TY - JOUR
T1 - Seasonal patterns of nonstructural carbohydrate reserves in four woody boreal species
AU - Furze, Morgan E.
AU - Jensen, Anna M.
AU - Warren, Jeffrey M.
AU - Richardson, Andrew D.
N1 - Funding Information:
1 This material is based on work supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725. Additional support was provided by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship under grant number DGE1144152. A special thank-you is extended to the OEB210 teaching staff and students who provided their feedback and support throughout the paper-writing process. 2 Author for correspondence: mfurze@fas.harvard.edu doi: 10.3159/TORREY-D-18-00007.1 ©Copyright 2018 by The Torrey Botanical Society Received for publication Jan 17, 2018; and in revised form May 22, 2018; first published November 6, 2018.
Publisher Copyright:
© Copyright 2018 by The Torrey Botanical Society.
PY - 2018/10/1
Y1 - 2018/10/1
N2 - Plants store nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs), such as sugars and starch, to use as carbon and energy sources for daily maintenance and growth needs as well as during times of stress. Allocation of NSCs to storage provides an important physiological strategy associated with future growth and survival, and thus understanding the seasonal patterns of NSC reserves provides insight into how species with different traits (e.g., growth form, leaf habit, wood anatomy) may respond to stress. We characterized the seasonal patterns of NSCs in four woody boreal plant species in Minnesota, USA. Sugar and starch concentrations were measured across the year in the roots and branches of two conifer trees, black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) and eastern tamarack (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch), as well as in the leaves and branches of two evergreen broadleaf shrubs, bog Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum (Oeder) Kron & Judd) and leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench). In general, seasonal variation was dominated by changes in starch across all organs and species. While similar seasonal patterns of NSCs were observed in the shrubs, different seasonal patterns were observed between the trees, particularly in the roots. Our results suggest that species-specific traits likely have consequences for organ-level storage dynamics, which may influence whole-plant growth and survival under global change.
AB - Plants store nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs), such as sugars and starch, to use as carbon and energy sources for daily maintenance and growth needs as well as during times of stress. Allocation of NSCs to storage provides an important physiological strategy associated with future growth and survival, and thus understanding the seasonal patterns of NSC reserves provides insight into how species with different traits (e.g., growth form, leaf habit, wood anatomy) may respond to stress. We characterized the seasonal patterns of NSCs in four woody boreal plant species in Minnesota, USA. Sugar and starch concentrations were measured across the year in the roots and branches of two conifer trees, black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) and eastern tamarack (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch), as well as in the leaves and branches of two evergreen broadleaf shrubs, bog Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum (Oeder) Kron & Judd) and leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench). In general, seasonal variation was dominated by changes in starch across all organs and species. While similar seasonal patterns of NSCs were observed in the shrubs, different seasonal patterns were observed between the trees, particularly in the roots. Our results suggest that species-specific traits likely have consequences for organ-level storage dynamics, which may influence whole-plant growth and survival under global change.
KW - NSC
KW - SPRUCE
KW - boreal
KW - carbohydrates
KW - carbon allocation
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U2 - 10.3159/TORREY-D-18-00007.1
DO - 10.3159/TORREY-D-18-00007.1
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85056312002
SN - 1095-5674
VL - 145
SP - 332
EP - 339
JO - Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society
JF - Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society
IS - 4
ER -