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Retention of cotyledons is crucial for resprouting of clipped oak seedlings.

ABSTRACT: Although resprouting plays an important role in facilitating persistence of damaged seedlings, the functional attributes of cotyledons and taproots during resprouting of 1-year oak seedlings are not well explored. In this study, cotyledons were removed from Quercus mongolica seedlings to explore resprouting in response to simulated disturbance as a function of shoot clipping, and to examine the resprouting ability in relation to timing of clipping and cotyledon removal. Isotope labeling experiments were also performed to evaluate contribution of the cotyledons and taproots to resprouting. Regardless of timing of shoot clipping, seedlings successfully resprouted provided their cotyledons were not detached. Clipped seedlings were less likely to resprout when cotyledons were removed. Seedlings clipped at earlier development stage exhibited higher resprouting capacity than those clipped at later stage. Cotyledon removal, more than timing of clipping, decreased the dry masses of newly-resprouted shoots. However, no significant influences of cotyledon removal and timing of clipping were found on the dry masses of roots, suggesting the importance of cotyledons for resprouting. Roots became functional and accumulated more soil nitrogen after shoot clipping and cotyledon removal, representing a double security-based strategy for the clipped seedlings to resprout despite the importance of cotyledons.

SUBMITTER: Yi X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4042119 | biostudies-other | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:Herbivory is one of the most globally distributed disturbances affecting carbon (C)-cycling in trees, yet our understanding of how it alters tree C-allocation to different functions such as storage, growth or rhizodeposition is still limited. Prioritized C-allocation to storage replenishment vs growth could explain the fast recovery of C-storage pools frequently observed in growth-reduced defoliated trees. We performed continuous 13C-labeling coupled to clipping to quantify the effects of simulated browsing on the growth, leaf morphology and relative allocation of stored vs recently assimilated C to the growth (bulk biomass) and non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) stores (soluble sugars and starch) of the different organs of two tree species: diffuse-porous (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) and ring-porous (Quercus petraea [Matt.] Liebl.). Carbon-transfers from plants to bulk and rhizosphere soil were also evaluated. Clipped birch and oak trees shifted their C-allocation patterns above-ground as a means to recover from defoliation. However, such increased allocation to current-year stems and leaves did not entail reductions in the allocation to the rhizosphere, which remained unchanged between clipped and control trees of both species. Betula pubescens and Q. petraea showed differences in their vulnerability and recovery strategies to clipping, the ring-porous species being less affected in terms of growth and architecture by clipping than the diffuse-porous. These contrasting patterns could be partly explained by differences in their C cycling after clipping. Defoliated oaks showed a faster recovery of their canopy biomass, which was supported by increased allocation of new C, but associated with large decreases in their fine root biomass. Following clipping, both species recovered NSC pools to a larger extent than growth, but the allocation of 13C-labeled photo-assimilates into storage compounds was not increased as compared with controls. Despite their different response to clipping, our results indicate no preventative allocation into storage occurred during the first year after clipping in either of the species.

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Retention of cotyledons is crucial for resprouting of clipped oak seedlings.

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