Open AccessDrought and shade deplete nonstructural carbohydrate reserves in seedlings of five temperate tree species
Author(s) -
Maguire Andrea J.,
Kobe Richard K.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.17
H-Index - 63
ISSN - 2045-7758
DOI - 10.1002/ece3.1819
Subject(s) - biology , seedling , temperate climate , biomass (ecology) , limiting , botany , greenhouse , drought stress , drought tolerance , horticulture , agronomy , engineering , mechanical engineering
Plants that store nonstructural carbohydrates ( NSC ) may rely on carbon reserves to survive carbon‐limiting stress, assuming that reserves can be mobilized. We asked whether carbon reserves decrease in resource stressed seedlings, and if NSC allocation is related to species' relative stress tolerances. We tested the effects of stress (shade, drought, and defoliation) on NSC in seedlings of five temperate tree species ( A cer rubrum M arsh., B etula papyrifera M arsh ., F raxinus americana L ., Q uercus rubra L ., and Q uercus velutina L am.). In a greenhouse experiment, seedlings were subjected to combinations of shade, drought, and defoliation. We harvested seedlings over 32–97 days and measured biomass and NSC concentrations in stems and roots to estimate depletion rates. For all species and treatments, except for defoliation, seedling growth and NSC accumulation ceased. Shade and drought combined caused total NSC decreases in all species. For shade or drought alone, only some species experienced decreases. Starch followed similar patterns as total NSC , but soluble sugars increased under drought for drought‐tolerant species. These results provide evidence that species deplete stored carbon in response to carbon limiting stress and that species differences in NSC response may be important for understanding carbon depletion as a buffer against shade‐ and drought‐induced mortality.