Patterns of late-season photosynthate movement in sugar maple saplings

2009 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 2294-2298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Horowitz ◽  
Timothy J. Fahey ◽  
Joseph B. Yavitt ◽  
Ted R. Feldpausch ◽  
Ruth E. Sherman

A more detailed understanding of seasonal dynamics of carbon allocation between roots and shoots of temperate zone trees is needed. We labeled sapling stands of sugar maple ( Acer saccharum Marsh) with 13CO2 in four 3 m diameter chambers during a 3 week interval in September 2006 and traced the movement of this 13C pulse through trees and soil during autumn and spring. High enrichment of 13C in foliage was achieved (δ13C = 387‰ ± 16‰). Late-season photosynthate was strongly mobilized during leaf senescence and stored in twigs, wood, and roots. Very high 13C enrichment of soil CO2 emissions at this time (δ13C = 766‰ ± 82‰) indicated the role of late-season photosynthesis in supplying root metabolism after the growing season. Rhizosphere soil was weakly enriched in 13C during fall, and increased significantly over the winter. Earthworms were highly enriched in fall, indicating that they consumed roots. In spring, 13C was strongly mobilized to growing shoots but not to growing fine roots; apparently, fine root growth in spring was not supplied by late-season stored photosynthate. These results provide insights into the seasonal dynamics of temperate tree carbon allocation with implications for disruption of these dynamics by global warming.

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 229-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary W. Watson

Abstract Exposed fine roots are subject to desiccation, which may affect their survival as well as new root growth following bare root transplanting. Fine roots of dormant 1-year-old green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) and sugar maple (Acer saccharum) seedlings, subjected to desiccation treatments of 0, 1, 2, or 3 hours in December and March, lost up to 82 percent of their water. Root electrolyte leakage, a measure of cell damage, tripled after three hours of desiccation. The increase was moderately, but significantly, greater in March for both species. Desiccation treatments had no effect on fine root survival. Growth of new roots (RGP) was also unaffected by desiccation treatments. RGP of maple was greater in March than December, but not ash.


2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (7) ◽  
pp. 861-862
Author(s):  
Scott W. Bailey ◽  
Robert P. Long ◽  
Stephen B. Horsley

Cleavitt et al. (2018, Can. J. For. Res. 48(1): 23–31, doi: 10.1139/cjfr-2017-0233 ) report a lack of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) regeneration in Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), Watershed 5 (W5), following whole-tree clearcut harvesting and purport that harvesting-induced soil calcium depletion contributed to regeneration failure of this species. In New England, clearcutting is a silvicultural strategy used to promote less tolerant species, especially birch (Betula spp.; Marquis (1969), Birch Symposium Proceedings, USDA Forest Service; Leak et al. (2014), doi: 10.2737/NRS-GTR-132 ), which is just the outcome that the authors report. While this study reports an impressive, long-term data set, given broad interest in sugar maple and sustainability of forest management practices, we feel that it is critical to more fully explore the role of nutrition on sugar maple dynamics, both prior to and during the experiment, and to more fully review the scientific record on the role of whole-tree clearcutting in nutrient-induced sugar maple dynamics.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1168-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Claude Camiré ◽  
Valentin Furlan

The Beauce region of Quebec has been relentlessly affected by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) tree decline since the late 1970s. Nutrient disturbances are generally associated with maple decline, but the severity of decline symptoms can vary quite dramatically between individuals within a stand. Possible causes of this variability were investigated, including soil chemistry and endomycorrhization. Within 18 mature sugar maple stands, a comparative study of fine root colonization rate by endomycorrhizal fungi, and foliar, fine-roots, and soil-nutrient status between healthy and declining sugar maple trees was carried out. Three individuals showing a very low degree of decline symptoms (healthy) and three individuals in the vicinity exhibiting severe decline symptoms (declining) were selected in each stand. Although trees of both health classes were K and Ca deficient, the diagnosis revealed that those in the declining group were experiencing a more severe nutrient stress and lower stem radial growth than those in the healthy group. The percent colonization by endomycorrhizal fungi in fine roots of sugar maple varied from 8 to 40% among stands, with an average of 23%. However, the endomycorrhization rate was not related to tree health status. The frequency of endomycorrhization was positively correlated to soil pH and soil exchangeable Mg saturation, but negatively to the proportion of H + Al held on the soil exchange complex. Also, the rate of endomycorrhization was correlated positively to foliar and root Ca content, but negatively to foliar and root N content. Foliar N, P, K, Ca, Mg, and Mn contents were positively correlated to corresponding nutrient content in fine roots. Fine-root chemistry was only partly related to soil chemistry. Declining trees had a lower foliar K content and a lower P and Ca content in fine roots than healthy ones. The results do not support the hypothesis that sugar maple decline and its disturbed nutrient status is associated with lower colonization by endomycorrhizal fungi in fine roots. They suggest, however, that soil chemical properties, particularly the soil composition in cations, regulates fine-root colonization by endomycorrhizal fungi and sugar maple nutrition and health. These results can neither confirm nor invalidate the hypothesis according to which a deleterious microbial population may have colonized the soil under declining trees. Key words: Acer saccharum, soil cation saturation, forest decline, nutrient status, fine root, endomycorrhizae.


Author(s):  
Robert P. Long ◽  
Scott W. Bailey ◽  
Stephen B. Horsley ◽  
Thomas J. Hall

The longevity of a single 22.4 Mg ha<sup>-1</sup> application of dolomitic limestone at four northern hardwood stands was evaluated over thirty years (1986-2016) to determine whether changes in soils, foliage, and tree growth were sustained on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau in northern Pennsylvania, USA. In limed plots, soils, sampled to 45-55 cm depth, and sugar maple (<i>Acer saccharum</i> Marsh.) and black cherry (<i>Prunus serotina</i> Ehrh.) foliage had significantly ( P ≤ 0.05) greater concentrations of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) through 2016 compared with samples from unlimed plots. Calcium and Mg capitals (g m<sup>-2</sup>) in the Oi through A horizon combined were greater on limed plots than unlimed plots, largely due to increases in the thickness and nutrient concentration in the A horizon. Over 30-years, sugar maple basal area increment (cm<sup>2</sup> yr<sup>-1</sup> BAINC) ) was greater in limed plots, American beech (<i>Fagus grandifolia</i> Ehrh.) BAINC was unaffected, and black cherry BAINC was reduced in limed plots compared with unlimed plots. The sustained effect of this one-time lime treatment shows the strong role of efficient nutrient cycling in forests and suggests that the benefits over a substantial portion of a stand rotation may increase the feasibility of operational liming.


2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 898-901 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Fahey ◽  
Joel D. Blum

The role of the Oie horizon in calcium supply of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) seedlings was evaluated. Forest floor Oie horizon was reciprocally transplanted on 1 m2 quadrats between a Ca-treated (W1) and a reference (W3) watershed, and sugar maple seeds were planted on the quadrats. The Oie horizon in W1 exhibited a greatly increased Ca:Sr molar ratio compared with the reference W3 (550 vs. 220), allowing distinction of this Ca source in seedling tissues. Foliage and fine roots of maple seedlings growing on quadrats in W3 with Oie transplanted from W1 exhibited Ca:Sr ratios intermediate between the Oie and underlying native soil horizons, demonstrating the role of Oie in seedling Ca nutrition. However, apparently strong and temporally changing discrimination of Ca and Sr in seedling uptake and internal transport confounded quantitative evaluation.


1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne K. Burke ◽  
Dudley J. Raynal ◽  
Myron J. Mitchell

The influence of soil N availability on growth, on seasonal C allocation patterns, and on sulfate-S content in sugar maple seedlings (Acersaccharum Marsh.) was tested experimentally. Relative to controls, the production of foliage doubled in response to high N availability, and the production of foliage, stems, coarse roots, and fine roots was halved in response to N deprivation. The period of foliage production was lengthened by fertilization and the period of fine root production was shortened by N deprivation compared with controls. In August, a shift in priority C allocation from foliage to roots occurred in the N-deprivation treatment. Therefore, during this month alone, the shoot to root ratio was greater in fertilized plants (1.0) than in N-deprived plants (0.5). Allocation to storage reserves was highest in N-deprived and lowest in fertilized plants (average 160 vs. 125 mg glucose/g biomass produced), and storage in roots of unfertilized plants commenced earlier (August) than in fertilized plants (after September). This resulted in unfertilized plants having higher fine root starch concentrations (5.2%) than fertilized plants (4.0%) in December, although sugar concentrations were similar (5.7%). The lengthened season of shoot growth and the low starch to sugar ratios in fine roots of fertilized plants are symptoms consistent with a higher risk of frost injury and microbial pathogen infection. Although soil N availability did not influence the sulfate-S content in foliage, N deprivation resulted in higher organic S to N ratios. This suggests that more S-containing proteins are produced when N availability is poor.


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