Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effect of spring flooding on endophyte differentiation, nitrogenase activity, root growth and shoot growth in Myrica gale

  • Chapter
Frankia and Actinorhizal Plants

Part of the book series: Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences ((DPSS,volume 18))

  • 103 Accesses

Summary

Spring flooding was investigated as a possible limiting factor in the development of nitrogenase activity, root growth, and shoot growth in Myrica gale. Dormant, one year old Myrica gale plants were placed in a greenhouse in early April and given three treatments: control (not flooded), flooded-water (flooded with water to 2.5 cm above the soil level) and flooded-peat (flooded with water-saturated peat to 4.0 cm above the soil level). Nitrogenase activity was absent at budbreak but appeared concurrently with the differentiation of vesicles by the Frankia sp. endophyte. Flooding delayed the onset of nitrogenase activity, substantially reduced the specific nitrogenase activity of the nodules, and also severely limited the production of the new nodule biomass. Consequently by 67 days past budbreak nitrogenase activity was much greater in the control plants (5.55 ± 0.42µmol C2H4/plant.h; x̄ ± SE; N = 9) than in the flooded-water (1.18 ± 0.29) and flooded-peat (0.15 ± 0.05) plants. Production of new secondary roots was substantially reduced in the flooded plants but adventitious roots were rapidly produced along the flooded portion of the stem in the better aerated zone near the surface. New nodules formed on several adventitious roots by 67 days indicating that the plants are able to replace their largely nonfunctional deeply flooded nodules with new nodules in the aerobic zone. Initially shoot growth was unaffected by flooding but by 67 days the flooded plants had substantially less leaf biomass, lower leaf and stem nitrogen concentrations, and less total shoot nitrogen content than the control plants.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Allen S E, Grimshaw H M, Parkinson J A, Quarmby C and Roberts J D 1976 Chemical analysis, pp 411–466. In Methods in Plant Ecology. Ed. S B Chapman, Blackwell Scientific, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Armstrong W 1968 Oxygen diffusion from the roots of woody species. Physiol. Plant. 21, 539–543.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Armstrong W 1975 Waterlogged soils, pp 181–218. In Environment and Plant Ecology. Ed. J R Etherington. Wiley, London.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Armstrong W 1978 Root aeration in the wetland condition, pp 269–297. In Plant Life in Anaerobic Environments. Ed. D D Hook and R M M Crawford. Ann Arbor Science, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Armstrong W and Boatman D J 1967 Some field observations relating the growth of bog plants to conditions of soil aeration. J. Ecol. 55, 101–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Bergersen F J 1980 Measurement of nitrogen fixation by direct means, pp 65–110. In Methods for Evaluating Biological Nitrogen Fixation. Ed. F J Bergersen. John Wiley and Sons, Chichester.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Boggie R 1977 Water-table depth and oxygen content of deep peat in relation to root growth in Pinus contorta. Plant and Soil 48, 447–454.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Damman A W H 1977 Geographical changes in the vegetation pattern of raised bogs in the Bay of Fundy region of Maine and New Brunswick. Vegetatio 35, 137–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Damman A W H 1978 Ecological and floristic trends in ombrotrophic peat bogs of eastern North America. Colloq. Phytosoc. (Lille) 7, 61–79.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Etherington J R 1984 Comparative studies of plant growth and distribution in relation to waterlogging X. Differential formation of adventitious roots and their experimental excision in Epilobium hirsutum and Chamerion angustifolium. J. Ecol. 72, 389–404.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. de Wit M C J 1978 Morphology and function of roots and shoot growth of crop plants under oxygen deficiency, pp 333–350. In Plant Life in Anaerobic Environments. Ed. D D Hook and R M M Crawford, Ann Arbor Science, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Ellmore G S 1981 Root dimorphism in Ludwigia peploides (Onagraceae): structure and gas content of mature roots. Am. J. Bot. 68, 557–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Fletcher W W 1955 The development and structure of the root-nodules of Myrica gale L. with special references to the nature of the endophyte. Ann. Bot. N.S. 19, 501–513.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Gambrell R P and Patrick W H Jr 1978 Chemical and microbiological properties of anaerobic soils and sediments, pp 375–423. In Plant Life in Anaerobic Environments. Ed. D D Hook and R M M Crawford. Ann Arbor Science. Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Gorham E 1957 The development of peatlands. Q. Rev. Biol. 32, 145–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hardy R W F, Burns R C and Holstein R D 1973 Applications of the acetylene-ethylene assay for measurement of nitrogen fixation. Soil Biol. Biochem. 5, 47–81.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Hoagland D R and Arnon D I 1950 The water culture method of growing plants without soil. California Experiment Station Circular 347 (revised edition).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Hook D D 1984 Adaptations to flooding with fresh water, pp 265–294. In Flooding and Plant Growth. Ed. T T Kozlowski. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Hook D D and Scholtens J R 1978 Adaptations and flood tolerance of tree species, pp 299–331. In Plant Life in Anaerobic Environments. Ed. D D Hook and R M M Crawford. Ann Arbor Science, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Jackson M B and Drew M C 1984 Effects of flooding on growth and metabolism of herherbaceous plants, pp 47–128. In Flooding and Plant Growth. Ed. TT Kozlowski. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Kozlowski T T 1982 Water supply and tree growth Part II Flooding. Forestry Abstracts 43, 145–161.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Kozlowski T T 1984 Responses of woody plants to flooding, pp 129–164.In Flooding and Plant Growth. Ed. T T Kozlowski. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Mian S and Bond G 1978 The onset of nitrogen fixation in young alder plants and its relation to differentiation in the nodular endophyte. New Phytol. 80, 187–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Morris J T and Dacey J W H 1984 Effects of O2 on ammonium uptake and root respiration by Spartina alterniflora. Am. J. Bot. 71, 979–985.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Schat H 1984 A comparative ecophysiological study of the effects of waterlogging and submergence on dune slack plants; growth, survival and mineral nutrition in sand experiments. Oecologia (Berlin) 62, 279–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Schwintzer C R 1978 Vegetation and nutrient status of northern Michigan fens. Can. J. Bot. 56, 3044–3051.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Schwintzer C R 1979 Nitrogen fixation by Myrica gale root nodules in a Massachusetts wetland. Oecologia 43, 283–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Schwintzer C R 1983 Nonsymbiotic and symbiotic nitrogen fixation in a weakly minerotrophic peatland. Am. J. Bot. 70, 1071–1078.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Schwintzer C R 1983 Primary productivity and nitrogen, carbon, and biomass distribution in a dense Myrica gale stand. Can. J. Bot. 61, 2943–2948.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Schwintzer C R, Berry A M and Disney L D 1982 Seasonal patterns of root nodule growth, endophyte morphology, nitrogenase activity, and shoot development in Myrica gale. Can. J. Bot. 60, 746–757.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Schwintzer C R and Lancelle S A 1983 Effect of water-table depth on shoot growth, root growth, and nodulation of Myrica gale seedlings. J. Ecol. 71, 489–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Schwintzer C R and Tjepkema J D 1983 Seasonal patterns of energy use, respiration and nitrogenase activity in root nodules of Myrica gale. Can. J. Bot. 61, 2937–2942.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Sokal R R and Rohlf F J 1969 Biometry. Freeman and Company, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  34. Spence D H N 1964 The macrophytic vegetation of freshwater lochs, swamps and associated fens, pp 306–425. In The Vegetation of Scotland. Ed. J H Burnett. Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh.

    Google Scholar 

  35. Sprent J I and Scott R 1979 The nitrogen economy of Myrica gale and its possible significance for the aforestation of peat soils, pp 234–242. In Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in the Management of Temperate Forests. Ed. J C Gordon, C T Wheeler, and D A Perry. Forest Research Laboratory, Oregon State University, Corvallis.

    Google Scholar 

  36. Sprent J I, Scott R and Perry K M 1978 The nitrogen economy of Myrica gale in the field. J. Ecol. 66, 657–668.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Tjepkema J D 1978 The role of oxygen diffusion from the shoots and nodule roots in nitrogen fixation by root nodules of Myrica gale. Can. J. Bot. 56, 1365–1371.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  38. Tjepkema J D 1985 Utilization of photosynthate for nitrogen fixation in seedlings of Myrica gale and Alnus rubra. In Nitrogen Fixation and Carbon Dioxide Metabolism. Ed. P W Ludden and J E Burris. Elsevier, New York pp 183–192.

    Google Scholar 

  39. Tjepkema J D, Omerod W and Torrey J G 1980 Vesicle formation and acetylene reduction activity in Frankia sp. CpI1 cultured in defined media. Nature (London) 287, 633–635.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Tjepkema J D, Omerod W and Torrey J G 1981 Factors affecting vesicle formation and acetylene reduction (nitrogenase activity) in Frankia sp. CpI1. Can. J. Microbiol. 27, 815–823.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  41. Zinkan C G, Jeglum J K and Harvey D E 1974 Oxygen in water culture influences growth and nutrient uptake in jack pine, black spruce and white spruce seedlings. Can. J. Plant.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469, USA

    Christa R. Schwintzer

Authors
  1. Christa R. Schwintzer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Département des sciences forestières Faculté de foresterie, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Qué., G1K 7P4, Canada

    M. Lalonde  & C. Camiré  & 

  2. Forestry Department, University of Illinois, 61801, Urbana, IL, USA

    J. O. Dawson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1985 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Schwintzer, C.R. (1985). Effect of spring flooding on endophyte differentiation, nitrogenase activity, root growth and shoot growth in Myrica gale . In: Lalonde, M., Camiré, C., Dawson, J.O. (eds) Frankia and Actinorhizal Plants. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 18. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5147-1_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5147-1_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-8777-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-5147-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation