scholarly journals Change in hydraulic properties and leaf traits in a tall rainforest tree species subjected to long-term throughfall exclusion in the perhumid tropics

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 2179-2194 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Schuldt ◽  
C. Leuschner ◽  
V. Horna ◽  
G. Moser ◽  
M. Köhler ◽  
...  

Abstract. A large-scale replicated throughfall exclusion experiment was conducted in a pre-montane perhumid rainforest in Sulawesi (Indonesia) exposing the trees for two years to pronounced soil desiccation. The lack of regularly occurring dry periods and shallow rooting patterns distinguish this experiment from similar experiments conducted in the Amazonian rainforest. We tested the hypotheses that a tree's sun canopy is more affected by soil drought than its shade crown, making tall trees particularly vulnerable even under a perhumid climate, and that extended drought periods stimulate an acclimation in the hydraulic system of the sun canopy. In the abundant and tall tree species Castanopsis acuminatissima (Fagaceae), we compared 31 morphological, anatomical, hydraulic and chemical variables of leaves, branches and the stem together with stem diameter growth between drought and control plots. There was no evidence of canopy dieback. However, the drought treatment led to a 30 % reduction in sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity of sun canopy branches, possibly caused by the formation of smaller vessels and/or vessel filling by tyloses. Drought caused an increase in leaf size, but a decrease in leaf number, and a reduction in foliar calcium content. The δ13C and δ18O signatures of sun canopy leaves gave no indication of a permanent down-regulation of stomatal conductance during the drought, indicating that pre-senescent leaf shedding may have improved the water status of the remaining leaves. Annual stem diameter growth decreased during the drought, while the density of wood in the recently produced xylem increased in both the stem and sun canopy branches (marginally significant). The sun canopy showed a more pronounced drought response than the shade crown indicating that tall trees with a large sun canopy are more vulnerable to drought stress. We conclude that the extended drought prompted a number of medium- to long-term responses in the leaves, branches and the trunk, which may have reduced drought susceptibility. However, unlike a natural drought, our drought simulation experiment was carried out under conditions of high humidity, which may have dampened drought induced damages.

2002 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-597 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jochen Schöngart ◽  
Maria Teresa F. Piedade ◽  
Sabine Ludwigshausen ◽  
Viviana Horna ◽  
Martin Worbes

To study the impact of the annual long-term flooding (flood-pulse) on seasonal tree development in Amazonian floodplains, the phenology and growth in stem diameter of various tree species with different leaf-change patterns were observed over a period of 2 y. The trees of the functional ecotypes, evergreen, brevi-deciduous, deciduous and stem-succulent showed a periodic behaviour mainly triggered by the flood-pulse. Trees have high increment during the terrestrial phase. Flooding causes a shedding of some or all leaves leading to a cambial dormancy of about 2 mo and the formation of an annual ring. Studies carried out in tropical dry forests verify a strong relationship between the phenological development and the water status of the trees, strongly affected by seasonal drought. The comparison of the phenology and the diameter growth of the corresponding ecotypes in floodplain forest and a semi-deciduous forest in Venezuela shows a displacement of at least 2 mo in the periodicity, except for stem-succulent tree species. For stem-succulent trees it remains unclear which factors influence phenology and stem diameter growth.


2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 1748-1754
Author(s):  
Xiaoping Zhang ◽  
Bo Zeng ◽  
Zhangcheng Zhong

In the Three Gorges reservoir region of China, Ficus microcarpa L. and Ficus virens Ait. var. sublanceolata (Miq.) Corner (Moraceae) are widely used in greening and ecological restoration following construction, including roads, railways, towns, etc. Branch cuttings are used for cultivating saplings of these trees. We conducted a 4 year experiment that included four branch-removal intensities to evaluate the influence of branch removal on stem height and diameter growth of these Ficus spp. It was found that branch removal did not affect the stem height growth of either F. microcarpa or F. virens, but decreased the growth of their stem basal diameters. The reduction in growth of stem basal diameter was intensified with branch removal. As expected, branch removal decreased the tapering of whole tree stems, but this effect was mainly due to the alteration of the shape of the bare stem part, and the shape of the stem part within the intact upper crown was not affected by the treatment. The data clearly showed that stem height growth was less sensitive than stem diameter growth to branch removal, and that the response of stem diameter growth to branch removal differed between bare and intact stem parts.


2021 ◽  
Vol 914 (1) ◽  
pp. 012015
Author(s):  
Mashudi ◽  
D Setiadi ◽  
S Pudjiono ◽  
M Susanto ◽  
L Baskorowati ◽  
...  

Abstract Alstonia angustiloba is a local tree species that have potential for community forest plantation; therefore, it is important to provide improved seeds. This study aimed to determine the diversity of growth, estimate the value of heritability, and the genetic correlation of the 4-years-old A. angustiloba progeny test. Randomized Completely Block Design with two factors (population and family) were used in this study. In this study, families are nested in the population. The population factors consisted of 4 levels, and family factors consisted of 43 families. The analysis of variance showed that height and stem diameter growth were significantly different between populations and families at four years old. The best height and stem diameter growth at the population level was obtained from the Pendopo population, 4.45 m and 7.71 cm, respectively. At the family level, the best height growth was obtained from 9 families (4.46-5.06 m), and the best stem diameter growth was obtained from 11 families (7.48-8.72 cm). The estimated individual heritability value for height was 0.41, and stem diameter was 0.23. Estimated family heritability values were 0.66 for height and 0.50 for stem diameter. The genetic correlation between height and stem diameter was 0.97.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 494 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanfang Wan ◽  
Pengtao Yu ◽  
Xiaoqing Li ◽  
Yanhui Wang ◽  
Bin Wang ◽  
...  

It is important to develop a better understanding of the climatic and soil factors controlling the stem diameter growth of Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia Kom.) forest. The results will provide basic information for the scientific prediction of trends in the future development of forests. To explain the seasonal pattern of stem diameter growth of Qinghai spruce and its response to environmental factors in the Qilian Mountains, northwest China, the stem diameter changes of 10 sample trees with different sizes and soil and meteorological conditions were observed from May to October of 2015 and 2016. Our results showed that the growth initiation of the stem diameter of Qinghai spruce was on approximately 25 May 2015 and 20 June 2016, and stem diameter growth commenced when the average air and soil temperatures were more than 10 °C and 3 °C, respectively. The cessation of growth occurred on approximately 21 August 2015 and 14 September 2016, and it was probably controlled by soil moisture. Stem diameter growth began earlier, ended later, and exhibited a larger growth rate as tree size increased. For the period May–October, the cumulative stem diameter growth of individual trees was 400 and 380 μm in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The cumulative stem diameter growth had a clear seasonal pattern, which could be divided into three growth stages, i.e., the beginning (from day of year (DOY) 120 to the timing of growth initiation with the daily growth rate of less than 2 μm·day−1), rapid growth (from the timing of growth initiation to the timing of growth cessation with the daily growth rate of more than 2 μm·day−1), and ending stages (from the timing of growth cessation to DOY 300 with the daily growth rate of less than 2 μm·day−1). The correlation of daily stem growth and environmental factors varied with growth stages; however, temperature, vapor pressure deficit (VPD), and soil moisture were the key factors controlling daily stem diameter growth. Overall, these results indicated that the seasonal variation in stem growth was regulated by soil and climatic triggers. Consequently, changes in climate seasonality may have considerable effects on the seasonal patterns of both stem growth and tree growth.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian J. Wright ◽  
Julia Cooke ◽  
Lucas A. Cernusak ◽  
Lindsay B. Hutley ◽  
Marina C. Scalon ◽  
...  

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1877-1882 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Temple ◽  
Paul R. Miller

Foliar injury symptoms and stem diameter growth were measured on well-watered and drought-stressed ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa Dougl. ex Laws.) seedlings at the end of each of 3 years of exposure to three levels of ozone: charcoal-filtered air, nonfiltered air, and nonfiltered air plus 1.5 times ambient ozone. Ozone-injury indices were constructed by adding percent chlorotic mottle and percent necrosis for each needle age-class. Percent necrosis was weighted from 1 to 5 times to construct different indices. Seedlings grown in nonfiltered air plus 1.5 times ambient ozone developed severe foliar injury after 2 years of exposure and were the only seedlings with significant reductions in radial growth after three seasons of exposure to a mean seasonal ozone concentration of 88 ppb. Foliage that had developed >30% chlorotic mottle by September of the 2nd year had abscised by September of the following year. Reduction in radial growth was significantly correlated with amount of foliar injury in well-watered trees, and the best-fit regression equation occurred when percent necrosis was weighted by a factor of 4. Regressions between foliar-injury indices and radial growth in drought-stressed trees were not significant, nor were regressions between radial growth and foliar injury among well-watered trees with only 1 year of premature needle abscission. The low R2 (0.30) between foliar injury and radial growth in well-watered trees and the lack of a significant regression in drought-stressed trees suggest that detection of reductions in stem diameter growth of ponderosa pine in the field in response to ozone injury could be difficult, except for severely injured trees with fewer than 2 years of foliar retention.


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