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Whole-tree dynamics of non-structural carbohydrate and nitrogen pools across different seasons and in response to girdling in two temperate trees

  • Physiological ecology - Original research
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Abstract

Despite extensive research on the seasonal dynamics of non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) and nitrogen (N) concentrations, the size and relative contributions of NSC and N pools across different tree organs are not well understood. We have measured the changes in NSC and N concentrations in leaves, branches, stems and all root branch orders at monthly intervals in control and girdled trees of larch (Larix gmelinii) and ash (Fraxinus mandshurica). The biomass of each plant compartment was also determined to calculate the size of the NSC and N pools. In both species, 13–37 % of the NSC and N pools were mobilized at the beginning of the growing season. Among the mobilized pools, stems and non-absorptive roots (branch orders 4–9) acted as the largest NSC sources in larch and ash, respectively, while branches served as the largest N source in both species. After stem girdling, 22  and 50 % of the root NSC stores in larch and ash, respectively, were mobilized to maintain root activities during the growing season. Tree mortality was observed 1 year after girdling, at which time there was still an abundant NSC pool in the roots. We conclude that (1) different storage organs differ in their contribution to new tissue growth at the beginning of the growing season and that those storage organs holding higher fractions of the NSC or N pool are not necessarily those which mobilize more NSC or N; (2) tree growth may not be limited by carbon (C) availability; (3) C storage in non-absorptive roots plays an important role in maintaining tree survival after the termination of photosynthate flow from aboveground sources.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Drs. Shuxia Jia, Jianwei Shi and Shuiqiang Yu for assistance in the field and laboratory. Our sincere thanks are extended to Dr. Sean Bloszies for the editing that greatly improved the manuscript. This study was supported by Grants from the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, 2012CB416903), One-Hundred Talent Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (no. KZZD-EW-TZ-11), and National Science Foundation of China (31021001, 31370627).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Ministry of Education of China, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Li Mei

  2. Qianyanzhou Ecological Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Yanmei Xiong & Dali Guo

  3. College of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Jiacun Gu & Zhengquan Wang

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  1. Li Mei
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  2. Yanmei Xiong
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  4. Zhengquan Wang
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  5. Dali Guo
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Correspondence to Yanmei Xiong or Dali Guo.

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Communicated by Hermann Heilmeier.

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Mei, L., Xiong, Y., Gu, J. et al. Whole-tree dynamics of non-structural carbohydrate and nitrogen pools across different seasons and in response to girdling in two temperate trees. Oecologia 177, 333–344 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3186-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3186-1

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