Effects of Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Ozone on Foliar Proanthocyanidins in Betula platyphylla, Betula ermanii, and Fagus crenata Seedlings

Abstract

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) or condensed tannins are a major group of phenolic compounds in the leaves of birch trees and many other woody and herbaceous plants. These compounds constitute a significant allocation of carbon in leaves and are involved in plant responses to environmental stress factors, such as pathogens or herbivores. In some plants, PA concentrations are affected by atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and ozone (O(3)) levels that may influence, for example, species fitness, community structure, or ecosystem nutrient cycling. Therefore, a study on the quantitative response of PAs to elevated concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) and ozone (O(3)) was undertaken in seedlings of Betula platyphylla, Betula ermanii, and Fagus crenata. Seedlings were exposed to ambient or elevated O(3) and CO(2) levels during two growing seasons in the Kanto district in Japan. Ten open-top chambers were used for five different treatments with two replicates: filtered air (FA), ambient air (ambient O(3), 43 ppb; ambient CO(2), 377 ppm), elevated O(3) (1.5 x ambient O(3), 66 ppb), elevated CO(2) (1.5 x ambient CO(2), 544 ppm), and elevated O(3) and CO(2) combined. In addition, seedlings growing in natural conditions outside of chambers were studied. Leaf samples were analyzed for total PA concentrations by butanol-HCl assay and for polymeric PA concentrations by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Total PA concentrations in leaves of all species were similarly affected by different treatments. They were significantly higher in seedlings treated with elevated CO(2) and O(3) combined, and in seedlings growing outside chambers compared with the FA controls. F. crenata contained only traces of polymeric PAs, but significant species x treatment interaction was observed in the polymeric PA concentrations in B. ermanii and B. platyphylla. In B. platyphylla, leaves treated with elevated CO(2) + O(3) differed significantly from all other treatments. It was suggested that the strongest effect of elevated CO(2) and O(3) combined on leaf PA contents resulted from the additive effect of these environmental factors on phenolic biosynthesis.

Impacts of Elevated Atmospheric CO2 and O3 on Forests: Phytochemistry, Trophic Interactions, and Ecosystem Dynamics

“…Tannin levels also are influenced by both additive and interactive effects of CO 2 and O 3 . Condensed tannin concentrations responded to the additive, independent effects of CO 2 and O 3 in Fagus crenata and various species of Betula (Kopper et al 2001;Peltonen et al 2005;Karonen et al 2006), but to the interactive effects of CO 2 and O 3 in Populus tremuloides (Holton et al 2003). Similarly, the effects of CO 2 and O 3 on monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes in Pinus sylvestris sometimes were additive and sometimes interactive (Sallas et al 2001).…”

Qualitative Variation in Proanthocyanidin Composition of Populus Species and Hybrids: Genetics is the Key

“…For example, in Populus (Osier and Lindroth, 2006), Salix (Orians et al, 2000), and Betula (Laitinen et al, 2000), the quantity of proanthocyanidin accumulated is genetically determined. Levels of proanthocyanidins in Populus, Salix, Betula, and Fagus are affected by environmental conditions such as levels of light, nutrients, CO 2 , and ozone (Lindroth et al, 2001;Lower and Orians, 2003;Karonen et al, 2006;Osier and Lindroth, 2006). Almost nothing is known about what factors dictate accumulation of specific proanthocyanidins.…”

Flavan-3-ols in Norway Spruce: Biosynthesis, Accumulation, and Function in Response to Attack by the Bark Beetle-Associated Fungus Ceratocystis polonica

“…Their role in providing protection against UV irradiation (Jaakola et al, 2004) and ozone (Karonen et al, 2006) by decreasing oxidative stress has been demonstrated in numerous plant species. These compounds are also well studied as defenses against mammalian (Theodoridou et al, 2010) and insect herbivory (Feeny, 1970;Donaldson and Lindroth, 2004).…”