Carbon allocation to defense, storage, and growth in seedlings of two temperate broad-leaved tree species

Imaji, Aya; Seiwa, Kenji

doi:10.1007/s00442-009-1453-3

Cited by 67 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Alternatively, in the no-reproductive year, it seems that the resources were enough to be invested in growth and defense, justifying the positive relationship between wood biomass and tannin concentration (Baldwin et al, 1998;Haring et al, 2008;Imaji & Seiwa, 2010). When we look into herbivory, we observed a great richness of galling insects (19 morphotypes) that corroborate the previous pattern already described for Copaifera langsdorffii -a super-host of galling insects (Costa et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Resource allocation in Copaifera langsdorffii (Fabaceae): how a supra-annual fruiting affects plant traits and herbivory?

Costa

Queiroz

Maia

et al. 2016

RBT

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Abstract:Plants have limited resources to invest in reproduction, vegetative growth and defense against herbivorous. Trade-off in resources allocation promotes changes in plant traits that may affect higher trophic levels. In this study, we evaluated the trade-off effect between years of high and low fruiting on the investment of resources for growth and defense, and their indirect effects on herbivory in Copaifera langsdorffii. Our questions were: (i) does the resource investment on reproduction causes a depletion in vegetative growth as predicted by the Carbon/Nutrient Balance hypothesis (CNBH), resulting in more availability of resources to be allocated for defense?, (ii) does the variation in resource allocation for growth and defense between years of high and low fruiting leads to indirect changes in herbivory? Thirty-five trees located in a Cerrado area were monitored during 2008 (year of high fruiting) and 2009 (year of no fruiting) to evaluate the differential investment in vegetative traits (biomass, growth and number of ramifications), plant defense (tannin concentration and plant hypersensitivity) and herbivory (galling attack and folivory). According to our first question, we observed that in the fruiting year, woody biomass negatively affected tannin concentration, indicating that fruit production restricted the resources that could be invested both in growth as in defense. In the same way, we observed an inter-annual variation in herbivorous attack, and found that plants with higher leaf biomass and tannin concentration, experienced higher galling attack and hypersensitive reaction, regardless years. These findings suggested that plants' resistance to herbivory is a good proxy of plant defense and an effective defense strategy for C. langsdorffii, besides the evidence of indirect responses of the third trophic level, as postulated by the second question. In summary, the supra-annual fruiting pattern promoted several changes on plant development, demonstrating the importance of evaluating different plant traits when characterizing the vegetative investment. As expected by theory, the trade-off in resource allocation favored changes in defense compounds production and patterns of herbivory. The understanding of this important element of insect-plant interactions will be fundamental to decipher coevolutionary life histories and interactions between plant species reproduction and herbivory. Besides that, only through long-term studies we will be able to build models and develop more accurate forecasts about the factors that trigger the bottom-up effect on herbivory performance, as well the top-down effect of herbivores on plant trait evolution. Rev. Biol. Trop. 64 (2): 507-520. Epub 2016 June 01.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Resource allocation in Copaifera langsdorffii (Fabaceae): how a supra-annual fruiting affects plant traits and herbivory?

Costa

Queiroz

Maia

et al. 2016

RBT

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“…Moreover, the pattern of carbon allocated to increase height in shade-tolerant and intermediate species was less dependent on light conditions than that in light-demanding species. Rapid shoot elongation is an adaptation of light-demanding species to achieve high growth quickly when intense light conditions appear (Imaji and Seiwa 2010). In natural forests, conditions of intense light are found under gaps in the canopy, which are usually short-lived in mature forests (Madsen and Hahn 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Shade tolerance can determine the relative allocation of carbon among these three processes. It can also be assumed that the patterns of carbon allocation are optimized to maximize survival and growth (Imaji and Seiwa 2010). Compared with light-demanding species, shade-tolerant species allocate more carbon to defense and storage and less to growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon allocation in seedlings of deciduous tree species depends on their shade tolerance

2015

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Carbon assimilated during photosynthesis is allocated to basic needs, such as growth, defense, and storage of nutrients. The aim of this study was to explore potential relationships between carbon allocation and light conditions during growth, including shade tolerance of species. We studied species that represent light-demanding (Sorbus aucuparia, Betula pendula), intermediate (Carpinus betulus, Quercus robur), and shade-tolerant (Acer platanoides, Fagus sylvatica) trees. We exposed seedlings to two light treatments (full sunlight and shade), and explored how these conditions affect plant growth and biomass allocation, as well as the levels of phenolic compounds, nonstructural carbohydrates, carbon, and nitrogen. We hypothesized that light-demanding species invest less carbon in chemical defenses against pathogens and/or herbivores compared to shade-tolerant species. On the other hand, light-demanding species showed the greater part of assimilated carbon allocate to growth processes. As a result, the stem diameter above the root collar, the mass of leaves, stems, coarse, and fine roots were larger under full-sunlight conditions in all species, except for greater height of A. platanoides and Q. robur under shade conditions. Leaves from full light were characterized by lower nitrogen content, higher carbon and phenolic contents, and a higher carbon/nitrogen ratio compared with leaves from seedlings grown in shade. In the case of shade-tolerant species, a trade-off mechanism can be proposed that such species restrict their usual allocation of carbon to defense and radial growth, while instead of investing it in increasing their heights and storage capacities. According to the light-demanding species, it was not possible to identify a trade-off mechanism and how carbon allocation is restricted upon exposure to shade conditions, except for the reduced allocation to the root mass.

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“…Trees may also reserve sugars for defense, such as increasing shade tolerance (Chapin et al 1990;Imaji and Seiwa 2010). Sugar allocation to these compartments vary over the course of cell development and over shorter time scales depending on the tree's physiological state (Dickson 1989;Chapin et al 1990).…”

Section: Sink Compartmentation and Sink Allocationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic variations in bark hydraulics – understanding whole tree processes and its linkage to bark hydraulic function and structure

Chan

2016

Diss. For.

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A mature tree stem generally consists of a column of wood that is composed of a series of annual incremental layers and enclosed in a covering of bark. The dynamic variations of the bark are complex due to its structure and function: the thick outer-bark acts as a protective barrier against the abiotic and biotic environment; while the phloem is where sugar transport occurs. Much of the bark variation is due to the transport of sugars and its related processes. The driving force for sugar transport in the phloem is generated by the accumulation of sugars at source sites (e.g. leaves), which creates differences in gradients in turgor pressure along the stem. As a result, mass flow occurs -transporting sugars to sink regions that require it (e.g. stem and roots) for active growth, respiration and storage. The xylem pathway, which transports water in the opposite direction, is connected to the phloem in parallel along the entire length of the stem. The immediate connection between these two transport pathways suggests a functional linkage, as the phloem draws water from the xylem in order for mass flow to occur. The dynamic interactions between the xylem and phloem, and the processes occurring within the bark have great implications for whole tree physiology.The purpose of this thesis is to study the dynamic processes that occur within the bark and its interaction with other internal tree processes and the external environment. This is accomplished by first understanding the bark hydraulic architecture and its linkage to the environment, followed by its linkage to various tree processes. These linkages have not been thoroughly quantified, especially on an intra-annual (e.g. daily) scale. The study of bark hydraulic dynamics is of great interest because it is a relatively new topic with great potential. The changes of the bark in response to the environment may play a large part as a regulator to other tree processes.The thesis consists of four papers, of which one is a modelling paper and three are experimental (field and laboratory) studies. The model estimates growth by using dendrometer measurements as inputs for the model. Growth is estimated by separating the water-related influences from measured inner-bark, revealing a growth signal -proxy for cambial stem growth. Using this growth signal, a correlation study to microclimate variables is examined in one paper; and to assumed growth respiration in a second paper. The remaining two papers explore the seasonality of photosynthesis and respiration, and bark stem dynamics during the winter recovery period in the spring.As a conclusion of this thesis, these four papers show how inextricably linked, the individual tree processes are to the changes within the bark, due to the tight coupling with sap flow-related changes of the xylem. The culmination of this thesis opens new opportunities to further understand the dynamics of bark hydraulics and ecophysiological processes by implementing field measurements and state-of-the-art modelling.Keywords: xylem, phloe...

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Carbon allocation to defense, storage, and growth in seedlings of two temperate broad-leaved tree species

Cited by 67 publications

References 56 publications

Resource allocation in Copaifera langsdorffii (Fabaceae): how a supra-annual fruiting affects plant traits and herbivory?

Resource allocation in Copaifera langsdorffii (Fabaceae): how a supra-annual fruiting affects plant traits and herbivory?

Carbon allocation in seedlings of deciduous tree species depends on their shade tolerance

Dynamic variations in bark hydraulics – understanding whole tree processes and its linkage to bark hydraulic function and structure

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