Biomass Allocation and Leaf Morphology of Saplings Grown under Various Conditions of Light Availability and Competition Types.

Ieva Bebre,Isa Marques,Peter Annighöfer

doi:10.3390/plants11030305

Ieva Bebre, Isa Marques + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030305

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Abstract

Plant growth is almost always limited by light availability and competition. However, plants are generally plastic and can change their morphology and biomass allocation to optimize growth under suboptimal conditions. We set up a controlled pot experiment with three light availability levels (10%, 20%, and 50%) to study the effect of light and competition on the biomass allocation and leaf morphology in monospecific and mixed pots of recently planted European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.), and Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) saplings using a quantile regression model. Specific leaf area (SLA) showed the strongest reaction and increased with decreasing light availability. Woody aboveground mass fraction (AMF) increased with decreasing light availability, but the effect of light on biomass allocation was less pronounced than on SLA. The SLA, woody AMF, and root mass fraction (RMF) of the two conifer species and European beech varied greatly, with European beech having a higher SLA and RMF than the two conifer species. The associated effect of plant size on biomass allocation was small, and the strength of the association was not meaningful on a practical level. The competitor’s effect on biomass allocation was minor overall and only present for some species, suggesting that species’ functional dissimilarity does not greatly affect allocational patterns in early tree development stages.

Highlights

Published: 24 January 2022Plant growth is almost always limited by resource availability, competition, herbivores, and other factors that make the growing conditions suboptimal [1]
We studied the effects of light availability and a competitive situation on the biomass allocation and leaf morphology of saplings grown in monospecific and mixed pots
Light availcant difference between the response of Douglas fir and Norway spruce to changing light ability levels (Figure 2c), with an approximately two-fold increases in the coefficients beavailability

Summary

Introduction

Plant growth is almost always limited by resource availability, competition, herbivores, and other factors that make the growing conditions suboptimal [1]. Plasticity is a desirable species characteristic that varies interspecifically, with ontogeny, and is a crucial trait for sessile organisms since they cannot escape the unfavorable growing conditions [7,8]. Plastic species can change their morphology, architecture, and biomass allocation to optimize growth and better the chances of survival in suboptimal conditions [9]. In addition to species-specific plasticity, biomass allocation patterns change with ontogeny and become less flexible as plants develop [6,10]. The higher the species plasticity, the faster the plant can react to changes in resource availability; Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

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Discussion

Conclusion