Effects of leaf age, elevation and light conditions on photosynthesis and leaf traits in saplings of two evergreen conifers, Abies veitchii and A. mariesii

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 460-469
Author(s):  
Rina Suzuki ◽  
Koichi Takahashi
Keyword(s):  
Photosynthetic Rate ◽  
Leaf Age ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Light Conditions ◽  
Coniferous Species ◽  
Photosynthetic Rates ◽  
Abies Veitchii ◽  
Maximum Photosynthetic Rate ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Elevations

Abstract Aims Subalpine coniferous species are distributed over a wide range of elevations in which they must contend with stressful conditions, such as high elevations and extended periods of darkness. Two evergreen coniferous species, Abies veitchii and Abies mariesii, dominate at low and high elevations, respectively, in the subalpine zone, central Japan. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of leaf age, elevation and light conditions on photosynthetic rates through changes in morphological and physiological leaf traits in the two species. Methods We here examined effects of leaf age, elevation and light conditions on photosynthesis, and leaf traits in A. veitchii and A. mariesii. Saplings of the two conifers were sampled in the understory and canopy gaps at their lower (1600 m) and upper (2300 m) distribution limits. Important Findings The two species showed similar responses to leaf age and different responses to elevation and light conditions in photosynthesis and leaf traits. The maximum photosynthetic rate of A. veitchii is correlated negatively with leaf mass per area (LMA) and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentration. LMA increased at high elevations in the two species, whereas NSC concentrations increased only in A. veitchii. Therefore, the maximum photosynthetic rate of A. veitchii decreased at high elevations. Furthermore, maximum photosynthetic rates correlate positively with nitrogen concentration in both species. In the understory, leaf nitrogen concentrations decreased and increased in A. veitchii and A. mariesii, respectively. LMA decreased and the chlorophyll-to-nitrogen ratio increased in understory conditions only for A. mariesii, suggesting it has a higher light-capture efficiency in dark conditions than does A. veitchii. This study concluded that A. mariesii has more shade-tolerant photosynthetic and leaf traits and its photosynthetic rate is less affected by elevation compared with A. veitchii, allowing A. mariesii to survive in the understory and to dominate at high elevations.

Field measurements of the photosynthetic rate of potatoes grown with different amounts of nitrogen fertilizer

1988 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Firman ◽  
E. J. Allen
Keyword(s):  
Photosynthetic Rate ◽  
Nitrogen Fertilizer ◽  
Leaf Age ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
N Fertilizer ◽  
Photosynthetic Rates ◽  
Rate Of Photosynthesis ◽  
Applied Nitrogen

SummaryThree experiments are reported in which the photosynthetic rates of potatoes grown with various amounts of applied nitrogen (N) fertilizer were measured. Rates of photosynthesis in leaves of plants grown without applied N reached levels as high as those receiving N in all experiments. The rate of photosynthesis in the uppermost leaves of the variety Pentland Crown was found to increase during the season, whereas in Estima rates remained the same. Decline in the rate of photosynthesis with leaf age was more rapid in strongly shaded leaves than in less shaded leaves which were found to be photosynthetically active 8 weeks after expansion.

scholarly journals Relationships Among the Feeding Behaviors of a Mirid Bug on Cotton Leaves of Different Ages and Plant Biochemical Substances

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiyan Song ◽  
Zhaoke Dong ◽  
Lili Li ◽  
Zengbin Lu ◽  
Chao Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Impact ◽  
Leaf Age ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Cotton Leaf ◽  
Young Plant ◽  
Feeding Behaviors ◽  
Probing Behavior ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Mirid Bug ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Apolygus lucorum (Meyer-Dür) (Hemiptera: Miridae) tends to feed on young plant tissues. To explore the relationship between stylet probing behaviors of adult A. lucorum and conditions of cotton leaves, we conducted an experiment using electropenetrography (EPG). Behaviors were recorded on four cotton varieties, in relation to thickness and biochemical traits of differently-aged leaves. Cotton leaf age had a significant effect on the probing behavior of A. lucorum but cotton variety did not. One-day-old leaves of A. lucorum received the highest mean number of stylet probes (penetrations) per insect, and longest mean durations per insect of combined stylet probing or its components, cell rupture and ingestion behaviors. All of the leaf traits (thickness and biochemical substances) were similar among these four cotton varieties. Leaf thickness had a significantly negative effect on the same four variables above. Gossypol and tannin also had a negative impact on combined probing duration. Redundancy analysis showed that the four EPG variables were closely related to nutrient substances (amino acids, sugar, and water) while they had the opposite relationship with plant defense substances (gossypol and tannin). On cotton in the seedling stages, A. lucorum fed more readily on the youngest, thinnest leaves in our no-choice EPG experiments. Nutrients and chemical resistance substances determined the probing duration of A. lucorum. Our findings can contribute to better understanding of patterns of feeding and host consumption by A. lucorum, ultimately improving cotton resistance to A. lucorum.

scholarly journals Effects of ontogenetic stage and leaf age on leaf functional traits and the relationships between traits in Pinus koraiensis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Ji ◽  
Guangze Jin ◽  
Zhili Liu
Keyword(s):  
Significant Positive Correlation ◽  
Leaf Age ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Ontogenetic Stage ◽  
Pinus Koraiensis ◽  
Mature Trees ◽  
N Content ◽  
Ontogenetic Stages ◽  
Leaf N Content ◽  
Leaf N

AbstractInvestigating the effects of ontogenetic stage and leaf age on leaf traits is important for understanding the utilization and distribution of resources in the process of plant growth. However, few studies have been conducted to show how traits and trait-trait relationships change across a range of ontogenetic stage and leaf age for evergreen coniferous species. We divided 67 Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc. of various sizes (0.3–100 cm diameter at breast height, DBH) into four ontogenetic stages, i.e., young trees, middle-aged trees, mature trees and over-mature trees, and measured the leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), and mass-based leaf nitrogen content (N) and phosphorus content (P) of each leaf age group for each sampled tree. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to describe the variation in leaf traits by ontogenetic stage and leaf age. The standardized major axis method was used to explore the effects of ontogenetic stage and leaf age on trait-trait relationships. We found that LMA and LDMC increased significantly and N and P decreased significantly with increases in the ontogenetic stage and leaf age. Most trait-trait relationships were consistent with the leaf economic spectrum (LES) at a global scale. Among them, leaf N content and LDMC showed a significant negative correlation, leaf N and P contents showed a significant positive correlation, and the absolute value of the slopes of the trait-trait relationships showed a gradually increasing trend with an increasing ontogenetic stage. LMA and LDMC showed a significant positive correlation, and the slopes of the trait-trait relationships showed a gradually decreasing trend with leaf age. Additionally, there were no significant relationships between leaf N content and LMA in most groups, which is contrary to the expectation of the LES. Overall, in the early ontogenetic stages and leaf ages, the leaf traits tend to be related to a "low investment-quick returns" resource strategy. In contrast, in the late ontogenetic stages and leaf ages, they tend to be related to a "high investment-slow returns" resource strategy. Our results reflect the optimal allocation of resources in Pinus koraiensis according to its functional needs during tree and leaf ontogeny.

Effects of Clone and Irrigation on the Stomatal Conductance and Photosynthetic Rate of Tea (Camellia sinensis)

1994 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gail Smith ◽  
Paul J. Burgess ◽  
M. K. V. Carr
Keyword(s):  
Stomatal Conductance ◽  
Camellia Sinensis ◽  
Photosynthetic Rate ◽  
Leaf Temperature ◽  
Temperature Optimum ◽  
Photosynthetic Rates ◽  
Clone Selection ◽  
Treatment Interaction ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
The Relationship

SummaryStomatal conductances (g) and photosynthetic rates (A) were monitored in six tea clones planted in a clone X irrigation experiment in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Measurements were made during the warm dry seasons of 1989 and 1990. There was no genotype X treatment interaction in the response in A or g of the various clones to irrigation. Irrigation increased A more than it increased g. Irrigation also increased the temperature optimum for photosynthesis and decreased photo-inhibition at high illuminance. Clones differed in g and A, and in the relationship between leaf temperature and A. The implications of these findings for clone selection are discussed.

Repair of severe winter xylem embolism supports summer water transport and carbon gain in flagged crowns of the subalpine conifer Abies veitchii

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (10) ◽  
pp. 1725-1735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayumi Y Ogasa ◽  
Haruhiko Taneda ◽  
Hiroki Ooeda ◽  
Akihiro Ohtsuka ◽  
Emiko Maruta
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Nitrogen ◽  
Carbon Gain ◽  
Late Winter ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen Content ◽  
Xylem Embolism ◽  
Coniferous Species ◽  
Abies Veitchii ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Xylem embolism induced by winter drought is a serious dysfunction in evergreen conifers growing at wind-exposed sites in the mountains. Some coniferous species can recover from winter embolism. The aim of this study was to determine whether wind direction influences embolism formation and/or repair dynamics on short windward and long leeward branches of asymmetrical `flagged' crowns. We analyzed the effect of branch orientation on percentage loss of xylem conductive area (PLC), leaf functional traits and the xylem:leaf area ratio for subalpine, wind-exposed flagged-crown Abies veitchii trees in the northern Yatsugatake Mountains of central Japan. In late winter, the shoot water potential was below −2.5 MPa, and the PLC exceeded 80% in 2-year-old branches, independent of branch orientation within a flagged crown. Both of these parameters almost fully recovered by summer. At branch internodes 4 years of age and older, seasonal changes in PLC were not found in either windward or leeward branches, but the PLC was higher in less leafy windward branches. The leaf nitrogen content and water-use efficiency of mature leaves were comparable between windward branches and leafy leeward branches. The ratio of xylem conductive area to total leaf area was the same for windward and leeward branches. These results indicate that the repair of winter xylem embolism allows leaf physiological functions to be maintained under sufficient leaf water supply, even on winter-wind-exposed branches. This permits substantial photosynthetic carbon gain during the following growing season on both windward and leeward branches. Thus, xylem recovery from winter embolism is a key trait for the survival of harsh winters and to support productivity on the individual level in flagged-crown A. veitchii trees.

scholarly journals Data on Herbivore Performance and Plant Herbivore Damage Identify the Same Plant Traits as the Key Drivers of Plant–Herbivore Interaction

Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 865
Author(s):  
Zuzana Münzbergová ◽  
Jiří Skuhrovec
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Leaf Damage ◽  
Herbivore Damage ◽  
Herbivore Performance ◽  
Physical Defense ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Herbivore Interactions ◽  
Plant Herbivore

Data on plant herbivore damage as well as on herbivore performance have been previously used to identify key plant traits driving plant–herbivore interactions. The extent to which the two approaches lead to similar conclusions remains to be explored. We determined the effect of a free-living leaf-chewing generalist caterpillar, Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on leaf damage of 24 closely related plant species from the Carduoideae subfamily and the effect of these plant species on caterpillar growth. We used a wide range of physical defense leaf traits and leaf nutrient contents as the plant traits. Herbivore performance and leaf damage were affected by similar plant traits. Traits related to higher caterpillar mortality (higher leaf dissection, number, length and toughness of spines and lower trichome density) also led to higher leaf damage. This fits with the fact that each caterpillar was feeding on a single plant and, thus, had to consume more biomass of the less suitable plants to obtain the same amount of nutrients. The key plant traits driving plant–herbivore interactions identified based on data on herbivore performance largely corresponded to the traits identified as important based on data on leaf damage. This suggests that both types of data may be used to identify the key plant traits determining plant–herbivore interactions. It is, however, important to carefully distinguish whether the data on leaf damage were obtained in the field or in a controlled feeding experiment, as the patterns expected in the two environments may go in opposite directions.

scholarly journals Leaf age effects on the spectral predictability of leaf traits in Amazonian canopy trees

2019 ◽  
Vol 666 ◽  
pp. 1301-1315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Chavana-Bryant ◽  
Yadvinder Malhi ◽  
Athanasios Anastasiou ◽  
Brian J. Enquist ◽  
Eric G. Cosio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Age ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Age Effects ◽  
Canopy Trees

Comparison of Desert-Adapted Helianthus niveus (Benth.) Brandegee ssp. tephrodes (A. Gray) Heiser to Cultivated H. annuus L. for Putative Drought Avoidance Traits at Two Ontogenetic Stages

Helia ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (64) ◽  
pp. 1-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan W. Bowsher ◽  
Ethan F. Milton ◽  
Lisa A. Donovan
Keyword(s):  
Water Use Efficiency ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Photosynthetic Rate ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
Carbon Isotope Ratio ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Mature Stage ◽  
Leaf Pubescence ◽  
Use Efficiency

AbstractWater availability is a major factor limiting plant productivity in both natural and agronomic systems. Identifying putative drought resistance traits in crops and their wild relatives may be useful for improving crops grown under water-limiting conditions. Here, we tested the expectation that a desert-dwelling sunflower species, Helianthus niveus ssp. tephrodes (TEPH) would exhibit root and leaf traits consistent with greater ability to avoid drought than cultivated sunflower H. annuus (ANN) in a common garden environment. We compared TEPH and ANN at both the seedling and mature stages under well-watered greenhouse conditions. For traits assessed at the seedling stage, TEPH required a longer time to reach a rooting depth of 30 cm than ANN, and the two species did not differ in root:total biomass ratio at 30 cm rooting depth, contrary to expectations. For traits assessed at the mature stage, TEPH had a higher instantaneous water use efficiency and photosynthetic rate on a leaf area basis, but a lower photosynthetic rate on a mass basis than ANN, likely due to TEPH having thicker, denser leaves. Contrary to expectations, ANN and TEPH did not differ in leaf instantaneous stomatal conductance, integrated water-use efficiency estimated from carbon isotope ratio, or nitrogen concentration. However, at both the seedling and mature stages, TEPH exhibited a lower normalized difference vegetative index than ANN, likely due to the presence of dense leaf pubescence that could reduce heat load and transpirational water loss under drought conditions. Thus, although TEPH root growth and biomass allocation traits under well-watered conditions do not appear to be promising for improvement of cultivated sunflower, TEPH leaf pubescence may be promising for breeding for drought-prone, high radiation environments.

scholarly journals New handbook for standardised measurement of plant functional traits worldwide

2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 167 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Pérez-Harguindeguy ◽  
S. Díaz ◽  
E. Garnier ◽  
S. Lavorel ◽  
H. Poorter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Plant Functional Traits ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Evolutionary Patterns ◽  
Ecosystem Properties ◽  
Species Invasions ◽  
Wide Range

Plant functional traits are the features (morphological, physiological, phenological) that represent ecological strategies and determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels and influence ecosystem properties. Variation in plant functional traits, and trait syndromes, has proven useful for tackling many important ecological questions at a range of scales, giving rise to a demand for standardised ways to measure ecologically meaningful plant traits. This line of research has been among the most fruitful avenues for understanding ecological and evolutionary patterns and processes. It also has the potential both to build a predictive set of local, regional and global relationships between plants and environment and to quantify a wide range of natural and human-driven processes, including changes in biodiversity, the impacts of species invasions, alterations in biogeochemical processes and vegetation–atmosphere interactions. The importance of these topics dictates the urgent need for more and better data, and increases the value of standardised protocols for quantifying trait variation of different species, in particular for traits with power to predict plant- and ecosystem-level processes, and for traits that can be measured relatively easily. Updated and expanded from the widely used previous version, this handbook retains the focus on clearly presented, widely applicable, step-by-step recipes, with a minimum of text on theory, and not only includes updated methods for the traits previously covered, but also introduces many new protocols for further traits. This new handbook has a better balance between whole-plant traits, leaf traits, root and stem traits and regenerative traits, and puts particular emphasis on traits important for predicting species’ effects on key ecosystem properties. We hope this new handbook becomes a standard companion in local and global efforts to learn about the responses and impacts of different plant species with respect to environmental changes in the present, past and future.

scholarly journals Climate mediates the biodiversity–ecosystem stability relationship globally

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (33) ◽  
pp. 8400-8405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pablo García-Palacios ◽  
Nicolas Gross ◽  
Juan Gaitán ◽  
Fernando T. Maestre
Keyword(s):  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Ecosystem Stability ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Insurance Hypothesis ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Dryland Ecosystems

The insurance hypothesis, stating that biodiversity can increase ecosystem stability, has received wide research and political attention. Recent experiments suggest that climate change can impact how plant diversity influences ecosystem stability, but most evidence of the biodiversity–stability relationship obtained to date comes from local studies performed under a limited set of climatic conditions. Here, we investigate how climate mediates the relationships between plant (taxonomical and functional) diversity and ecosystem stability across the globe. To do so, we coupled 14 years of temporal remote sensing measurements of plant biomass with field surveys of diversity in 123 dryland ecosystems from all continents except Antarctica. Across a wide range of climatic and soil conditions, plant species pools, and locations, we were able to explain 73% of variation in ecosystem stability, measured as the ratio of the temporal mean biomass to the SD. The positive role of plant diversity on ecosystem stability was as important as that of climatic and soil factors. However, we also found a strong climate dependency of the biodiversity–ecosystem stability relationship across our global aridity gradient. Our findings suggest that the diversity of leaf traits may drive ecosystem stability at low aridity levels, whereas species richness may have a greater stabilizing role under the most arid conditions evaluated. Our study highlights that to minimize variations in the temporal delivery of ecosystem services related to plant biomass, functional and taxonomic plant diversity should be particularly promoted under low and high aridity conditions, respectively.

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