scholarly journals Variation in the leaf and root microbiome of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) at an elevational range limit

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Wallace ◽  
Isabelle Laforest-Lapointe ◽  
Steven W. Kembel
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Natural Range ◽  
Microbe Interactions ◽  
Leaves And Roots ◽  
Elevational Range

BackgroundBacteria, archaea, viruses and fungi live in various plant compartments including leaves and roots. These plant-associated microbial communities have many effects on host fitness and function. Global climate change is impacting plant species distributions, a phenomenon that will affect plant-microbe interactions both directly and indirectly. In order to predict plant responses to global climate change, it will be crucial to improve our understanding of plant-microbe interactions within and at the edge of plant species natural ranges. While microbes affect their hosts, in turn the plant’s attributes and the surrounding environment drive the structure and assembly of the microbial communities themselves. However, the patterns and dynamics of these interactions and their causes are poorly understood.MethodsIn this study, we quantified the microbial communities of the leaves and roots of seedlings of the deciduous tree species sugar maple (Acer saccharumMarshall) within its natural range and at the species’ elevational range limit at Mont-Mégantic, Quebec. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing, we quantified the bacterial and fungal community structure in four plant compartments: the epiphytes and endophytes of leaves and roots. We also quantified endophytic fungal communities in roots.ResultsThe bacterial and fungal communities ofA. saccharumseedlings differ across elevational range limits for all four plant compartments. Distinct microbial communities colonize each compartment, although the microbial communities inside a plant’s structure (endophytes) were found to be a subset of the communities found outside the plant’s structure (epiphytes). Plant-associated bacterial communities were dominated by the phyla Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes while the main fungal taxa present were Ascomycota.DiscussionWe demonstrate that microbial communities associated with sugar maple seedlings at the edge of the species’ elevational range differ from those within the natural range. Variation in microbial communities differed among plant components, suggesting the importance of each compartment’s exposure to changes in biotic and abiotic conditions in determining variability in community structure. These findings provide a greater understanding of the ecological processes driving the structure and diversity of plant-associated microbial communities within and at the edge of a plant species range, and suggest the potential for biotic interactions between plants and their associated microbiota to influence the dynamics of plant range edge boundaries and responses to global change.

Assessment of sugar maple health based on basal area growth pattern

2003 ◽  
Vol 33 (11) ◽  
pp. 2074-2080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis Duchesne ◽  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Claude Morneau
Keyword(s):  
Growth Pattern ◽  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Tree Health ◽  
Health Decline ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
Natural Range

The first tree health decline symptoms usually observed are foliar deficiency symptoms, foliage loss, and dieback. To improve the subjective nature and unspecificity of these assessments, we examined sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) radial growth and health to develop an indicator of sugar maple tree health status based on radial growth pattern. We used the basal area increment (BAI) of 328 tree-ring collections from 16 sites located in southern Quebec, throughout the sugarbush natural range, that were categorized by defoliation class. BAI of trees with decline symptoms was significantly lower than that of healthy trees in 9 of the 16 stands. BAI trends since 1955 showed an inverse relationship with tree decline class measured in 1989, irrespective of tree age. The results indicate that declining trees in these stands have not recovered based on BAI. They also suggest that the decrease in slope of BAI predated the observed symptoms of sugar maple decline by at least one decade. Results suggest that sugar maple vigor and health can be assessed by measuring tree's BAI trend, an indicator that may be useful for the diagnosis of sugar maple health and status years before the appearance of visible canopy symptoms.

Increased seedling establishment via enemy release at the upper elevational range limit of sugar maple

Ecology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 97 (11) ◽  
pp. 3058-3069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgane Urli ◽  
Carissa D. Brown ◽  
Rosela Narváez Perez ◽  
Pierre-Luc Chagnon ◽  
Mark Vellend
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Establishment ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Enemy Release ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Elevational Range

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) forests at their northern distribution limit are recurrently impacted by fire

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 452-462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Pilon ◽  
Serge Payette
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
The Holocene ◽  
Growth Status ◽  
Northern Range Limit ◽  
Recent Origin

The sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) forest is a widespread temperate forest prevailing south of 48°N in Quebec. Windthrows are the principal disturbance maintaining the old-growth status of the forest supposedly since its postglacial establishment. Nonetheless, the presence of wood charcoal buried in several sugar maple forest soils attests to the occurrence of fire during the Holocene. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the long-term fire dynamics and species composition of three sites (Témiscamingue, Saguenay, and Gaspé peninsula) currently dominated by sugar maple situated at its northern range limit. The botanical identification and 14C dating of charcoal fragments extracted from the soil surface and the mineral soil indicate that the development of the sugar maple sites was influenced by recurrent fires at least over the last 1000 to 3500 years. Two of the studied sugar maple stands are of recent origin, with the Témiscamingue forest being established after the most recent fire in the late 18th to early 19th centuries. Our data highlight the resilience of sugar maple forests in a disturbance regime dominated by frequent fires and suggest that the northernmost sugar maple forests are young ecosystems at the Holocene timescale.

scholarly journals Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) at its northeastern range limit: a fire-resilient tree species

Botany ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (6) ◽  
pp. 411-423 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Payette ◽  
Mathieu Frégeau ◽  
Pierre-Luc Couillard ◽  
Vanessa Pilon ◽  
Jason Laflamme
Keyword(s):  
Acer Saccharum ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Forest Type ◽  
Fire Disturbance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Frequent Site ◽  
Sapling Bank

The long-standing hypothesis that sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) communities are maintained at equilibrium by present climate and small-scale disturbances is questioned because empirical evidence is accumulating about the ability of the species to withstand several stand-scale disturbances. The fire history of a sugar maple site at the northeastern range limit of the species (Gaspé Peninsula, eastern Canada) was documented to test the hypothesis that this forest type is resilient to fire disturbance. The fire history was reconstructed using radiocarbon-dated soil macrocharcoals. Two main fire periods were recorded during the Holocene. The oldest period occurred between 9055 and 8265 cal. years BP, and was characterized by the presence of conifers, including spruce. After 6900 years of fire-free activities, the second period covered the last 1335 years, and was characterized by the presence of sugar maple in the charcoal assemblage. The dominance of sugar maple after more than 1000 years of recurrent fires underlines the species resilience to frequent site disturbances. The soil of the forest stand was heavily disturbed by earthworms. However, the dense seedling and sapling bank of sugar maple suggests that earthworms do not affect negatively the regeneration and survival of the species.

scholarly journals Non-climatic constraints on upper elevational plant range expansion under climate change

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1794) ◽  
pp. 20141779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carissa D. Brown ◽  
Mark Vellend
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Range Limit ◽  
Elevational Range

We are limited in our ability to predict climate-change-induced range shifts by our inadequate understanding of how non-climatic factors contribute to determining range limits along putatively climatic gradients. Here, we present a unique combination of observations and experiments demonstrating that seed predation and soil properties strongly limit regeneration beyond the upper elevational range limit of sugar maple, a tree species of major economic importance. Most strikingly, regeneration beyond the range limit occurred almost exclusively when seeds were experimentally protected from predators. Regeneration from seed was depressed on soil from beyond the range edge when this soil was transplanted to sites within the range, with indirect evidence suggesting that fungal pathogens play a role. Non-climatic factors are clearly in need of careful attention when attempting to predict the biotic consequences of climate change. At minimum, we can expect non-climatic factors to create substantial time lags between the creation of more favourable climatic conditions and range expansion.

scholarly journals Shared mycorrhizae but distinct communities of other root-associated microbes on co-occurring native and invasive maples

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tonia DeBellis ◽  
Steven W. Kembel ◽  
Jean-Philippe Lessard
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Biological Invasions ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Sugar Maple ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Dark Septate Fungi ◽  
Norway Maple ◽  
Introduced Range

Background Biological invasions are major drivers of environmental change that can significantly alter ecosystem function and diversity. In plants, soil microbes play an important role in plant establishment and growth; however, relatively little is known about the role they might play in biological invasions. A first step to assess whether root microbes may be playing a role in the invasion process is to find out if invasive plants host different microbes than neighbouring native plant species. Methods In this study we investigated differences in root associated microbes of native sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and exotic Norway maple (A. platanoides L.) collected from a forested reserve in eastern Canada. We used microscopy to examine root fungi and high-throughput sequencing to characterize the bacterial, fungal and arbuscular mycorrhizal communities of both maple species over one growing season. Results We found differences in root associated bacterial and fungal communities between host species. Norway maple had a higher bacterial and fungal OTU (operational taxonomic units) richness compared to sugar maple, and the indicator species analysis revealed that nine fungal OTUs and three bacterial OTUs had a significant preference for sugar maple. The dominant bacterial phyla found on the roots of both maple species were Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria. The most common fungal orders associated with the Norway maple roots (in descending order) were Helotiales, Agaricales, Pleosporales, Hypocreales, Trechisporales while the Agaricales, Pleosporales, Helotiales, Capnodiales and Hypocreales were the dominant orders present in the sugar maple roots. Dark septate fungi colonization levels were higher in the sugar maple, but no differences in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities and colonization rates were detected between maple species. Discussion Our findings show that two congeneric plant species grown in close proximity can harbor distinct root microbial communities. These findings provide further support for the importance of plant species in structuring root associated microbe communities. The high colonization levels observed in Norway maple demonstrates its compatibility with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the introduced range. Plant-associated microbial communities can affect host fitness and function in many ways; therefore, the observed differences suggest a possibility that biotic interactions can influence the dynamics between native and invasive species.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document