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Mature beech and spruce trees under drought – Higher C investment in reproduction at the expense of whole-tree NSC stores.
Environ. Exp. Bot. 191:104615 (2021)
Under drought, potential plant death from depletion of carbon (C) stores, referred to as carbon starvation, is thought to result from negative carbon balance during (partial) stomatal closure. As evidence for C starvation is rare for mature trees, we investigated the C dynamics in mature beech and spruce under drought, focusing on non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) as an indicator of their C balance. Trees were exposed to complete exclusion of precipitation throughfall over two consecutive growing seasons. We assessed NSC concentrations during the early dormant season in leaves, twigs, stem phloem/xylem, coarse and fine roots. Up-scaling to whole-tree NSC pools was achieved using a process-based single-tree model (“BALANCE”), estimating tree biomass increment. While there were distinct differences in NSC concentration among different tissues in both beech and spruce (root < stem < twig < leaves and xylem < phloem), drought did not affect NSC concentrations. However, compared to controls, the whole-tree NSC pool size significantly decreased under drought in both beech (42 %) and spruce (36 %), in parallel to a significant growth decline of overall 52 % and 57 %, respectively. Nevertheless, drought-stressed beech and spruce invested almost twice as much C in reproductive structures relative to total C investment (i.e. 6.0 ± 3.3 and 52.3 ± 8.71 %) compared to control trees (3.1 ± 1.8 and 29.2 ± 7.8 %). This highlights the high priority of C investment into reproduction relative to growth under drought. Given that NSC concentrations are maintained even under severe drought over two growing seasons, NSC pool sizes appear to be a better proxy to assess whole-tree's carbon status in mature trees. Overall, trees maintained NSC availability, avoiding carbon starvation, by downregulating a major C sink (i.e. growth) while upholding reproduction.
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Publication type
Article: Journal article
Document type
Scientific Article
Keywords
Balance ; Biomass Increment ; Carbon Balance ; Fagus Sylvatica ; Non-structural Carbohydrates ; Picea Abies; Picea-abies L.; Fagus-sylvatica; Norway Spruce; European Beech; Carbohydrate Dynamics; Carbon Metabolism; Hydraulic Failure; Diameter Growth; Summer Drought; Water-stress
ISSN (print) / ISBN
0098-8472
e-ISSN
1873-7307
Quellenangaben
Volume: 191,
Article Number: 104615
Publisher
Elsevier
Publishing Place
The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford Ox5 1gb, England
Non-patent literature
Publications
Reviewing status
Peer reviewed
Institute(s)
Research Unit Environmental Simulation (EUS)
Grants
German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU)
Food, Agriculture and Forestry (BayKROOF)
Bavarian State Ministries of the Environment and Consumer Protection
German Research Foundation (DFG)
Food, Agriculture and Forestry (BayKROOF)
Bavarian State Ministries of the Environment and Consumer Protection
German Research Foundation (DFG)