The effect of ectomycorrhizae on water relations in aspen (Populus tremuloides) and white spruce (Picea glauca) at low soil temperatures

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (6) ◽  
pp. 684-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon M Landhäusser ◽  
Tawfik M Muhsin ◽  
Janusz J Zwiazek

Low soil temperatures, common during the growing season in northern forests, have the potential to impede plant growth. In this study, water uptake, water relations, and growth characteristics were examined in aspen (Populus tremuloides) and white spruce (Picea glauca) seedlings that were inoculated with ectomycorrhizal fungi and grown at 20°C daytime air temperatures and low soil temperatures of 4°C and 8°C. Mycorrhizal associations had little effect on root and shoot biomass at both soil temperatures. Root hydraulic conductance (Kr) was higher in both mycorrhizal plant species compared to nonmycorrhizal plants, but there was no soil temperature effect on Kr in either species. Mycorrhizae also increased shoot water potential (Ψw) in Populus tremuloides but had no effect on Ψw in Picea glauca. The increases in Kr and Ψw were not reflected by changes in stomatal conductance (gs) and transpiration rates (E), suggesting that the reduction of water flow in seedlings exposed to low soil temperature was not likely the factor limiting gs in both plant species.Key words: boreal forest, root hydraulic conductance, root growth, stomatal conductance, water uptake.

2007 ◽  
Vol 121 (2) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophan Chhin ◽  
G. Geoff Wang

The influence of microenvironmental conditions on the growth performance (i.e., diameter and height growth) of White Spruce [Picea glauca (Moench) Voss] seedlings was examined within three contrasting habitats: White Spruce tree islands, open prairies and Trembling Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) groves. These habitats exist within a disjunct occurrence of White Spruce at its southern limit of distribution in three mixed-grass prairie preserves in the Spruce Woods Provincial Park within the forest-prairie ecotone of southwestern Manitoba. Microenvironmental measurements (i.e., light, temperature, relative humidity, soil moisture) were obtained on 10 sites in each of the three habitats and growth characteristics of 60 White Spruce seedlings were measured in each of three habitats. Higher light and soil temperature conditions occurred within the open prairie. In contrast, lower light and soil temperature conditions occurred under the tree canopy of aspen groves and the northern aspect of spruce islands, which moderated the effect of the dry regional climate. Height growth did not vary significantly among the three habitats. The greater diameter growth and decreased slenderness of White Spruce seedlings in the open versus the shaded habitats appears to be a result of increased photosynthesis at higher light intensity and may also represent a morphological adaptation to withstand the effect of increased wind exposure. The increased slenderness of White Spruce in the shaded habitats appears to be a morphological adaptation of increasing carbon allocation towards height growth and thus maximizing effective competition for light.


1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 332-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingfang Wang ◽  
Janusz J Zwiazek

Shoot water relations, gas exchange, and carbohydrate content and composition were studied from March 30 to May 11, 1995, in white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) seedlings growing in nursery beds. The seedlings exhibited reduced shoot osmotic potentials at turgor loss point and at full hydration from March 30 to April 27 followed by an increase until May 11. Shoot relative water contents also showed a marked increase after April 27. Bulk modulus of elasticity of shoots gradually increased from early to late April indicating a decrease in cell wall elasticity. Net photosynthesis of seedlings recovered rapidly in mid-April. Both net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance showed a significant linear relationship with minimum air and soil temperatures, and there was a significant linear relationship between net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance. Needle starch content increased, but total sugar content was relatively constant. The composition of soluble carbohydrates changed in early spring with an increase in sucrose accompanied by a decrease in raffinose and other soluble carbohydrates. The results suggest that white spruce seedlings develop characteristics associated with the optimum drought stress resistance in early spring.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangfeng Tan ◽  
Mengmeng Liu ◽  
Ning Du ◽  
Janusz J. Zwiazek

Abstract Background Root hypoxia has detrimental effects on physiological processes and growth in most plants. The effects of hypoxia can be partly alleviated by ethylene. However, the tolerance mechanisms contributing to the ethylene-mediated hypoxia tolerance in plants remain poorly understood. Results In this study, we examined the effects of root hypoxia and exogenous ethylene treatments on leaf gas exchange, root hydraulic conductance, and the expression levels of several aquaporins of the plasma membrane intrinsic protein group (PIP) in trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) seedlings. Ethylene enhanced net photosynthetic rates, transpiration rates, and root hydraulic conductance in hypoxic plants. Of the two subgroups of PIPs (PIP1 and PIP2), the protein abundance of PIP2s and the transcript abundance of PIP2;4 and PIP2;5 were higher in ethylene-treated trembling aspen roots compared with non-treated roots under hypoxia. The increases in the expression levels of these aquaporins could potentially facilitate root water transport. The enhanced root water transport by ethylene was likely responsible for the increase in leaf gas exchange of the hypoxic plants. Conclusions Exogenous ethylene enhanced root water transport and the expression levels of PIP2;4 and PIP2;5 in hypoxic roots of trembling aspen. The results suggest that ethylene facilitates the aquaporin-mediated water transport in plants exposed to root hypoxia.


2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 2671-2678 ◽  
Author(s):  
N Stenvall ◽  
T Haapala ◽  
S Aarlahti ◽  
P Pulkkinen

Root cuttings from five clones of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × Populus tremuloides Michx.) obtained from 2-year-old stock plants were grown in a peat–sand mixture (soil) at four soil temperatures (18, 22, 26, and 30 °C). Half of the cuttings were grown in light and the rest in darkness. The root cuttings that were grown at the highest soil temperature sprouted and rooted significantly better than the cuttings grown at the lower temperatures. Light did not affect the sprouting of root cuttings but did have a negative effect on their rooting. Moreover, the clones varied significantly in sprouting and rooting percentages, as well as in the time required for sprouting. In general, higher soil temperatures hastened sprouting of the cuttings. Sprouting was also faster in the light than in the dark treatment. Differences in soil temperature, light conditions, or clone had no significant effect on rooting time.


2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J. Klos ◽  
G. Geoff Wang ◽  
Qing-Lai Dang ◽  
Ed W. East

Abstract Kozak's variable exponent taper equation was fitted for balsam poplar (Populus balsamifera L.), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), white spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss), black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.), and jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in Manitoba. Stem taper variability between two ecozones (i.e., Boreal Shield and Boreal Plains) were tested using the F-test. Regional differences were observed for trembling aspen, white spruce, and jack pine, and for those species, separate ecozone-specific taper equations were developed. However, the gross total volume estimates using the ecozone-specific equations were different from those of the provincial equations by only 2 percent. Although the regional difference in stem form was marginal within a province, a difference of approximately 7 percent of gross total volume estimation was found when our provincial taper equations were compared with those developed in Alberta and Saskatchewan. These results suggest that stem form variation increases with spatial scale and that a single taper equation for each species may be sufficient for each province.


1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (12) ◽  
pp. 2459-2466 ◽  
Author(s):  
George J. Harper ◽  
Edith L. Camm

Nursery grown seedlings of Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss were stored frozen in the dark from approximately 10–31 weeks, thawed and grown for 28 days in a growth chamber at three soil temperatures (3, 7, and 11 °C). During the growing period gas exchange measurements were made every three days. Seedling net photosynthesis (pn) and stomatal conductance (gs) showed significant interactions between soil temperature and storage duration treatments. Soil temperature did not affect seedling gs or pn, though the degree and extent of storage duration effects were dependent on soil temperature. Recovery of gs occurred over a 4–7 day period from low levels after planting. Seedlings stored longer than 22 weeks showed lower rates of pn, than those stored for shorter durations. The lower pn in long-stored seedlings did not result from stomatal limitations to carbon fixation, as gs increased in seedlings stored >22 weeks.


2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek F. Sattler ◽  
Philip G. Comeau ◽  
Alexis Achim

Radial patterns of modulus of elasticity (MOE) were examined for white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuoides Michx.) from 19 mature, uneven-aged stands in the boreal mixedwood region of northern Alberta, Canada. The main objectives were to (1) evaluate the relationship between pith-to-bark changes in MOE and cambial age or distance from pith; (2) develop species-specific models to predict pith-to-bark changes in MOE; and (3) to test the influences of radial growth, relative vertical height, and tree slenderness (tree height/DBH) on MOE. For both species, cambial age was selected as the best explanatory variable with which to build pith-to-bark models of MOE. For white spruce and trembling aspen, the final nonlinear mixed-effect models indicated that an augmented rate of increase in MOE occurred with increasing vertical position within the tree. For white spruce trees, radial growth and slenderness were found to positively influence maximum estimated MOE. For trembling aspen, there was no apparent effect of vertical position or radial growth on maximum MOE. The results shed light on potential drivers of radial patterns of MOE and will be useful in guiding silvicultural prescriptions.


2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1922-1929 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simon M. Landhäusser ◽  
Annie DesRochers ◽  
Victor J. Lieffers

1989 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 241 ◽  
Author(s):  
NZ Saliendra ◽  
FC Meinzer

Stomatal conductance, leaf and soil water status, transpiration, and apparent root hydraulic conductance were measured during soil drying cycles for three sugarcane cultivars growing in containers in a greenhouse. At high soil moisture, transpiration and apparent root hydraulic conductance differed considerably among cultivars and were positively correlated, whereas leaf water potential was similar among cultivars. In drying soil, stomatal and apparent root hydraulic conductance approached zero over a narrow (0.1 MPa) range of soil water suction. Leaf water potential remained nearly constant during soil drying because the vapor phase conductance of the leaves and the apparent liquid phase conductance of the root system declined in parallel. The decline in apparent root hydraulic conductance with soil drying was manifested as a large increase in the hydrostatic pressure gradient between the soil and the root xylem. These results suggested that control of stomatal conductance in sugarcane plants exposed to drying soil was exerted primarily at the root rather than at the leaf level.


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