Biomedical subjects

P B Reich

Publications and source records attributed to P B Reich.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Soil modification by different tree species influences the extent of seedling ectomycorrhizal infection.

Established vegetation can facilitate the ectomycorrhizal infection of seedlings, but it is not known whether this interaction is limited by the phylogenetic relatedness of trees and seedlings. We use a series of bioassay experiments to test whether soil modification by different ectomycorrhizal tree species causes different levels of seedling infection, whether the extent of seedling infection is a function of the relatedness of tree and seedling, and whether the effect of trees on seedlings is mediated by biotic or abiotic soil factors. We found that soils from under different tree species do vary in their mycorrhizal infectiveness. However, this variation is not related to the genetic relatedness of trees and seedlings but instead, appears to be an attribute of the overstory species, irrespective of seedling species, mediated through a suite of humus- and base-cation-related abiotic effects on soils. Modification of abiotic soil properties by overstory trees should be considered as an important factor in the effect of different overstory trees on the extent of seedling mycorrhizal infection.

Ecosystem↗

PubMed2005

Linking leaf and root trait syndromes among 39 grassland and savannah species.

Here, we tested hypothesized relationships among leaf and fine root traits of grass, forb, legume, and woody plant species of a savannah community. CO2 exchange rates, structural traits, chemistry, and longevity were measured in tissues of 39 species grown in long-term monocultures. Across species, respiration rates of leaves and fine roots exhibited a common regression relationship with tissue nitrogen (N) concentration, although legumes had lower rates at comparable N concentrations. Respiration rates and N concentration declined with increasing longevity of leaves and roots. Species rankings of leaf and fine-root N and longevity were correlated, but not specific leaf area and specific root length. The C3 and C4 grasses had lower N concentrations than forbs and legumes, but higher photosynthesis rates across a similar range of leaf N. Despite contrasting photosynthetic pathways and N2-fixing ability among these species, concordance in above- and below-ground traits was evident in comparable rankings in leaf and root longevity, N and respiration rates, which is evidence of a common leaf and root trait syndrome linking traits to effects on plant and ecosystem processes.

Carbon Dioxide↗

PubMed2003

Nutrient conservation increases with latitude of origin in European Pinus sylvestris populations.

Nutrient availability varies across climatic gradients, yet intraspecific adaptation across such gradients in plant traits related to internal cycling and nutrient resorption remains poorly understood. We examined nutrient resorption among six Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) populations of wide-ranging origin grown under common-garden conditions in Poland. These results were compared with mass-based needle N and P for 195 Scots pine stands throughout the species' European range. At the common site, green needle N (r(2)=0.81, P=0.01) and P (r(2)=0.58, P=0.08) concentration increased with increasing latitude of population origin. Resorption efficiency (the proportion of the leaf nutrient pool resorbed during senescence) of N and P of Scots pine populations increased with the latitude of seed origin (r(2) > or = 0.67, P < or = 0.05). The greater resorption efficiency of more northerly populations led to lower concentrations of N and P in senescent leaves (higher resorption proficiency) than populations originating from low latitudes. The direction of change in these traits indicates potential adaptation of populations from northern, colder habitats to more efficient internal nutrient cycling. For native Scots pine stands, results showed greater nutrient conservation in situ in cold-adapted northern populations, via extended needle longevity (from 2 to 3 years at 50 degrees N to 7 years at 70 degrees N), and greater resorption efficiency and proficiency, with their greater resorption efficiency and proficiency having genotypic roots demonstrated in the common-garden experiment. However, for native Scots pine stands, green needle N decreased with increasing latitude (r(2)=0.83, P=0.0002), and P was stable other than decreasing above 62 degrees N. Hence, the genotypic tendency towards maintenance of higher nutrient concentrations in green foliage and effective nutrient resorption, demonstrated by northern populations in the common garden, did not entirely compensate for presumed nutrient availability limitations along the in situ latitudinal temperature gradient.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

PubMed2001

Diversity and productivity in a long-term grassland experiment.

Plant diversity and niche complementarity had progressively stronger effects on ecosystem functioning during a 7-year experiment, with 16-species plots attaining 2.7 times greater biomass than monocultures. Diversity effects were neither transients nor explained solely by a few productive or unviable species. Rather, many higher-diversity plots outperformed the best monoculture. These results help resolve debate over biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, show effects at higher than expected diversity levels, and demonstrate, for these ecosystems, that even the best-chosen monocultures cannot achieve greater productivity or carbon stores than higher-diversity sites.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2001

Plant diversity enhances ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 and nitrogen deposition.

Human actions are causing declines in plant biodiversity, increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations and increases in nitrogen deposition; however, the interactive effects of these factors on ecosystem processes are unknown. Reduced biodiversity has raised numerous concerns, including the possibility that ecosystem functioning may be affected negatively, which might be particularly important in the face of other global changes. Here we present results of a grassland field experiment in Minnesota, USA, that tests the hypothesis that plant diversity and composition influence the enhancement of biomass and carbon acquisition in ecosystems subjected to elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations and nitrogen deposition. The study experimentally controlled plant diversity (1, 4, 9 or 16 species), soil nitrogen (unamended versus deposition of 4 g of nitrogen per m2 per yr) and atmospheric CO2 concentrations using free-air CO2 enrichment (ambient, 368 micromol mol-1, versus elevated, 560 micromol mol-1). We found that the enhanced biomass accumulation in response to elevated levels of CO2 or nitrogen, or their combination, is less in species-poor than in species-rich assemblages.

Atmosphere↗

PubMed2000

Seedbed and moisture availability determine safe sites for early Thuja occidentalis (Cupressaceae) regeneration.

Regeneration of many late-successional tree species depends on specialized safe sites. The primary objective was to investigate the roles of seedbed and moisture retention as dimensions of safe sites for the early regeneration of drought-sensitive northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis). We hypothesized that rates of germination, survival, and growth of T. occidentalis are unlikely to differ among seedbed types under conditions of abundant water, but that differences are likely to emerge as water becomes more limited. In a 67-d greenhouse experiment, cedar seeds were sown on logs, leaf litter, and soil of cedar and paper birch (Betula papyrifera) canopy origin. Seedbeds were subjected to three water treatments. Among the water treatments, highest germination rates occurred within the high water treatment, although germination on cedar litter was comparable to that of the low water treatment. Higher germination and survival rates occurred on decayed logs than other natural seedbeds for medium (P = 0.001) and low (P < 0.0001) water treatments. Germination on birch logs occurred at higher rates than on cedar logs within the low water treatment (P = 0.04). Seedling growth for the medium water treatment was lower on leaf litter than any other type of seedbed (P < 0.01). Results generally demonstrated that the interplay between seedbed and moisture retention is a component of safe sites for T. occidentalis regeneration.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1999

Convergence and correlations among leaf size and function in seed plants: a comparative test using independent contrasts.

Prior studies of a broad array of seed plants have reported strong correlations among leaf life span, specific leaf area, nitrogen concentration, and carbon assimilation rates, which have been interpreted as evidence of coordinated leaf physiological strategies. However, it is not known whether these relationships reflect patterns of evolutionary convergence, or whether they are due to contrasting characteristics of major seed plant lineages. We reevaluated a published data set for these seven traits measured in over 100 species, using phylogenetic independent contrasts calculated over a range of alternative seed plant phylogenies derived from recent molecular systematic analyses. In general, pairwise correlations among these seven traits were similar with and without consideration of phylogeny, and results were robust over a range of alternative phylogenies. We also evaluated relationships between these seven traits and lamina area, another important aspect of leaf function, and found moderate correlations with specific leaf area (0.64), mass-based photosynthesis (0.54), area-based nitrogen (-0.56), and leaf life span (-0.42). However, several of these correlations were markedly reduced using independent contrasts; for example, the correlation between leaf life span and lamina area was reduced to close to zero. This change reflects the large differences in both these traits between conifers and angiosperms and the absence of a relationship between the traits within these groups. This analysis illustrates that most interspecific relationships among leaf functional traits, considered across a broad range of seed plant taxa, reflect significant patterns of correlated evolutionary change, lending further support to the adaptive interpretation of these relationships.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1997

From tropics to tundra: global convergence in plant functioning.

Despite striking differences in climate, soils, and evolutionary history among diverse biomes ranging from tropical and temperate forests to alpine tundra and desert, we found similar interspecific relationships among leaf structure and function and plant growth in all biomes. Our results thus demonstrate convergent evolution and global generality in plant functioning, despite the enormous diversity of plant species and biomes. For 280 plant species from two global data sets, we found that potential carbon gain (photosynthesis) and carbon loss (respiration) increase in similar proportion with decreasing leaf life-span, increasing leaf nitrogen concentration, and increasing leaf surface area-to-mass ratio. Productivity of individual plants and of leaves in vegetation canopies also changes in constant proportion to leaf life-span and surface area-to-mass ratio. These global plant functional relationships have significant implications for global scale modeling of vegetation-atmosphere CO2 exchange.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1996

Evidence that longer needle retention of spruce and pine populations at high elevations and high latitudes is largely a phenotypic response.

There is abundant evidence that evergreen conifers living at high elevations or at high latitudes have longer-lived needles than trees of the same species living elsewhere. This pattern is likely caused by the influence of low temperature in combination with related factors such as a short growing season and low nutrient availability. Because it is not known to what degree such patterns result from phenotypic versus genotypic variation, we evaluated needle longevity for common-garden-grown lowland populations of European Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) of wide latitudinal origin and Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) of wide elevational origin. Nine-year-old trees of 16 Scots pine populations ranging in origin from 47 degrees to 60 degrees N were studied in Kórnik, Poland (52 degrees N) and 18-year-old trees of 18 Norway spruce populations ranging in origin from 670 to 1235 m elevation in southwestern Poland were studied near Morawina, Poland (51 degrees N, 180 m elevation). There was no tendency in either species for populations from northern or high elevation origins to retain needles longer than other populations. All of the Scots pine populations had between 2.5 to 3.0 needle age cohorts and all of the Norway spruce populations had between 6.4 and 7.2 needle age cohorts. Thus, extended needle retention in Scots pine and Norway spruce populations in low-temperature habitats at high elevations and high latitudes appears to be largely an environmentally regulated phenotypic acclimation.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1993

Canopy dynamics and aboveground production of five tree species with different leaf longevities.

Canopy dynamics and aboveground net primary production (ANPP) were studied in replicated monospecific and dual-species plantations comprised of species with different leaf longevities. In the monospecific plantations, leaf longevity averaged 5, 6, 36, 46 and 66 months for Quercus rubra L., Larix decidua Miller, Pinus strobus L., Pinus resinosa Ait. and Picea abies (L.) Karst., respectively. Specific leaf area, maximum net photosynthesis per unit mass (A/mass), leaf N per unit mass (N(leaf)/mass) and maximum net photosynthesis on a leaf N basis (A/N(leaf)) were inversely correlated to leaf longevity (r(2) = 0.92-0.97, 0.91, 0.88 and 0.80, respectively). Maximum net photosynthesis per unit area (A/area) was not correlated to leaf longevity, whereas leaf N per unit area (N(leaf)/area) was positively correlated to leaf longevity (r(2) = 0.95). For a similar-diameter conifer, species with long-lived foliage supported a greater foliage mass than species with short-lived foliage; however, Quercus rubra did not follow this pattern. At the stand level, total foliage mass ranged from 3.3 to 30.5 Mg ha(-1) and was positively correlated (r(2) = 0.97) to leaf longevity. Leaf area index (LAI) was also positively correlated (r(2) = 0.82) to leaf longevity. Production efficiency (ANPP/LAI) was inversely related to leaf longevity and positively related to A/mass. Aboveground biomass and net primary production differed significantly (P < 0.05) among the five species but were not correlated to leaf longevity, total foliage mass or leaf area. In monospecific plantations, stem NPP for Larix decidua was 17% greater than for Pinus strobus and 14% less than for Picea abies, but in mixed-species plantations stem NPP for Larix decidua was 62 and 85% greater than for Pinus strobus and Picea abies, respectively. Similar aboveground net primary production rates can be attained by tree species with different leaf longevities because of trade-offs resulting from different structural and physiological leaf and canopy characteristics that are correlated to each other and to leaf longevity.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1992

Water relations and gas exchange of Acer saccharum seedlings in contrasting natural light and water regimes.

Field measurements were made of leaf photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance (g) and leaf water relations for sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) seedlings growing in a forest understory, small gap or large clearing habitat in southwestern Wisconsin, USA. Predawn water status, leaf gas exchange and plasticity in field and laboratory water relations characteristics were compared among contrasting light environments in a wet year (1987) and a dry year (1988) to evaluate possible interactions between light and water availability in these habitats. Leaf water potentials (Psi(leaf)) at predawn and midday were lower for clearing than gap or understory seedlings. Acclimation of tissue osmotic potentials to light environment was observed among habitats but did not occur within any of the habitats in response to prolonged drought. During a summer drought in 1988, decreases in daily maximum g (g(max)) and maximum A (A(max)) in clearing seedlings were correlated with predawn Psi(leaf), which reached a seasonal minimum of -2.0 MPa. Under well-watered conditions, diurnal fluctuations in Psi(leaf) of up to 2.0 MPa in clearing seedlings occurred along with large midday depressions of A and g. In a wet year, strong stomatal responses to leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference (VPD) in sunny habitats were observed over nine diurnal courses of gas exchange measurements on seedlings in a gap and a clearing. Increasing stomatal limitations to photosynthesis appeared to be responsible for the reduction in A at high VPD for clearing seedlings. In understory seedlings, however, low water-use efficiency and development of leaf water deficits in sunflecks was related to reduced stomatal limitations to photosynthesis relative to seedlings in sunny habitats. Predawn Psi(leaf) and VPD appear to be important factors limiting carbon assimilation in sugar maple seedlings in light-saturating irradiances, primarily through stomatal closure. The overall results are consistent with the idea that sugar maple seedlings exhibit "conservative" water use patterns and have low drought tolerance. Leaf water relations and patterns of water use should be considered in studies of acclimation and species photosynthetic performance in contrasting light environments.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1992

Seasonal differences in freezing stress resistance of needles of Pinus nigra and Pinus resinosa: evaluation of the electrolyte leakage method.

Seasonal changes in freezing stress resistance of needles of red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) and Austrian pine (Pinus nigra Arnold) trees were measured by an electrolyte leakage method and by visual observation. During most of the year, freezing stress resistance determined by the two methods gave similar results. The electrolyte leakage method provided a good estimate of seasonal changes in freezing stress resistance except for red pine needles in their most winter-hardy state. To obtain a reliable estimate of freezing stress resistance in winter-hardy red pine needles it was necessary to combine the electrolyte leakage method with visual observations. When red pine needles survived exposure to -80 degrees C or lower, electrolyte leakage was never more than 30% even when the needles were exposed to a slow freeze-thaw stress of -196 degrees C. However, rapid freezing of red pine needles to -196 degrees C resulted in electrolyte leakage of over 80%. Red pine needles attained a much higher freezing stress resistance during the winter than Austrian pine. Red pine needles also acclimated and deacclimated faster than Austrian pine needles. An index of injury was developed based on the electrolyte leakage method ((R(2) + R(1))/2, where R(1) is the minimum % electrolyte leakage from noninjured tissue and R(2) is the maximum % electrolyte leakage at the highest injury) that reliably predicted freezing stress resistance of pine needles for most of the year. Important aspects for developing a successful index of injury for pine needles are: use of cut needles, vacuum infiltration and shaking during incubation in water.We conclude that: (1) during cold acclimation the cell wall properties of the pine needles changed and these changes, which appeared to differ in the two species, might explain the very low leakage of electrolytes from winter-hardy needles of red pine; (2) pine needles survive winter by developing the ability to tolerate extracellular ice formation, because after rapid freezing the needles were severely injured; and (3) red pine is adapted to a shorter growing season and colder winters than Austrian pine.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1989

Response of Ulmus americana seedlings to varying nitrogen and water status. 1 Photosynthesis and growth.

Well-watered American elm (Ulmus americana L.) seedlings responded to increased nitrate availability with increased leaf nitrogen (N) concentration and photosynthetic rate, larger and more numerous leaves, greater total growth and greater proportional allocation of carbon to shoot than root. Plasticity of growth and carbon allocation were greater than plasticity of N concentration and photosynthetic capacity. For a given N availability, allocation of N per unit leaf area was positively correlated with dry mass per unit leaf area (specific leaf mass), but these relationships differed with N availability. Rates of net photosynthesis and leaf conductance declined logarithmically with decreasing predawn water status. Increased water stress resulted in a greater relative decline in net photosynthesis and leaf conductance for high-N than low-N plants.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1989

Response of Ulmus americana seedlings to varying nitrogen and water status. 2 Water and nitrogen use efficiency in photosynthesis.

Photosynthetic utilization of water and nitrogen in Ulmus americana L. seedlings was tightly linked with the relative availability of each resource. During periodic drying cycles, water use efficiency increased as predawn water potential fell from -0.5 to -2.0 MPa. During the later stages of such drying cycles, the relative contribution of stomatal limitations to the total net photosynthetic limitation appeared to be at its greatest, whereas biochemical limitations were predominant in well-watered plants grown under low nitrogen (N) availability. For any level of leaf water status, water use efficiency of photosynthesis (WUE) was always greater in plants with high leaf N content than in plants with low leaf N content. Photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency (PNUE) was always greater in plants with low leaf N content than in plants with high leaf N content, for any level of water status. In combined N treatments and predawn water status classes, there was a significant inverse relationship between PNUE and WUE.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1987

Quantifying plant response to ozone: a unifying theory.

Published information about the effects of ozone on plants and ecosystems is synthesized into a conceptual model to explain the response of evergreen conifers, deciduous hardwoods and agricultural crops to ambient levels of ozone pollution. The effects of ozone on carbon balance and growth of individual plants can be quantified on the basis of concentration, external dose (concentration x duration of exposure), or uptake. For an equivalent dose within a single growing season, agricultural crops are the most sensitive to ozone, with hardwoods intermediate and conifers least sensitive. In contrast, all species display a similar decline in photosynthesis and growth in response to equivalent total uptake or uptake per leaf life span, with trees somewhat less sensitive than agricultural crops on a calendar time scale, but slightly more sensitive on a relative (leaf life span) time scale. Among species, differences in ozone uptake and response can be predicted from differences in the inherent leaf diffusive conductance.

Journal Article↗

PubMed1983

Effects of low concentrations of o(3) on net photosynthesis, dark respiration, and chlorophyll contents in aging hybrid poplar leaves.

Chronic exposure of hybrid poplar (Populus deltoides x trichocarpa) plants to low concentrations of ozone had negative impact upon net photosynthetic capacity, dark respiration, and leaf chlorophyll contents. Exposure to as much as 0.20 microliters per liter O(3) had no immediate effect on net photosynthesis (P(n)), but chronic exposure to 0.125 or 0.085 microliters per liter had a number of gradual effects on CO(2) exchange. These included increased dark respiration and consequently increased light compensation points in very young leaves (4-6 days old); and decreased P(n), leaf chlorophyll a and b contents, light saturation points, and apparent quantum yields in leaves 10 to 70 days old. Decreased P(n) was partially due to accelerated aging in leaves exposed to O(3), and lightsaturated P(n) was linearly related to chlorophyll a + b contents. Differences in light-saturated P(n) between control and O(3)-treated leaves of the same age were mostly due to photosaturation in O(3)-treated leaves and to a much lesser extent to lowered apparent quantum yields. Also, since P(n) and dark respiration were most affected by O(3) at different leaf ages, distinct modes of action are suggested. The effects of leaf aging on CO(2) exchange were considerable, but typical of other species. However, careful monitoring of the interacting effects of leaf age and pollutant exposure was needed in order to characterize the impact of chronic O(3) exposure upon CO(2) exchange.

Journal Article↗