Abstract
Silver birch trees (Betula pendula Roth) are a pioneering species in post-industrial habitats, and have been associated with an expansive breeding strategy and low habitat requirements. We conducted ecophysiological and dendroclimatological studies to check whether there are any features of which the modification enables birch trees to colonise extreme habitats successfully. We characterised the efficiency of the photosynthetic apparatus, the gas exchange, the content of pigments in leaves, and the growth (leaf thickness and tree-ring width) of birch trees on a post-coal mine heap, a post-smelter heap, and a reference site. Birch growth was limited mainly by temperature and water availability during summer, and the leaves of the birch growing on post-industrial heaps were significantly thicker than the reference leaves. Moreover, birch trees growing on heaps were characterised by a significantly higher content of flavonols and anthocyanins in leaves and higher non-photochemical quenching. In addition, birches growing on the post-coal mine heap accumulated a concentration of Mn in their leaves, which is highly toxic for most plant species. Increasing the thickness of leaves, and the content of flavonols and anthocyanins, as well as efficient non-photochemical quenching seem to be important features that improve the colonization of extreme habitats by birches.
Highlights
Climate change is happening at an accelerating pace—literally before our eyes
The aim of this work was to conduct a comprehensive study of the ecophysiology of Betula pendula trees in extreme habitats such as post-mining and post-smelter heaps compared to the reference area
We showed that birch trees on heap ‘P’, heavily contaminated with HMs, accumulated a very low concentration of Cd in the leaves and a concentration of Zn that did not exceed 600 mg g−1 DW (Table 1)
Summary
Climate change is happening at an accelerating pace—literally before our eyes. Species with high plasticity, such as silver birch (Betula pendula Roth), have a great chance of survival, as shown by the species’ pioneers colonising extreme habitats. Plants under stress move from an optimal to a sub-optimal physiological condition and reach a new equilibrium [1]. What changes in growth and physiology make the achievement of this new equilibrium in the post-industrial waste heaps possible?. Birch crowns let in up to 37% of total light, allowing many species to grow in the undergrowth while mitigating extreme temperature fluctuations [3]. They are common pioneers in the temperate and boreal forests of Europe and in fallow lands, post-industrial areas, and highly contaminated sites [2,4,5,6,7]. Silver birch is widely recognised as a species that is resistant to toxic emissions around industrial areas [8,9]
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