Competition affects shoot morphology, growth duration, and relative growth rates of Douglas-fir saplings

1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 474-481 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy B. Harrington ◽  
John C. Tappeiner II

Saplings of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. menziesii) were grown with and without competition from tanoak (Lithocarpusdensiflorus (Hook. & Arn.) Rehd.) at two forest sites in southwestern Oregon. Competition reduced the following morphological parameters on Douglas-fir shoots: number and size of buds; lengths of shoots, internodes, and needles; number of internodes; and biomass of foliage and wood. Differences in the length and biomass of Douglas-fir shoots were attributed to combined reductions in internode number and internode length (distance between needles), with internode number accounting for most (72–87%) of the variation. The effects of competition from previous years on Douglas-fir growth, as manifested in 1986 bud size or stem circumference, explained 65 and 92% of the variation in 1987 growth of shoots and stem basal area, respectively. The current-year (1987) effects of competition explained an additional 6 and 3%. During the 1986 and 1987 growing seasons, competition limited both the rates and duration of growth of Douglas-fir basal area; for height, only the rates of growth were reduced.

1979 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Mudd ◽  
G. L. Bateman

AbstractGrowth of the food fungus of the leaf-cutting ant Atta cephalotes (L.) on extracts of plants selected by the ants was shown to be affected by the plant species, the pH of the extract, the concentration of the sap or plant extract and pretreatment of the substrate by the ants. It was not possible to establish an unambiguous relationship between the rate of growth of the fungus on leaf extracts and the foraging preferences of the ants for the leaves. There were indications, however, that the fungus grows most rapidly on extracts of plant material preferred by A. cephalotes. Relative growth rates of the fungus on different substrates may be related to the presence of growth inhibitors rather than to nutrient availability.


1930 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-174
Author(s):  
M. A. TAZELAAR

Linear measurements of certain appendages and the carapace of P. carcinus were made and plotted in various ways. The following conclusions were drawn: 1. The cheliped shows heterogonic growth in both male and female, but more markedly in the male, the values of k being: male 1.8 and female 1.48 2. The pereiopods in both male and female are slightly heterogonic. The relative growth rates are graded from p3 to p5, that of p3 being slightly greater than that of p5 3. Of the ordinary pereiopods the rate of growth of p1 is the smallest in the male, but the largest in the female. 4. The difference between the rates of growth of p1 and p3 in male and female is greatest where the rate of growth in the heterogonic organ, the cheliped, is most excessive in the male. 5. The growth of the 3rd maxilliped is slightly negatively heterogonic, the value of k in the male being 0.93 and in the female 0.95. Hence there seems to be a correlation between the marked heterogony in the cheliped on the growth rate of neighbouring appendages. In those immediately posterior to the cheliped the growth rate is increased and in those anterior decreased.


1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 903-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. Margolis ◽  
R. H. Waring

October-fertilized and unfertilized 2-0 Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) seedlings were outplanted the following February. Half of each planting block was seeded with grass to induce water stress during the typical summer drought. Sucrose was applied to soil around each seedling to limit availability of nitrogen to tree roots. Fertilized seedlings broke bud 9–10 days earlier, produced more shoot growth, and, as shown in later harvests, had higher relative growth rates than unfertilized seedlings. However, initial differences in growth response were due primarily to the earlier budbreak. Seedlings growing with grass had predawn water potentials of −1.5 MPa by early August; by September 3, unfertilized seedlings growing with grass were significantly more stressed than any others. Although free amino acid and total nitrogen concentrations were higher in fertilized than unfertilized seedlings when planted, they became equal by the end of one growing season. However, fertilized seedlings contained more free amino acids and nitrogen because of their greater size. Grass competition affected both seedling nitrogen and carbohydrate chemistry. After one growing season, fertilized seedlings had greater height increment, shoot growth, leaf area, relative growth rate, and production per unit nitrogen. Although autumn fertilization benefited these Douglas-fir seedlings, negative effects could result from carbohydrate depletion because of increased respiration or from frost damage because of earlier budbreak.


1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (11) ◽  
pp. 2427-2434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Y. Bernier

Container-grown black spruce (Piceamariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) seedlings were planted during 2 consecutive years alongside natural black spruce seedlings of similar initial height on an upland boreal forest clearcut. Acclimation of the planted seedlings to site conditions was followed by comparing needle conductance, shoot water potential, and growth of the planted seedlings to values obtained on the natural seedlings. Relative growth rates of the newly planted seedlings were significantly lower than those of the natural seedlings, but the difference was smaller during their second season in the field. Predawn and midday shoot water potential as well as midday needle conductance showed significant but relatively small differences between planted and natural seedlings during both years. On any given date of measurement, no clear relation could be found between water status and growth in planted seedlings. Seasonal midday averages of shoot water potential, needle conductance, and soil–plant resistance to water movement were related to the relative growth rates of all seedling types over the course of the two growing seasons. Seasonal averages of midday shoot water potential appeared to best reflect the acclimation of the planted seedlings to site conditions.


1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Brix ◽  
A. K. Mitchell

The rates and duration of tracheid production of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) were studied by periodic marking of the cambium during two growing seasons. Trees were growing in plots that had been subjected to four treatments, 3 and 4 years previously when trees were 24 years old: (1) control; (2) thinned to one-third the original basal area; (3) fertilized at a rate of 448 kg N/ha; or (4) given the combined thinning and fertilization treatment. From prepared microscope slides of wood sections containing the markings and the previous year's growth, the diameter and wall thickness of tracheids and width of earlywood and latewood were measured for the years since treatment. Rates, but not duration, of tracheid production were highly affected by treatments with maximum radial file productions of 0.80, 1.27, 1.53, and 2.00 cells/day, for the above treatments, respectively. Seasonal changes were related to air temperature until mid-July; some effect of soil water stress was apparent in July–August, and growth cessation was attributed to a short photoperiod. Radial stem growth was more than doubled by the single treatments and this was primarily caused by an increase in cell number, the effects on cell diameter being small. Treatments, except thinning, tended to decrease the percentage of latewood, and thinning increased tracheid wall thickness of earlywood.


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 391-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J Engelken ◽  
Deborah G McCullough

Abstract Extensive ash (Fraxinus spp.) mortality has been reported across much of the area in eastern North America invaded by emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire), but indirect effects of emerald ash borer invasion on native forest insects are not well-studied. We assessed cerambycid beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) species captured in baited cross-vane panel traps during the 2017 and 2018 growing seasons. Traps were placed in 12 riparian forest sites distributed across three watersheds selected to represent the temporal gradient of the emerald ash borer invasion from southeastern to southwestern Michigan. Although ash species originally dominated overstory vegetation in all sites, >85% of ash basal area has been killed by emerald ash borer. We captured a total of 3,645 beetles representing 65 species and five subfamilies. Species assemblages in southeast sites, with the longest history of emerald ash borer invasion, differed from those in south central and southwest Michigan, which were similar. These differences were largely due to three species, which accounted for >60% of beetle captures in southeast Michigan. Associations among site-related variables and beetle captures indicated cerambycid species assemblages were associated most strongly with abundance and decay stage of coarse woody debris. During both years, >90% of cerambycid species were captured by mid-summer but seasonal activity differed among and within tribes. Numbers of beetles captured by canopy and ground traps were similar but species richness was higher in canopy traps than ground traps. Results suggest inputs of emerald ash borer-killed ash can have temporally lagged, secondary effects on cerambycid communities.


1961 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-54
Author(s):  
S. U. Khan

It is sometimes said that "national planning will simply have no meaning if it completely ignores the economic disparities between the two wings and fails to evolve a sensible pattern of regional planning"2. The lack of much essential data on a regional basis, however, renders any precise estimate of the relative growth rates almost impossible. Data either are not available or are inadequate on such important variables as production, income, consumption and trade, so that even a correct evaluation of past development efforts is not possible. The implications of such a situation for future planning are not difficult to understand. In this article an attempt is made to estimate the absorption of specified commodities in East and West Pakistan separately3. This will indicate the pattern of consumption and also give a rough idea about the growth rate of the two wings. With this purpose in view, quantity indices of absorption are prepared for each wing separately, taking data on availability of goods and prices from the Institute's monograph on Inflation. The quantity indi¬ces, however, are not of course strictly comparable with national income estimates because of the difference in coverage of the two series. National income data include government, services, trade, etc., while the quantity indices cover only specified goods available for each region.


HortScience ◽  
1990 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1091G-1091
Author(s):  
Anne K. Hurley ◽  
B. Greg Cobb

Cucumis sativus, L., `Poinsett' seedlings were grown under artificial light in 40% modified Hoagland's solution until an average plant plastochron index of 4.73 was reached. Plants were then placed in solutions of (1) 0 mM NaCl, (2) 80 mM NaCl (salt-shock), or (3) placed in a dropwise gradient solution of NaCl and Hoagland's until the final concentration of 80 mM NaCl was reached at 41 hours. Leaves of the 80 mM shock treatment wilted immediately, but recovered turgor within 6 hours. Leaves of 80 mM gradient did not wilt at anytime. The control and gradient treatments had relative growth rates which were similar to each other, but RGR decreased in the shock treatment. Invertase activity was measured in the roots at 24, 41, and 48 hours after initial treatment. Invertase activity of shock treatment increased significantly over the controls at 24 hours. The 80mM gradient was not significantly different than either treatment. Four isozymes of α– galactosidase were detected. The relative intensities of the bands varied with time and treatment. One invertase band was resolved in roots on 8% native acrylamide gels. SDS gels indicated increases in proteins in the gradient treatment compared to the control and the 80 mM shock treatment.


1995 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.S. Shumway ◽  
H.N. Chappell

The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) has been used successfully in agricultural crops and holds promise for use in forest stands. This study used soil tests to develop DRIS norms and evaluate their effectiveness in coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) forests. DRIS norms for nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and calcium were developed using soil test and site index data from 72 soil series that commonly support Douglas-fir in western Washington. The norms were tested using soil test and stand basal area growth response data from 20 thinned and 30 unthinned N fertilizer test sites in coastal Washington and Oregon. Response to urea fertilizer in thinned stands averaged 34% and 43% for 224 and 448 kg N•ha−1, respectively, when N was identified as the most limiting nutrient. When N was not the most limiting nutrient, N response averaged 8% and 10% for 224 and 448 kg N•ha−1, respectively. Results were similar in unthinned stands and thinned stands, although response to fertilizer appeared to be slightly less in unthinned stands when N was the most limiting nutrient. DRIS correctly classified 25 of the 33 sites (76%) where N fertilizer increased growth by more than 15%. More importantly, 13 of the 17 (76%) sites that responded by less than 15% were correctly identified by DRIS. The results clearly indicate that N fertilizer response is dependent on the interactions (balance) between soil nutrients at a given site. Future soil diagnostic work needs to focus on techniques, like DRIS, that provide an assessment of these interactions.


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