Processes governing the fixation, partitioning, and mineralization of carbon in soils are under increasing scrutiny as we develop a more comprehensive understanding of global carbon cycling. Here we examined fixation by Douglas-fir seedlings and transfer to associated ectomycorrhizal fungi, soil microbes, and full-sibling or nonsibling neighbouring seedlings. Stable isotope probing with 99% C-CO was applied to trace C-labelled photosynthate throughout plants, fungi, and soil microbes in an experiment designed to assess the effect of relatedness on C transfer between plant pairs. The fixation and transfer of the C label to plant, fungal, and soil microbial tissue was examined in biomass and phospholipid fatty acids. After a 6 d chase period, c. 26.8% of the C remaining in the system was translocated below ground. Enrichment was proportionally greatest in ectomycorrhizal biomass. The presence of mesh barriers (0.5 or 35 μm) between seedlings did not restrict C transfer. Fungi were the primary recipients of C-labelled photosynthate throughout the system, representing 60-70% of total C-enriched phospholipids. Full-sibling pairs exhibited significantly greater C transfer to recipient roots in two of four Douglas-fir families, representing three- and fourfold increases (+ c. 4 μg excess C) compared with nonsibling pairs. The existence of a root/mycorrhizal exudation-hyphal uptake pathway was supported.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.14325 | DOI Listing |
Glob Chang Biol
January 2025
Faculty of Forestry, Forest Sciences Centre, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
The future climatic niche of interior Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca [Mirb.] Franco) is expected to have little spatial overlap with its current range due to climate change.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant Biol (Stuttg)
January 2025
School of Life Sciences, Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.
Hydraulic redistribution is considered a crucial dryland mechanism that may be important in temperate environments facing increased soil drying-wetting cycles. We investigated redistribution of soil water from deeper, moist to surface, dry soils in a mature mixed European beech forest and whether redistributed water was used by neighbouring native seedlings. In two experiments, we tracked hydraulic redistribution via (1) H labeling and (2) O natural abundance.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcol Appl
January 2025
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, Reno, Nevada, USA.
Fire exclusion over the last two centuries has driven a significant fire deficit in the forests of western North America, leading to widespread changes in the composition and structure of these historically fire-adapted ecosystems. Fuel treatments have been increasingly applied over the last few decades to mitigate fire hazard, yet it is unclear whether these fuel-focused treatments restore the fire-adapted conditions and species that will allow forests to persist into the future. A vital prerequisite of restoring fire-adaptedness is ongoing establishment of fire-tolerant tree species, and both the type and reoccurrence of fuel treatments are likely to strongly influence stand trajectories.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Environ Qual
September 2024
Coastal Plains Soil, Water, and Plant Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Florence, South Carolina, USA.
While mining provides valuable metals and minerals to meet societal demands, it can cause environmental contamination from the residuals (i.e., tailings) of mining.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAgrosyst Geosci Environ
September 2023
USDA ARS, Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research, Florence, South Carolina, USA.
To provide recommendations for establishment of plants on low-pH Formosa Mine tailings, two greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the use of remedial amendments to improve the survival and growth of Douglas fir () seedlings. A preliminary experiment indicated that 1% lime (by weight) raised tailings pH, permitting seedling survival. However, high rates of biosolid application (BS; 2% by weight) added to supply nutrients were phytotoxic when added with lime.
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