Late growing season carbon subsidy in native gymnosperms in a northern temperate forest

Ximeng Li; Chengyuan Xu; Zhengzhen Li; Jinchao Feng; David T. Tissue; Kevin L. Griffin; Joaò Pereira

doi:10.1093/treephys/tpz024

Late growing season carbon subsidy in native gymnosperms in a northern temperate forest

Ximeng Li, Chengyuan Xu, Zhengzhen Li, Jinchao Feng, David T. Tissue, Kevin L. Griffin, Joaò Pereira

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Evergreen tree species that maintain positive carbon balance during the late growing season may subsidize extra carbon in a mixed forest. To test this concept of 'carbon subsidy', leaf gas exchange characteristics and related leaf traits were measured for three gymnosperm evergreen species (Chamaecyparis thyoides, Tsuga canadensis and Pinus strobus) native to the oak-hickory deciduous forest in northeast USA from March (early Spring) to October (late Autumn) in a single year. All three species were photosynthetically active in Autumn. During the Summer-Autumn transition, photosynthetic capacity (A_max) of T. canadensis and P. strobus increased (T-test, P < 0.001) and was maintained in C. thyoides (T-test, P = 0.49), while dark respiration at 20 °C (R_n) and its thermal sensitivity were generally unchanged for all species (one-way ANOVA, P > 0.05). In Autumn, reductions in mitochondrial respiration rate in the daylight (R_L) and the ratio of R_L to R_n (R_L/R_n) were observed in P. strobus (46.3% and 44.0% compared to Summer, respectively). Collectively, these physiological adjustments resulted in higher ratios of photosynthesis to respiration (A/R_nand A/R_L) in Autumn for all species. Across season, photosynthetic biochemistry and respiratory variables were not correlated with prevailing growth temperature. Physiological adjustments allowed all three gymnosperm species to maintain positive carbon balance into late Autumn, suggesting that gymnosperm evergreens may benefit from Autumn warming trends relative to deciduous trees that have already lost their leaves.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	971-982
Number of pages	12
Journal	Tree Physiology
Volume	39
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpz024
Publication status	Published - 16 May 2019
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors thank Charles M. Peters for facilitating the visit of M.S., G.Y., L.Z.Z. and X.X. to the laboratory of Kevin Griffin. We thank Mary Heskel and Greg Pendergast for training and advisement regarding laboratory equipment used in this experiment. The authors also gratefully acknowledge William Schuster and Matthew Munson for providing the meteorological data from Black Rock Forest. Ximeng Li is supported by China Scholarship Council scholarship (No. 201306390037) and Australian Research Council grant (LP140100232) to D.T.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

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10.1093/treephys/tpz024

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title = "Late growing season carbon subsidy in native gymnosperms in a northern temperate forest",

abstract = "Evergreen tree species that maintain positive carbon balance during the late growing season may subsidize extra carbon in a mixed forest. To test this concept of 'carbon subsidy', leaf gas exchange characteristics and related leaf traits were measured for three gymnosperm evergreen species (Chamaecyparis thyoides, Tsuga canadensis and Pinus strobus) native to the oak-hickory deciduous forest in northeast USA from March (early Spring) to October (late Autumn) in a single year. All three species were photosynthetically active in Autumn. During the Summer-Autumn transition, photosynthetic capacity (Amax) of T. canadensis and P. strobus increased (T-test, P < 0.001) and was maintained in C. thyoides (T-test, P = 0.49), while dark respiration at 20 °C (Rn) and its thermal sensitivity were generally unchanged for all species (one-way ANOVA, P > 0.05). In Autumn, reductions in mitochondrial respiration rate in the daylight (RL) and the ratio of RL to Rn (RL/Rn) were observed in P. strobus (46.3% and 44.0% compared to Summer, respectively). Collectively, these physiological adjustments resulted in higher ratios of photosynthesis to respiration (A/Rnand A/RL) in Autumn for all species. Across season, photosynthetic biochemistry and respiratory variables were not correlated with prevailing growth temperature. Physiological adjustments allowed all three gymnosperm species to maintain positive carbon balance into late Autumn, suggesting that gymnosperm evergreens may benefit from Autumn warming trends relative to deciduous trees that have already lost their leaves.",

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author = "Ximeng Li and Chengyuan Xu and Zhengzhen Li and Jinchao Feng and Tissue, {David T.} and Griffin, {Kevin L.} and Joa{\`o} Pereira",

note = "Funding Information: The authors thank Charles M. Peters for facilitating the visit of M.S., G.Y., L.Z.Z. and X.X. to the laboratory of Kevin Griffin. We thank Mary Heskel and Greg Pendergast for training and advisement regarding laboratory equipment used in this experiment. The authors also gratefully acknowledge William Schuster and Matthew Munson for providing the meteorological data from Black Rock Forest. Ximeng Li is supported by China Scholarship Council scholarship (No. 201306390037) and Australian Research Council grant (LP140100232) to D.T. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.",

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N2 - Evergreen tree species that maintain positive carbon balance during the late growing season may subsidize extra carbon in a mixed forest. To test this concept of 'carbon subsidy', leaf gas exchange characteristics and related leaf traits were measured for three gymnosperm evergreen species (Chamaecyparis thyoides, Tsuga canadensis and Pinus strobus) native to the oak-hickory deciduous forest in northeast USA from March (early Spring) to October (late Autumn) in a single year. All three species were photosynthetically active in Autumn. During the Summer-Autumn transition, photosynthetic capacity (Amax) of T. canadensis and P. strobus increased (T-test, P < 0.001) and was maintained in C. thyoides (T-test, P = 0.49), while dark respiration at 20 °C (Rn) and its thermal sensitivity were generally unchanged for all species (one-way ANOVA, P > 0.05). In Autumn, reductions in mitochondrial respiration rate in the daylight (RL) and the ratio of RL to Rn (RL/Rn) were observed in P. strobus (46.3% and 44.0% compared to Summer, respectively). Collectively, these physiological adjustments resulted in higher ratios of photosynthesis to respiration (A/Rnand A/RL) in Autumn for all species. Across season, photosynthetic biochemistry and respiratory variables were not correlated with prevailing growth temperature. Physiological adjustments allowed all three gymnosperm species to maintain positive carbon balance into late Autumn, suggesting that gymnosperm evergreens may benefit from Autumn warming trends relative to deciduous trees that have already lost their leaves.

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Late growing season carbon subsidy in native gymnosperms in a northern temperate forest

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