Abstract
Although photosynthesis (carbohydrate production) decreases under wind load, it is unclear how carbohydrate categories allocation changes. We determined the leaf morphology (specific leaf area (SLA), needle thickness), anatomy (cuticle thickness, epidermal thickness), photosynthesis (effective quantum yield of Photosystem II (Y(II)), carbohydrate (structure carbohydrate (SC) and non-structure carbohydrate (NSC)), and environmental variables in Pinus thunbergii plantations from coast to inland, with wind speed decreasing. As expected, wind, accounting for 19–69% of the total variation, was the most dominant environmental variable determining the leaf traits. Y(II) and NSC increased, while SC and SC/NSC decreased along the coast-inland gradients (p < 0.01). These results confirmed that, although carbohydrate production decreased, SC allocation increased with increasing wind load. SLA and needle thickness decreased, while cuticle thickness and epidermal thickness increased from coast to inland. Needle thickness and cuticle thickness showed strong correlations to SC/NSC. These variations indicated that carbohydrate categories allocation related to variations of needle morphology and anatomy for P. thunbergii under wind, because of more SC allocation in leaf to support tensile strength and hardness of the cell wall under wind. Therefore, allocation between SC and NSC may be helpful for understanding the long-term adaptation of plants to wind load.
Highlights
Wind, as one of most ubiquitous environmental stresses, impacts the growth and development of plants [1,2]
We found that non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) was lower, while structural carbohydrates (SC) and SC/NSC were higher at coast with high wind speed than those inland with low wind speed
This study is the first to reveal the changes in carbohydrate allocation between NSC and SC and their relationships to morphogenesis for a conifer along coast–inland gradients with decreasing wind speed
Summary
As one of most ubiquitous environmental stresses, impacts the growth and development of plants [1,2]. The response of leaf morphology, anatomy, and physiology to wind have been studied previously. Both leaf area and specific leaf area (SLA) decrease [6,7], and leaf thickness, leaf cuticle, and epidermal thickness increase in windy environments [3,8,9]. Leaf cellulose and lignin were found to increase support morphogenesis and restrict leaf tearing under wind [13,14]. It is less known about the Forests 2020, 11, 449; doi:10.3390/f11040449 www.mdpi.com/journal/forests
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