mitchell

Keyword(s):

Wall Thickness ◽

Basal Area ◽

Cell Number ◽

Douglas Fir ◽

Stem Growth ◽

Cell Diameter ◽

Soil Water Stress ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Microscope Slides ◽

Tracheid Production

The rates and duration of tracheid production of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) were studied by periodic marking of the cambium during two growing seasons. Trees were growing in plots that had been subjected to four treatments, 3 and 4 years previously when trees were 24 years old: (1) control; (2) thinned to one-third the original basal area; (3) fertilized at a rate of 448 kg N/ha; or (4) given the combined thinning and fertilization treatment. From prepared microscope slides of wood sections containing the markings and the previous year's growth, the diameter and wall thickness of tracheids and width of earlywood and latewood were measured for the years since treatment. Rates, but not duration, of tracheid production were highly affected by treatments with maximum radial file productions of 0.80, 1.27, 1.53, and 2.00 cells/day, for the above treatments, respectively. Seasonal changes were related to air temperature until mid-July; some effect of soil water stress was apparent in July–August, and growth cessation was attributed to a short photoperiod. Radial stem growth was more than doubled by the single treatments and this was primarily caused by an increase in cell number, the effects on cell diameter being small. Treatments, except thinning, tended to decrease the percentage of latewood, and thinning increased tracheid wall thickness of earlywood.

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Sap flow characteristics in growing and non-growing seasons in three tree species in the semiarid Loess Plateau region of China

Trees ◽

10.1007/s00468-020-01972-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (4) ◽

pp. 943-955

Author(s):

Jinlin Lyu ◽

Qiu-Yue He ◽

Jie Yang ◽

Qiu-Wen Chen ◽

Ran-Ran Cheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Loess Plateau ◽

Tree Species ◽

Sap Flow ◽

Flow Characteristics ◽

Plateau Region ◽

Growing Seasons

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Stem growth and stem sap flow measurements of three conifer tree species in Siberia

IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science ◽

10.1088/1755-1315/611/1/012028 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 611 ◽

pp. 012028

Author(s):

Alexey Rubtsov ◽

Alberto Arzac ◽

Anastasia Knorre ◽

Alexander Shashkin ◽

Vera Benkova ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Species ◽

Sap Flow ◽

Stem Growth ◽

Flow Measurements ◽

Conifer Tree ◽

Sap Flow Measurements

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Sap Flow Disruption in Grapevine Is the Early Signal Predicting the Structural, Functional, and Genetic Responses to Esca Disease

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.695846 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Loris Ouadi ◽

Emilie Bruez ◽

Sylvie Bastien ◽

Amira Yacoub ◽

Cindy Coppin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sap Flow ◽

Fungal Species ◽

White Rot ◽

Plant Responses ◽

Plant Transpiration ◽

Flow Disruption ◽

Growing Seasons ◽

Whole Plant ◽

High Level ◽

Leaf Symptoms

Fungal species involved in Esca cause the formation of grapevine wood necroses. It results in the deterioration of vascular network transport capacity and the disturbance of the physiological processes, leading to gradual or sudden grapevine death. Herein, for two consecutive growing seasons, a detailed analysis of the structural (wood necrosis and leaf discoloration) and physiological parameters related to the water use of healthy and esca-symptomatic grapevines was conducted. Measurements were carried out on 17-year-old grapevines that expressed, or not, Esca-leaf symptoms in a vineyard of the Bordeaux region (France). Whole-plant transpiration was recorded continuously from pre-veraison to harvest, using noninvasive sap flow sensors. Whole-plant transpiration was systematically about 40–50% lower in Esca-diseased grapevines compared with controls, and this difference can be observed around 2 weeks before the first Esca-foliar symptoms appeared in the vineyard. Unlike grapevine sap flow disruption, structural (e.g., leaf discolorations), functional (e.g., stomatal conductance, photosynthetic activity, phenolic compounds), and genetic (e.g., expression of leaf-targeted genes) plant responses were only significantly impacted by Esca at the onset and during leaf symptoms development. We conclude that sap flow dynamic, which was related to a high level of a white-rot necrosis, provides a useful tool to predict plant disorders due to Esca-grapevine disease.

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