Histological examination of spruce needles from a long-term gas exchange experiment in pure and polluted air in the field

Summary At the end of a 4-year period of gas exchange measurements in a natural stand in the Lower Bavarian Forest, needles of an adult spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] were harvested from two chambers, one with pure air and the other with ambient air. The needles were examined as to their histological properties in the stomatal apparatus and in the bundle sheath. In needles from the polluted air UV absorbance at 280 nm was decreased in the walls of the stomatal apparatus. Simultaneously, the deposition of compounds with an absorption maximum at 310 nm increased within the encrusted plate-like thickenings of the subsidiary cells. The contents of the lumina of hypodermal cells and of the bundle sheath exhibited a greater degree of autofluorescence in ambient-air material than in pure-air leaf organs. Differences between needles exposed to pure and polluted air are gradual. The damaged condition is rare in pure air, common in polluted air. The needles from outside the chambers occupied an intermediate position between pure-air and ambient-air needles. This fact is traced to an unnaturally high pollutant load in the liquid phase of the needle surfaces within the ambient-air chamber because in order to compensate pollutant losses within the system, SO₂ and O₃ were added even during periods of irrigation. The reduction of absorption capacity at 280 nm in the walls of the stomatal apparatus is attributed to destruction of lignin due to the high reactivity of the pollutants in the liquid phase on the damp needle surface. The importance of delignification with regard to hydroregulation is discussed.     

Insects associated with the Sitka spruce weevil,Pissodes Strobi [Col.: Curculionidae] on Sitka spruce,Picea sitchensis in British Columbia,Canada

BioControl - Insects associated with the Sitka spruce weevil,Pissodes strobi (Peck), on Sitka spruce,Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. were sampled at 9 locations in British Columbia. Fourteen species...     

Rapid field determination of photosynthetic capacity of cut spruce twigs (Picea abies) at saturating ambient CO2

Summary Routine field determination of the parameters characterizing the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus is often difficult when attached branches of tall trees have to be used for gas exchange measurement. If severed twigs could be used, determining these parameters would be greatly facilitated. Because stomatal conductance changes when twigs or leaves are detached, CO₂ assimilation is usually altered. Thus, measurements made at ambient CO₂ concentration fail to accurately assess the activity of the photosynthetic apparatus because photosynthetic rates greatly depend on the supply of carbon dioxide. However, when photosynthetic carboxylation reactions are saturated by increased CO₂ partial pressure in the mesophyll, CO₂ assimilation rates no longer depend on instantaneous stomatal conductance, as shown by gas exchange measurements of spruce (Picea abies) twigs prior to and following detachment. Because net photosynthesis following detachment at saturating CO₂ remains constant for a minimum of 15 min, photosynthetic measurements of severed twigs may be reliable. This length of time is sufficient for detaching and recutting the twig, assembling a portable minicuvette system, re-establishing steady-state conditions with the gas analyser system, and reading the data over a reasonable period of time. The method described measures the maximal photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation of spruce needles of a single age-class from detached spruce twigs under the following conditions: saturating light, saturating external CO₂-partial pressure, standardized temperature and air humidity in the field. The method is applicable as a routine procedure to characterize the status of the photosynthetic apparatus of spruce trees that may be damaged in the process of forest decline.     

A two thousand year history of a northern Swedish boreal forest stand

Abstract. Successional processes within northern Swedish boreal forest are investigated for the last 2000 years by analysis of pollen, charcoal fragments and insect remains preserved in a deep mor humus layer on a small island in a large lake. Frequent disturbances by fire, blow-down, insect attack and flood have been the chief influence on vegetation dynamics. The gradual climatically induced replacement of Betula pubescens by Picea abies is superimposed on the disturbance dynamics. Picea first became established during the Little Ice Age, which was the longest period without fire in the record. A thin layer of volcanic ash from Iceland confirms the chronology at the onset of the Little Ice Age. The present importance of Pinus sylvestris and Ericaceae on the island is a product of a recent increase in disturbance frequency. The disturbance regime ensures that the communities stay in equilibrium with prevailing climate.     

Stable carbon isotopes as indicators of increased water use efficiency and productivity in white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) seedlings

The relationship among water use efficiency (WUE), productivity and carbon isotopic composition (δ¹³C) in white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) seedlings was investigated. Sixteen hundred seedlings representing 10 controlled crosses were planted in the field in individual buried sand-filled cylinders. The soil water content in the cylinders was measured using time domain reflectometry over two growing seasons and seedling water use determined by water balance. Two watering treatments were imposed: irrigation and dry land. There was significant (1.6–2.0%c) genetic variation in needle δ¹³C. Ranking of crosses in terms of δ¹³C was generally maintained over watering treatments and there was not a significant genetic versus environmental interaction. There was a positive correlation between δ¹³C and both intrinsic and long-term WUE (more positive δ¹³C with increased WUE) and between δ¹³C and productivity, suggesting a correlation due to variation in photosynthetic capacity. Root to shoot ratios did not increase in water-stressed plants, indicating that responses to drought were primarily at the level of gas exchange, rather than through morphological changes. Our results indicate that it should be possible to use δ¹³C as a surrogate for WUE and to select white spruce genotypes for high WUE without compromising yield.     

Evidence that cytokinin controls bud size and branch form in Norway spruce

Shoot elongation in many coniferous species is predetermined during bud formation the year before the shoot extends. This implies that formation of the primordial shoot within the bud is the primary event in annual shoot growth. Hormonal factors regulating bud formation are consequently of utmost importance. We followed the levels of the endogenous cytokinins zeatin riboside (ZR) and isopentenyladenosine (iPA) in terminal buds, whorl buds and lower lateral buds of the uppermost current-year whorl shoots of 15- to 20-year-old trees of Norway spruce [ Picea abies (L.) Karst.] from June to September. Cytokinins were isolated with affinity chromatography columns, purified by high performance liquid chromatography, and quantified by ELISA. The level of ZR was low in June but increased gradually in all buds until September. Throughout the measurement period, the ZR level was highest in terminal buds and lowest in the scattered lateral, buds, with the whorl buds intermediate. The level of iPA peaked in July and decreased later without any consistent differences among the three classes of buds. The development of different kinds of buds was followed by scanning electron microscopy. We found that bud growth was greatest during August and September. The final size of primordial shoots within the buds varied considerably and the weight of the terminal bud was three times that of the whorl buds and more than five times that of the other lateral buds.
We conclude that the increase in ZR level during the period of active bud development is indicative of the importance of cytokinin for this process. Furthermore, the positive correlation between the level of ZR and bud growth during the period of predetermination of next year's branch growth suggests that this hormone indirectly controls the form of single branches in the spruce tree.     

The actin microfilament network within elongating pollen tubes of the gymnospermPicea abies (Norway spruce)

Summary Actin microfilaments form a dense network within pollen tubes of the gymnosperm Norway spruce (Picea abies). Microfilaments emanate from within the pollen grain and form long, branching arrays passing through the aperture and down the length of the pollen tube to the tip. Pollen tubes are densely packed with large amyloplasts, which are surrounded by branching microfilament bundles. The vegetative nucleus is suspended within the elongating pollen tube within a complex array of microfilaments oriented both parallel to and perpendicular with the growing axis. Microfilament bundles branch out along the nuclear surface, and some filaments terminate on or emanate from the surface. Microfilaments in the pollen tube tip form a 6 m thick, dense, uniform layer beneath the plasma membrane. This layer ensheathes an actin depleted core which contains cytoplasm and organelles, including small amyloplasts, and extends back 36 m from the tip. Behind the core region, the distinct actin layer is absent as microfilaments are present throughout the pollen tube. Organelle zonation is not always maintained in these conifer pollen tubes. Large amyloplasts will fill the pollen tube up to the growing tip, while the distinct layer of microfilaments and cytoplasm beneath the plasma membrane is maintained. The distinctive microfilament arrangement in the pollen tube tips of this conifer is similar to that seen in tip growth in fungi, ferns and mosses, but has not been reported previously in seed plants.