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Seasonal Changes Affect Root Prunasin Concentration in Prunus serotina and Override Species Interactions between P. serotina and Quercus petraea.

ABSTRACT: The allocation of resources to chemical defense can decrease plant growth and photosynthesis. Prunasin is a cyanogenic glycoside known for its role in defense against herbivores and other plants. In the present study, fluctuations of prunasin concentrations in roots of Prunus serotina seedlings were hypothesized to be: (1) dependent on light, air temperature, and humidity; (2) affected by competition between Prunus serotina and Quercus petraea seedlings, with mulching with Prunus serotina leaves; (3) connected with optimal allocation of resources. For the first time, we determined prunasin concentration in roots on several occasions during the vegetative season. The results indicate that seasonal changes have more pronounced effects on prunasin concentration than light regime and interspecific competition. Prunus serotina invested more nitrogen in the synthesis of prunasin under highly restricted light conditions than in higher light environments. In full sun, prunasin in roots of Prunus serotina growing in a monoculture was correlated with growth and photosynthesis, whereas these relationships were not found when interspecific competition with mulching was a factor. The study demonstrates that prunasin concentration in Prunus serotina roots is the result of species-specific adaptation, light and temperature conditions, ontogenetic shift, and, to a lesser extent, interspecific plant-plant interactions.

SUBMITTER: Robakowski P

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4839042 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Seasonal Changes Affect Root Prunasin Concentration in Prunus serotina and Override Species Interactions between P. serotina and Quercus petraea.

Robakowski Piotr P Bielinis Ernest E Stachowiak Jerzy J Mejza Iwona I Bułaj Bartosz B

Journal of chemical ecology 20160309 3

The allocation of resources to chemical defense can decrease plant growth and photosynthesis. Prunasin is a cyanogenic glycoside known for its role in defense against herbivores and other plants. In the present study, fluctuations of prunasin concentrations in roots of Prunus serotina seedlings were hypothesized to be: (1) dependent on light, air temperature, and humidity; (2) affected by competition between Prunus serotina and Quercus petraea seedlings, with mulching with Prunus serotina leaves ...[more]

PMID: 26961681

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Project description:Abstract Oak regeneration is jeopardized by purple moor grass, a well-known competitive perennial grass in the temperate forests of Western Europe. Below-ground interactions regarding resource acquisition and interference have been demonstrated and have led to new questions about the negative impact of purple moor grass on ectomycorrhizal colonization. The objective was to examine the effects of moor grass on root system size and ectomycorrhization rate of oak seedlings as well as consequences on nitrogen (N) content in oak and soil. Oak seedlings and moor grass tufts were planted together or separately in pots under semi-controlled conditions (irrigated and natural light) and harvested 1 year after planting. Biomass, N content in shoot and root in oak and moor grass as well as number of lateral roots and ectomycorrhizal rate in oak were measured. Biomass in both oak shoot and root was reduced when planting with moor grass. Concurrently, oak lateral roots number and ectomycorrhization rate decreased, along with a reduction in N content in mixed-grown oak. An interference mechanism of moor grass is affecting oak seedlings performance through reduction in oak lateral roots number and its ectomycorrhization, observed in conjunction with a lower growth and N content in oak. By altering both oak roots and mycorrhizas, moor grass appears to be a species with a high allelopathic potential. More broadly, these results show the complexity of interspecific interactions that involve various ecological processes involving the soil microbial community and need to be explored in situ. Interactions between plants can involve a wide variety of mechanisms. Oak regeneration failure in the presence of moor grass in European temperate forests demonstrated not only competition by exploitation but also interference and even facilitation, allowing the discovery of an antagonistic interaction. In this paper, we highlight a new target of the oak–moor grass interaction: oak ectomycorrhizae. We show that in the presence of moor grass, young oaks have a lower: (i) total biomass, (ii) number of lateral roots, (iii) ectomycorrhization rate and at the same time (iv) a lower nitrogen content than oaks placed without moor grass.

Dataset Information

Seasonal Changes Affect Root Prunasin Concentration in Prunus serotina and Override Species Interactions between P. serotina and Quercus petraea.

Publications

Seasonal Changes Affect Root Prunasin Concentration in Prunus serotina and Override Species Interactions between P. serotina and Quercus petraea.

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