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Konôpka B, Pajtík J, Šebeň V, Surový P, Merganičová K. Woody and Foliage Biomass, Foliage Traits and Growth Efficiency in Young Trees of Four Broadleaved Tree Species in a Temperate Forest. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 10:2155. [PMID: 34685962 PMCID: PMC8537282 DOI: 10.3390/plants10102155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The main goal of this study is to analyse and interpret interspecific differences in foliage biomass/area and woody parts biomass as well as the ratio between quantities of foliage and woody components (i.e., branches, stem and roots). The study was principally aimed at determining basic biomass allocation patterns and growth efficiency (GE) of four broadleaved species, specifically common aspen (Populus tremula L.), European hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.), silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) and sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) in young growth stages. We performed whole-tree sampling at 32 sites located in central and northern parts of Slovakia. We sampled over 700 trees and nearly 4900 leaves to quantify biomass of woody parts and foliage traits at leaf and tree levels. Moreover, we estimated specific leaf area in three parts of the crown, i.e., the upper, middle and lower thirds. We found that hornbeam had the largest foliage biomass and the lowest foliage area of all investigated species, while its biomass of woody parts did not differ from aspen and sycamore. Birch had the lowest biomass of woody parts, although its foliage properties were similar to those of aspen. Intraspecific differences of foliage were related to tree size and to leaf position along the vertical crown profile. Growth efficiency (GE), expressed as woody biomass production per foliage area unit, was evidently larger in hornbeam than in the other three broadleaves. We suggest that future GE modelling should utilize real values of stem diameter increment measured in a current year, bio-sociological position of trees and competition indicators as inputs. Such an approach would elucidate the role of stand structure and tree species mixture for ecological and production properties of forest stands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bohdan Konôpka
- National Forest Centre, Forest Research Institute, T. G. Masaryka 22, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia; (B.K.); (J.P.)
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 000 Prague, Czech Republic; (P.S.); (K.M.)
| | - Jozef Pajtík
- National Forest Centre, Forest Research Institute, T. G. Masaryka 22, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia; (B.K.); (J.P.)
| | - Vladimír Šebeň
- National Forest Centre, Forest Research Institute, T. G. Masaryka 22, 960 01 Zvolen, Slovakia; (B.K.); (J.P.)
| | - Peter Surový
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 000 Prague, Czech Republic; (P.S.); (K.M.)
| | - Katarína Merganičová
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 129, 165 000 Prague, Czech Republic; (P.S.); (K.M.)
- Department of Biodiversity of Ecosystems and Landscape, Institute of Landscape Ecology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 949 01 Nitra, Slovakia
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Highly Species-Specific Foliar Metabolomes of Diverse Woody Species and Relationships with the Leaf Economics Spectrum. Cells 2021; 10:cells10030644. [PMID: 33805842 PMCID: PMC7999030 DOI: 10.3390/cells10030644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Plants show an extraordinary diversity in chemical composition and are characterized by different functional traits. However, relationships between the foliar primary and specialized metabolism in terms of metabolite numbers and composition as well as links with the leaf economics spectrum have rarely been explored. We investigated these relationships in leaves of 20 woody species from the Mediterranean region grown as saplings in a common garden, using a comparative ecometabolomics approach that included (semi-)polar primary and specialized metabolites. Our analyses revealed significant positive correlations between both the numbers and relative composition of primary and specialized metabolites. The leaf metabolomes were highly species-specific but in addition showed some phylogenetic imprints. Moreover, metabolomes of deciduous species were distinct from those of evergreens. Significant relationships were found between the primary metabolome and nitrogen content and carbon/nitrogen ratio, important traits of the leaf economics spectrum, ranging from acquisitive (mostly deciduous) to conservative (evergreen) leaves. A comprehensive understanding of various leaf traits and their coordination in different plant species may facilitate our understanding of plant functioning in ecosystems. Chemodiversity is thereby an important component of biodiversity.
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Decomposition of Herbivore-Damaged Leaves of Understory Species Growing in Oak and Pine Stands. FORESTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/f12030304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Leaves are the largest component of forest litter. Their decomposition rate depends mainly on plant species, leaf chemical composition, microorganism biodiversity, and habitat conditions. It is known that herbivory by insects can modify the chemical composition of leaves, such as through induction. The aim of this study was to determine whether the rate of leaf decomposition is related to the susceptibility of the plant species to insect feeding and how leaf damage affects this rate. For our research, we chose six species differing in leaf resistance to insect damage: Cornus sanguinea, Frangula alnus, and Sambucus nigra (herbivore resistant), and Corylus avellana, P. padus, and Prunus serotina (herbivore susceptible). The decomposition of these plant leaves was examined in two monoculture forest stands, deciduous (Quercus robur) and coniferous (Pinus sylvestris). Litter decay rate k and change of litter mass, content of defensive metabolites (total phenols (TPh) and condensed tannins), and substances beneficial for organisms decomposing litter (nitrogen (N) and nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC)) were determined. Contrary to our expectations, leaf litter of herbivore-resistant species decomposed faster than that of herbivore-susceptible species, and damaged leaves decayed faster than undamaged leaves. We found that faster decaying leaf litter had a lower content of defensive compounds and a higher content of TNC and N, regardless of the plant species or leaf damage. Leaf litter decomposition caused a large and rapid decrease in the content of defensive compounds and TNC, and an increase in N. In all species, the tannin content was lower in damaged than in undamaged leaves. This pattern was also observed for TPh, except in S. nigra. We interpret this as the main reason for faster decay of damaged leaves. Moreover, the loss of leaf mass was greater under oak than pine stands, indicating that the microorganisms in deciduous stands are more effective at decomposing litter, regardless of leaf damage.
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Prada-Salcedo LD, Goldmann K, Heintz-Buschart A, Reitz T, Wambsganss J, Bauhus J, Buscot F. Fungal guilds and soil functionality respond to tree community traits rather than to tree diversity in European forests. Mol Ecol 2020; 30:572-591. [PMID: 33226697 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Revised: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
At the global scale, most forest research on biodiversity focuses on aboveground organisms. However, understanding the structural associations between aboveground and belowground communities provides relevant information about important functions linked to biogeochemical cycles. Microorganisms such as soil fungi are known to be closely coupled to the dominant tree vegetation, and we hypothesize that tree traits affect fungal guilds and soil functionality in multiple ways. By analysing fungal diversity of 64 plots from four European forest types using Illumina DNA sequencing, we show that soil fungal communities respond to tree community traits rather than to tree species diversity. To explain changes in fungal community structure and measured soil enzymatic activities, we used a trait-based ecological approach and community-weighted means of tree traits to define 'fast' (acquisitive) versus 'slow' (conservative) tree communities. We found specific tree trait effects on different soil fungal guilds and soil enzymatic activities: tree traits associated with litter and absorptive roots correlated with fungal, especially pathogen diversity, and influenced community composition of soil fungi. Relative abundance of the symbiotrophic and saprotrophic guilds mirrored the litter quality, while the root traits of fast tree communities enhanced symbiotrophic abundance. We found that forest types of higher latitudes, which are dominated by fast tree communities, correlated with high carbon-cycling enzymatic activities. In contrast, Mediterranean forests with slow tree communities showed high enzymatic activities related to nitrogen and phosphorous. Our findings highlight that tree trait effects of either 'fast' or 'slow' tree communities drive different fungal guilds and influence biogeochemical cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Daniel Prada-Salcedo
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Kezia Goldmann
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany
| | - Anna Heintz-Buschart
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Thomas Reitz
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Janna Wambsganss
- Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,Chair of Geobotany, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Bauhus
- Chair of Silviculture, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - François Buscot
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle (Saale), Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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Ullah H, De Filippis A, Khan H, Xiao J, Daglia M. An overview of the health benefits of Prunus species with special reference to metabolic syndrome risk factors. Food Chem Toxicol 2020; 144:111574. [PMID: 32679287 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2020.111574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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Pieristè M, Neimane S, Solanki T, Nybakken L, Jones AG, Forey E, Chauvat M, Ņečajeva J, Robson TM. Ultraviolet radiation accelerates photodegradation under controlled conditions but slows the decomposition of senescent leaves from forest stands in southern Finland. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY : PPB 2020; 146:42-54. [PMID: 31731113 DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Depending on the environment, sunlight can positively or negatively affect litter decomposition, through the ensemble of direct and indirect processes constituting photodegradation. Which of these processes predominate depends on the ecosystem studied and on the spectral composition of sunlight received. To examine the relevance of photodegradation for litter decomposition in forest understoreys, we filtered ultraviolet radiation (UV) and blue light from leaves of Fagus sylvatica and Betula pendula at two different stages of senescence in both a controlled-environment experiment and outdoors in four different forest stands (Picea abies, Fagus sylvatica, Acer platanoides, Betula pendula). Controlling for leaf orientation and initial differences in leaf chlorophyll and flavonol concentrations; we measured mass loss at the end of each experiment and characterised the phenolic profile of the leaf litter following photodegradation. In most forest stands, less mass was lost from decomposing leaves that received solar UV radiation compared with those under UV-attenuating filters, while in the controlled environment UV-A radiation either slightly accelerated or had no significant effect on photodegradation, according to species identity. Only a few individual phenolic compounds were affected by our different filter treatments, but photodegradation did affect the phenolic profile. We can conclude that photodegradation has a small stand- and species-specific effect on the decomposition of surface leaf litter in forest understoreys during the winter following leaf fall in southern Finland. Photodegradation was wavelength-dependent and modulated by the canopy species filtering sunlight and likely creating different combinations of spectral composition, moisture, temperature and snowpack characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Pieristè
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (OEB), Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 65, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland; Normandie Université, UNIROUEN, Ecodiv URA/EA1293, IRSTEA, FR Scale CNRS 3730, Rouen, France
| | - Santa Neimane
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (OEB), Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 65, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland; Department of Plant Physiology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga, Latvia; Latvian State Forest Research Institute (Silava), Rīgas Iela 111, Salaspils, Salaspils Pilsēta, LV-2169, Latvia
| | - Twinkle Solanki
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (OEB), Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 65, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland
| | - Line Nybakken
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, CERAD, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Alan G Jones
- Forest Systems, Scion. 49 Sala Street, Private Bag 3020, Rotorua, 3046, New Zealand
| | - Estelle Forey
- Normandie Université, UNIROUEN, Ecodiv URA/EA1293, IRSTEA, FR Scale CNRS 3730, Rouen, France
| | - Matthieu Chauvat
- Normandie Université, UNIROUEN, Ecodiv URA/EA1293, IRSTEA, FR Scale CNRS 3730, Rouen, France
| | - Jevgenija Ņečajeva
- Department of Plant Physiology, University of Latvia, Jelgavas Street 1, LV-1004, Riga, Latvia
| | - T Matthew Robson
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (OEB), Viikki Plant Science Centre (ViPS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Science, P.O. Box 65, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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