Nonstructural carbohydrate-balance response to long-term elevated CO2 exposure in European beech and Norway spruce mixed cultures: biochemical and ultrastructural responses

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (11) ◽  
pp. 1488-1494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Mašková ◽  
Barbora Radochová ◽  
Zuzana Lhotáková ◽  
Jan Michálek ◽  
Helena Lipavská

Two dominant central European tree species (Fagus sylvatica L. and Picea abies (L.) Karst.), in a mixed culture in semi-open glass domes, were used to simulate the reaction of forests to long-term elevated CO2 (EC) in a mountainous area (Beskydy Mountains, the Czech Republic). We investigated the effects of EC on soluble carbohydrate levels and composition. Starch content was evaluated using two methods: biochemical (glucose content after enzymatic hydrolysis) and stereological (starch grain proportion, size, and number in chloroplasts). In beech and spruce foliage, no significant changes in total soluble carbohydrate levels were observed. In spruce, starch content determined biochemically increased under EC, whereas no changes were detected in beech. The starch content determined stereologically increased only in beech. In spruce, EC exposure caused comparable starch increases in current-year and previous-year needles, although the former had a higher starch content and numerous larger starch grains regardless of CO2 concentration. In both species, the biochemical determination of carbohydrates exhibited greater individual tree uniformity, in contrast to large intraspecies variability. No changes in leaf soluble carbohydrates under long-term elevated CO2 demonstrate the ability of the studied tree species to efficiently allocate the photosynthates among the sinks. Thus, no photosynthetic downregulation via carbohydrate-level signalling can be expected.

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niedja Bezerra Costa ◽  
Gustavo de Andrade Bezerra ◽  
Geovanni de Oliveira Pinheiro Filho ◽  
Moemy Gomes de Moraes

ABSTRACT Rice is one of the main foods consumed by half of the world’s population. The rice crop requires plenty of water, but upland rice is cultivated in a non-flooded environment, although its productivity is lower than that of lowland rice. Rice grains mostly consist of starch, which is synthesized from the non-structural carbohydrates imported from the vegetative organs. The long-term storage of carbohydrates plays a remarkable role in maintaining the supply of photoassimilates during grain filling if photosynthesis does not meet energy demand. Therefore, the dynamics of non-structural carbohydrates is central to the productivity of rice crops. The present study aimed to determine the non-structural carbohydrate content and soluble carbohydrate profiles in different vegetative organs of upland rice of the genotype BRS Esmeralda. The content was determined at the end of vegetative development. The identification and quantification of carbohydrates were performed by high-performance anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection. Fully expanded leaf blades, expanding leaf blades, and expanding stems exhibited the soluble carbohydrate content of 59.7, 53.3, and 52.3 mg g-1 DM, respectively. The stem was found to be the main organ for the long-term storage of non-structural carbohydrates, wherein the starch content was 36.1 mg g-1 DM. It also contained soluble carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose. The non-structural carbohydrates were found in low amounts in the roots, showing that this organ does not store long-term carbohydrates.


Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 849
Author(s):  
Begoña de la Fuente ◽  
Santiago Saura

The invasive pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, causal agent of pine wilt disease, was first reported in Europe, near Lisbon, in 1999, and has since then spread to most of Portugal. We here modelled the spatiotemporal patterns of future PNW natural spread in the Iberian Peninsula, as dispersed by the vector beetle Monochamus galloprovincialis, using a process-based and previously validated network model. We improved the accuracy, informative content, forecasted period and spatial drivers considered in previous modelling efforts for the PWN in Southern Europe. We considered the distribution and different susceptibility to the PWN of individual pine tree species and the effect of climate change projections on environmental suitability for PWN spread, as we modelled the PWN expansion dynamics over the long term (>100 years). We found that, in the absence of effective containment measures, the PWN will spread naturally to the entire Iberian Peninsula, including the Pyrenees, where it would find a gateway for spread into France. The PWN spread will be relatively gradual, with an average rate of 0.83% of the total current Iberian pine forest area infected yearly. Climate was not found to be an important limiting factor for long-term PWN spread, because (i) there is ample availability of alternative pathways for PWN dispersal through areas that are already suitable for the PWN in the current climatic conditions; and (ii) future temperatures will make most of the Iberian Peninsula suitable for the PWN before the end of this century. Unlike climate, the susceptibility of different pine tree species to the PWN was a strong determinant of PWN expansion through Spain. This finding highlights the importance of accounting for individual tree species data and of additional research on species-specific susceptibility for more accurate modelling of PWN spread and guidance of related containment efforts.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Melo-Ruíz ◽  
K. Sánchez-Herrera ◽  
H. Sandoval-Trujillo ◽  
R. Díaz-García ◽  
T. Quirino-Barreda

Escamoles, ant eggs (Liometopum apiculatum M), are edible insects consumed in great numbers and appreciated for their sensory characteristics, but not for their nutritional value. In Mexico, they reproduce in arid and semi-arid zones of Mexico and several states (Puebla, Tlaxcala, Hidalgo). Samples were gathered to determine reproduction conditions and perform an insect analysis to generate data composition in macronutrients, on dry basis, according to AOAC methods. The obtained data were: proteins: 42.12-50.63%; lipids: 30.27-34.96%; minerals: 6.53-7.85%; fibres: 1.91-2.56%; and soluble carbohydrates: 6.80-18.27%. Entomological material was collected in spring 2014, 3 nests for each zone, all from different altitudes and agroclimatic regions. Samples were representative for the insect supply in the areas studied. Insects are high in proteins and lipids, compared with most of the commonly consumed food, due to their high content of fatty acids; they must be refrigerated for later consumption. Minerals are moderated. Fibre and soluble carbohydrate levels are low, but an excess of proteins can be converted into carbohydrates via gluconeogenesis. Escamoles reproduce once a year in the spring, but sometimes one nest can provide escamoles eggs twice in the same season, once at the beginning and again at the end, depending on the biotic and abiotic conditions of their environment. Escamoles are a good source of nutrients; however, some rural people sell them to obtain extra income rather than consume them to improve their nutritional condition and welfare.


1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z Wang ◽  
B Quebedeaux ◽  
GW Stutte

Potted apple (Malus domestica Borkh. cv. Jonathan) trees were subjected to water stress in a greenhouse. Midday leaf water potential (ΨW), osmotic potential (ΨS), soluble carbohydrates, and starch content of expanding and mature leaves, stems, and roots were measured to determine whether active osmotic adjustment occurred and if water stress affected carbohydrate metabolism. Mature leaves had the highest total soluble carbohydrate level (357 mM) and lowest Ψ (-1.85 MPa), followed by young leaves (278 mM, -1.58 MPa), stems (115 mM, -1.02 MPa), and roots (114 mM, -0.87 MPa). Sorbitol was the major component in all organs ranging from 53% of total soluble carbohydrate in young leaves to 73% in mature leaves. When ΨW decreased from -1.0 to -3.2 MPa, active osmotic adjustments of 0.3-0.4 MPa were observed in mature leaves, stems, and roots while a significantly higher adjustment of 1.0 MPa was detected in young leaves 5 days after the initiation of water stress. Sorbitol levels in leaves and stems gradually increased as ΨW decreased from -1.0 to -2.5 MPa, and then remained relatively stable or decreased slightly as ΨW decreased from -2.5 to -3.2 MPa. However, the percentage of soluble carbohydrate as sorbitol in roots decreased in response to water stress. Sucrose concentration decreased in mature leaves and stems, but increased in young leaves and roots as ΨW decreased. Starch concentrations in stems and roots also decreased as water stress developed. The sorbitol to sucrose ratios increased in mature leaves, but decreased in roots in response to water stress.


HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 1079A-1079
Author(s):  
Devi Prasad V. Potluri

Two cultivars of sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.], Commensal and Salyboro, were subjected to salt stress using axillary bud cultures. The salt levels ranged from 0–150 mM. After 10 weeks of growth, plantlet shoot height, dry weight, number of nodes, levels of proline, soluble carbohydrate, and protein; and metal ions sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, were measured. In both cultivars, proline accumulation was higher in the shoot. There was a positive correlation between the increase in soluble carbohydrates and proteins in `Commnesal', but not in `Salyboro'. More sodium accumulated in the shoots of `Salyboro' compared to `Commensal'. The accumulation of sodium reduced the calcium and potassium, but not magnesium levels. Increase in sodium levels correlated with the increase in soluble carbohydrate levels is `Salyboro', but not in `Commensal'. A similar trend was evident with praline and sodium accumulation. Based on these and previous results, the cultivar `Salyboro' appears to be more susceptible to salt stress.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing-Zhong Lu ◽  
Stefan Scheu

AbstractTree - soil interactions depend on environmental context. Plantations of trees may impact soil microorganisms more strongly under unfavorable environmental conditions, compromising long-term ecosystem services. To contextually understand the effects of tree species composition on soil microorganisms, we quantified structural and functional responses of soil microorganisms to forest types across environmental gradients using substrate-induced respiration and phospholipid fatty acid analyses. Five forest types were studied including pure stands of native European beech (Fagus sylvatica), range expanding Norway spruce (Picea abies), and non-native Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), as well as the two conifer - beech mixtures. We found that microbial functioning strongly depends on environmental conditions, in particular on soil nutrients. At nutrient-poor sites, both pure and mixed coniferous forests, but especially Douglas-fir forests, stressed soil microorganisms compared to beech forests. By contrast, microbial structure and functional indicators in beech forests varied little with site conditions, likely because beech provided high amounts of root-derived resources for microbial growth. The results indicate that, at nutrient-poor sites, long-term effects of planting exotic Douglas-fir on ecosystem functioning need further attention, but planting Douglas-fir at nutrient-rich sites may be of little concern from the perspective of microbial communities. Overall, the results point to the importance of root-derived resources in determining the structure and functioning of soil microbial communities, and document the sensitivity of soil microorganisms to planting tree species that may differ in the provisioning of these resources.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 213
Author(s):  
Ann E. Russell ◽  
William J. Parton

Research Highlights: Ongoing land-use change and climate change in wet tropical forests can potentially drive shifts in tree species composition, representing a change in individual species within a functional group, tropical evergreen trees. The impacts on the global carbon cycle are potentially large, but unclear. We explored the differential effects of species within this functional group, in comparison with the effects of climate change, using the Century model as a research tool. Simulating effects of individual tree species on biome-level biogeochemical cycles constituted a novel application for Century. Background and Objectives: A unique, long-term, replicated field experiment containing five evergreen tree species in monodominant stands under similar environmental conditions in a Costa Rican wet forest provided data for model evaluation. Our objectives were to gain insights about this forest’s biogeochemical cycles and effects of tree species within this functional group, in comparison with climate change. Materials and Methods: We calibrated Century, using long-term meteorological, soil, and plant data from the field-based experiment. In modeling experiments, we evaluated effects on forest biogeochemistry of eight plant traits that were both observed and modeled. Climate-change simulation experiments represented two climate-change aspects observed in this region. Results: Model calibration revealed that unmodeled soil processes would be required to sustain observed P budgets. In species-traits experiments, three separate plant traits (leaf death rate, leaf C:N, and allocation to fine roots) resulted in modeled biomass C stock changes of >50%, compared with a maximum 21% change in the climate-change experiments. Conclusions: Modeled ecosystem properties and processes in Century were sensitive to changes in plant traits and nutrient limitations to productivity. Realistic model output was attainable for some species, but unusual plant traits thwarted predictions for one species. Including more plant traits and soil processes could increase realism, but less-complex models provide an accessible means for exploring plant-soil-atmosphere interactions.


2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrej Boncina ◽  
Franc Gaspersic ◽  
Jurij Diaci

This study utilizes data from long-term research sites in managed fir-beech forests (Hrusica, Leskova dolina and Rog) and a virgin forest remnant (Rajhenav), used as a reference site. Data obtained from old forest management plans and forest inventories were analysed. The results of the study support the hypothesis that two main tree species—silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)—alternate site dominance. The causes of species dominance alternation include both natural processes and anthropogenic factors, in particular silvicultural practices and the impact of ungulates. More than a hundred years ago, European beech dominated stand volume. The proportion of silver fir increased until 1940–1970 when a gradual decrease started. All indicators suggest that the proportion of silver fir will decrease further in the coming decades. Key words: tree species composition alternation, diameter distribution, silver fir, European beech, forest history, forest planning, managed forests, virgin forest remnant


1968 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Bowden ◽  
D. K. Taylor ◽  
W. E. P. Davis

Variations in water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content of orchardgrass among breeding lines, stages of harvest, frequency of harvest and time of day were studied. Water-soluble carbohydrate levels differed among breeding lines harvested at the same stage of development. Water-soluble carbohydrate content increased as orchardgrass plants matured with the most rapid increase following anthesis. Harvesting orchardgrass at intervals suitable for hay produced forage with a higher WSC content in the first two cuts, but a lower content in the third, than forage harvested at pasture stage. Orchardgrass cut at 4 pm contained an average of 3 percentage units more WSC than that cut at 9 am. Levels of WSC in both orchardgrass and grass-legume pasture mixtures declined with successive cuts as the season progressed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document