Temporal variation in the woody understory of an old-growth Fagus-Acer forest and implications for overstory recruitment

Abstract. Changes in woody vegetation were examined over eight years, using a 1.05-ha permanent plot in which the location of every shrub and tree > 1m height was mapped. There was little change in the overstory vegetation, as expected for an old-growth forest. Much greater change occurred in the understory, primarily related to a 40 % increase in density. Differences occurred among species in the under-story, as Acer saccharum and Prunus serotina increased and Fraxinus americana and Fagus grandifolia decreased. Canopy gap dynamics are implicated in differences among species in the establishment and growth of individuals in the understory and their recruitment into the overstory. It is concluded that because understory is temporally variable, overstory recruitment from the understory may take different courses at different times in the same forest.     

干旱和臭氧浓度升高对元宝枫早生和晚生叶片色素和脱落酸含量的影响

臭氧和干旱是威胁我国北方城市植物生长的两大重要因素。于2012年利用开顶式气室,通过设置4个处理(AW-大气环境和水分充足;AW+60-大气增加60 nL/L臭氧+水分充足;AD-大气+干旱处理;AD+60-大气增加60 nL/L臭氧+干旱处理),开展了大气臭氧浓度升高(以下简称"臭氧")和干旱对元宝枫秋季变色期主要色素含量及脱落酸(ABA)含量的影响研究。结果表明:(1)早生叶在臭氧处理后,总叶绿素和类胡萝卜素分别下降了21%和29.6%、花青苷和类黄酮相对含量显著升高了34.1%和7.3%、脱落酸含量增加了19.8%。干旱处理后,早生叶总叶绿素显著下降了18.7%、花青苷和类黄酮相对含量分别显著升高了37%和7.4%、脱落酸含量显著升高了13%。叶片的上述生理变化将会导致叶片提前变红、叶片早衰和提前脱落。(2)晚生叶在干旱处理后总叶绿素含量减少了18.8%,脱落酸含量增加了33.4%,臭氧以及与干旱共同处理未对晚生叶产生显著影响。(3)臭氧和干旱共同处理后,早生叶总叶绿素含量、花青苷和叶片脱落酸含量存在显著交互作用,交互作用缓解了叶片总叶绿素的下降和花青苷的上升,但未缓解叶片脱落酸含量的增加。综上,早生叶和晚生叶对臭氧和干旱处理的响应不同,早生叶对臭氧处理响应大于晚生叶,而晚生叶对干旱更敏感。臭氧和干旱处理均加速了叶片衰老,二者共同处理后叶片脱落风险增加。     

优良槭树橄榄槭的苗期试验与培育技术

橄榄槭为是我国自然分布的优良乡土槭树之一。通过在南京的引种试验,阐明了其幼苗生长特性,并概括了壮苗培育技术,以期为该种植物的合理开发与利用提供参考。     

镉对茶条槭和五角槭光合作用和叶绿素荧光特性的影响

以北方阔叶树种茶条槭(Acer ginnala)和五角槭(Acer mono)2年生苗木为材料,采用土壤和风化砂混合物作为盆栽基质,设置0(CK)、10、50、100、200 mg·kg-1 5种土壤镉浓度,研究了土壤镉胁迫对苗木叶片光合作用和叶绿素荧光特性的影响.结果表明:随着土壤镉胁迫浓度增加,茶条槭净光合速率(Pn)、气孔导度(Gs)和蒸腾速率(Tr)先升后降,胞间二氧化碳浓度(Ci)则先降后升,且均在10 mg·kg-1 Cd2+时达到峰值或谷值;同时五角槭的Pn逐渐降低,Ci持续升高,Gs和Tr则先升后降且均在10 mg·kg-1 Cd2+时达到峰值.随土壤镉处理浓度的增加,茶条槭和五角槭的Fv/Fm、Fv/F0和qN均呈先升后降趋势,ΦPSⅡ则均持续下降;qP在茶条槭表现为先升后降,而在五角槭则逐渐下降.所有指标(除Ci外)在随镉浓度的变化过程中,其上升幅度均为茶条槭大于五角槭,而下降幅度则为五角槭大于茶条槭.研究发现,重金属镉通过破坏或抑制光合作用过程来影响茶条槭和五角槭的生长,高浓度镉导致的Pn下降是由非气孔限制因素所致;茶条槭对土壤镉的耐性大于五角槭,100和50 mg·kg-1 Cd2+可能分别是茶条槭和五角槭对土壤镉污染的耐受极限.     

Analysis of the disassortative mating pattern in a heterodichogamous plant, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acer mono</Emphasis> Maxim. using microsatellite markers

Heterodichogamy is a form of sex expression in which protandrous and protogynous individuals coexist, and is considered to be a mechanism that avoids selfing and promotes disassortative mating. We examined mating patterns in a heterodichogamous maple, Acer mono, using microsatellite markers. Parentage analysis revealed a selfing rate of only 9.8%. Disassortative mating between flowering types significantly exceeded within-type mating, but the mating patterns were better explained by flowering phenology (i.e., the temporal overlap between the female and male stages). Heterodichogamy in A. mono thus appears to promote outcrossing without requiring obligate self- or cross-incompatibility systems, although it did not guarantee disassortative mating. Multiple-regression analysis suggested that successful reproduction of pollen parents significantly increased with increased flower production and reciprocal flowering synchrony, but decreased only marginally with mating distance, although the distribution of mating distances suggested leptokurtic dispersal of pollen.     

A cross-continental test of the Enemy Release Hypothesis: leaf herbivory on Acer platanoides (L.) is three times lower in North America than in its native Europe

Acer platanoides (Norway maple) is a widespread native tree species in Europe. It has been introduced to North America where it has often established dense stands in both secondary woodlands and relatively undisturbed mature woodlands. In Europe A. platanoides is also extending its original range, but generally seems to exist at much lower densities. One explanation for the ‘aggressiveness’ of invasive plants such as A. platanoides is that they have left behind pests and diseases which limit their population densities in their native lands (the enemy release hypothesis or ERH). To assess the ERH for Norway maple, a large network of collaborators assessed leaf herbivory rates in populations throughout Europe and North America. We found significantly lower total leaf herbivory (1.6% ± 0.19, n = 21 vs. 7.4% ± 1.94, n = 34) and lower fungal damage (1.0% ± 0.35, n = 13 vs. 3.7% ± 0.85, n = 34) in North America than in Europe over a 2 year period, which is consistent with the predictions of the Enemy Release Hypothesis. Across years, the average total leaf herbivory was significantly correlated with average annual temperature of the site (P < 0.05), although this was mostly due to sites in Europe (P < 0.001), and not sites in North America (P > 0.05). Furthermore, only populations in Europe showed very high levels of herbivory (e.g., nine sites had total leaf herbivory ranging from 10.0 to 51.2% in at least 1 year) or leaf fungal damage (only one site in North America showed high levels of fungal damage in 1 year), suggesting the possibility of more frequent episodic outbreaks in the native range. Leaf herbivory and fungal damage are only two aspects of consumer pressure and we do not know whether the differences reported here are enough to actually elicit release from top-down population control, but such large scale biogeographic differences in herbivory contribute towards understanding exotic invasions. Jonathan M. Adams and Wei Fang—equally contributed as first authors. A list of the participating members of the Transatlantic Acer platanoides Invasion Network is given in the Appendix 3.     

Competition for nitrogen sources between European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) seedlings

To investigate the short‐term consequences of direct competition between beech and sycamore maple on root N uptake and N composition, mycorrhizal seedlings of both tree species were incubated for 4 days (i.e. beech only, sycamore maple only or both together) in an artificial nutrient solution with low N availability. On the fourth day, N uptake experiments were conducted to study the effects of competition on inorganic and organic N uptake. For this purpose, multiple N sources were applied with a single label. Furthermore, fine roots were sampled and analysed for total amino acids, soluble protein, total nitrogen, nitrate and ammonium content. Our results clearly show that both tree species were able to use inorganic and organic N sources. Uptake of inorganic and organic N by beech roots was negatively affected in the presence of the competing tree species. In contrast, the presence of beech stimulated inorganic N uptake by sycamore maple roots. Both the negative effect of sycamore maple on N uptake of beech and the positive effect of beech on N uptake of sycamore maple led to an increase in root soluble protein in beech, despite an overall decrease in total N concentration. Thus, beech compensated for the negative effects of the tree competitor on N uptake by incorporating less N into structural N components, but otherwise exhibited the same strategy as the competitor, namely, enhancing soluble protein levels in roots when grown under competition. It is speculated that enhanced enzyme activities of so far unknown nature are required in beech as a defence response to inter‐specific competition.