Stomatal and Leaf Morphology Response of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Provenances Transferred to Contrasting Climatic Conditions

Forests

卷:11

Anja Petek¹  Peter Fleischer¹  Michal Bosela¹  Daniel Kurjak¹  Peter Petrík¹  Alena Konôpková¹  Josef Frýdl² 

[1] Faculty of Forestry, Technical University in Zvolen, T. G. Masaryka 24, 960 53 Zvolen, Slovakia;

[2] Forestry and Game Management Research Institute, Strnady 136, 252 02 Jíloviště, Czech Republic;

关键词: acclimation;    adaptation;    common garden;    drought;    ecodistance;    mortality;   

DOI  :  10.3390/f11121359

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Climate change-induced elevated temperatures and drought are considered to be serious threats to forest ecosystems worldwide, negatively affecting tree growth and viability. We studied nine European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) provenances located in two provenance trial plots with contrasting climates in Central Europe. Stomata play a vital role in the water balance of plants by regulating gaseous exchanges between plants and the atmosphere. Therefore, to explain the possible adaptation and acclimation of provenances to climate conditions, stomatal (stomatal density, the length of guard cells, and the potential conductance index) and leaf morphological traits (leaf size, leaf dry weight and specific leaf area) were assessed. The phenotypic plasticity index was calculated from the variability of provenances’ stomatal and leaf traits between the provenance plots. We assessed the impact of various climatic characteristics and derived indices (e.g., ecodistance) on intraspecific differences in stomatal and leaf traits. Provenances transferred to drier and warmer conditions acclimated through a decrease in stomatal density, the length of guard cells, potential conductance index, leaf size and leaf dry weight. The reduction in stomatal density and the potential conductance index was proportional to the degree of aridity difference between the climate of origin and conditions of the new site. Moreover, we found that the climate heterogeneity and latitude of the original provenance sites influence the phenotypic plasticity of provenances. Provenances from lower latitudes and less heterogeneous climates showed higher values of phenotypic plasticity. Furthermore, we observed a positive correlation between phenotypic plasticity and mortality in the arid plot but not in the more humid plot. Based on these impacts of the climate on stomatal and leaf traits of transferred provenances, we can improve the predictions of provenance reactions for future scenarios of global climate change.

【 授权许可】

Unknown