How Environmental Conditions Affect Photosynthesis of Tree Species – Limitations and Potentials

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecophysiology and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 March 2022) | Viewed by 7694

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Faculty of Forestry, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71E, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
Interests: forest ecology; plant ecophysiology; tree physiology; photosynthesis; silviculture

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Guest Editor
Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Parkowa 5, 62-035 Kórnik, Poland
Interests: molecular biology; tree physiology; plant biochemistry; genetics; tree evolution

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Photosynthesis is crucial for the carbon balance of forest ecosystems and the whole biosphere. There is evidence that functional groups and different species of trees differ in key photosynthetic parameters such as maximal net CO2 assimilation, maximal carboxylation and maximal energy transfer rates. Intraspecific variation of these parameters in trees, however, has been less investigated. The photosynthetic responses to increasing carbon dioxide concentration, light, temperature or drought depend on taxonomic and functional groups of trees; however, their physiological and molecular mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Photosynthetic parameters derived from CO2, light and temperature response curves among species are useful for modeling and predicting the behavior of trees in response to global climate change. The values of photosynthetic parameters determined with measurements of gas exchange or chlorophyll a fluorescence have been considered as good indicators of a plant’s response to stress. In the face of climate change, there is an urgent need to recognize tree species and provenances that are able to assimilate an increasing amount of CO2 and are highly tolerant to drought. In the forest nursery, the determination of photosynthetic efficiency together with growth traits and the survival of seedlings can be used as a part of the Target Plant Concept. Knowledge about the photosynthesis of trees under different environmental conditions will allow the selection of species and ecotypes that will cope better with the future climate. This Special Issue will focus on the photosynthetic responses of forest tree species and ecotypes to environmental factors and their importance for silvicultural practice.

Prof. Dr. Piotr Robakowski
Dr. Emilia Pers-Kamczyc
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • chlorophyll
  • chlorophyll a fluorescence
  • electron transfer rate
  • maximal carboxylation rate
  • net CO2 assimilation rate
  • photosynthetic carbon dioxide response curves
  • photosynthetic light response curves
  • photosynthetic efficiency
  • photosynthetic response to stress
  • photosynthetic pigments
  • photosynthesis of trees

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2500 KiB  
Article
Northern Provenances of Silver Fir Differ with Acclimation to Contrasting Light Regimes
by Piotr Robakowski, Adrian Łukowski, Zi-Piao Ye, Adam Kryszewski and Wojciech Kowalkowski
Forests 2022, 13(8), 1164; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13081164 - 22 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1654
Abstract
Phenotypic differentiation of Abies alba was identified among selected provenances originating from the northern edge of this species’ natural geographic range. We posited that although the seed sources of the study populations were not geographically distant, progenies would differ with respect to growth, [...] Read more.
Phenotypic differentiation of Abies alba was identified among selected provenances originating from the northern edge of this species’ natural geographic range. We posited that although the seed sources of the study populations were not geographically distant, progenies would differ with respect to growth, needle pigment concentration, and values of photochemical parameters in response to contrasting light conditions. Potted seedlings of six provenances were grown for two seasons under low light (LL, 40% of full irradiance) or high light (HL, 100% of full irradiance). The results showed that the provenances differed in diameter at root collar (DRC) and in relative growth rates of height (RGR). Seedlings grown in full light had a greater mean value of DRC than those in LL. LL increased total needle chlorophyll (Chltot) and carotenoid concentrations compared with HL, and Chltot was modified by the provenance of the seedlings. The provenance “Syców”, localized at the northern limit of the species range, showed the lowest value of maximal electron transfer rate (ETRmax) and lower values of growth parameters compared with the other study provenances. Relative growth rate, Chltot, and non-photochemical quenching of fluorescence (NPQ) were correlated with some climatic characteristics of seed stands and formed clusters indicating the local adaptation of the study populations. These results provide evidence of low intraspecific A. alba differentiation in terms of growth dynamics, photochemical capacity, and tolerance to different light regimes. The intraspecific diversity found in our study among the northern lead populations could be, however, important for the natural expansion of this species further north and for the selection of provenances to be used in the programme of the A. alba restoration in the Sudety Mountains, southern Poland, where decline of this species has been observed. Full article
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19 pages, 4570 KiB  
Article
Effects of Soil Nitrogen Addition on Crown CO2 Exchange of Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr. Saplings
by Chunjuan Gong, Anzhi Wang, Fenghui Yuan, Yage Liu, Chen Cui, Kai Zhu, Dexin Guan and Jiabing Wu
Forests 2021, 12(9), 1170; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12091170 - 29 Aug 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2426
Abstract
The impact of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on carbon exchange between forest and atmosphere is one of the research hotspots of global change ecology, past researchers have extensively studied the impacts on leaf level, while the impacts on crown CO2 exchange are still [...] Read more.
The impact of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on carbon exchange between forest and atmosphere is one of the research hotspots of global change ecology, past researchers have extensively studied the impacts on leaf level, while the impacts on crown CO2 exchange are still unclear. Therefore, we explored the impacts of different nitrogen addition levels on crown CO2 exchange of Fraxinus mandshurica saplings and their responses to the changes of major meteorological factors (photosynthetically active radiation, PAR; vapor pressure deficiency, VPD; and air temperature, Tair) with a novel automated chamber system. There are four levels of nitrogen addition treatments: control (no nitrogen addition, CK), 23 (low nitrogen addition, LN), 46 (medium nitrogen addition, MN), and 69 kgN·hm−2·a−1 (high nitrogen addition, HN). Our results showed that all nitrogen addition treatments increased daily average and accumulated gross primary production (GPP), crown respiration (R), and net crown CO2 exchange (Ne), especially at medium and high nitrogen levels. Similarly, maximum net photosynthetic rate (Nemax) and apparent quantum efficiency (α) were promoted. The change of Ne with PAR, Tair, and VPD showed that nitrogen addition postponed the appearance of photosynthesis midday depression. In addition, the monthly accumulation of R with all nitrogen addition treatments showed an increasing trend (June to July), and then decreased (July to September) during the growing season, while the Ne and GPP decreased gradually with seasonal vegetation senescence. Finally, the crown shifted from carbon sink to carbon source at the end of the growing season, however, the change under high nitrogen treatment occurred 3 days later. The crown CO2 exchange measurements provide a new perspective to better understand the response of forest ecosystem CO2 exchange to elevated nitrogen deposition and provide a basis for related carbon model parameter correction under the influence of nitrogen deposition. Full article
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17 pages, 10092 KiB  
Article
Delayed Inhibition of Photosynthetic Performance—Three Linden Species in an Urban Environment
by Monika Czaja, Anna Kołton and Piotr Muras
Forests 2021, 12(6), 761; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12060761 - 9 Jun 2021
Viewed by 2163
Abstract
The presented study concerns the delayed response of photosynthetic performance to summer drought. Increasing drought events are thought to be one of the most detrimental and expensive natural disasters. For that reason, we studied the condition of urban trees, which are especially susceptible [...] Read more.
The presented study concerns the delayed response of photosynthetic performance to summer drought. Increasing drought events are thought to be one of the most detrimental and expensive natural disasters. For that reason, we studied the condition of urban trees, which are especially susceptible to water deficit. Three species of linden trees (T. tomentosa, T. × europaea and T. cordata) growing in the city area of Krakow, Poland, were investigated for two consecutive years to compare their response to a precipitation deficit. For the first time, the physiological traits of linden urban trees were compared in years with and without a natural summer drought. For evaluation of the photosynthetic performance, we used measurements of the chlorophyll a fluorescence concerning the OJIP transients and derived parameters. The contents of photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophylls and carotenoids, were analysed, and stress-sensible parameter ratios, such as chl a/b and chl/carot, were calculated. The most common method of research conduction assumes examination close to the presence of a stressor. We chose an innovative method of prolonged investigation after relief from the stress conditions. While there was no evident reaction of PSII to meteorological drought during the stress occurrence, all of the investigated species of linden revealed delayed reaction of PSII to precipitation deficit in summer. Changes in PSII were connected with the decrease of active reaction centres (RCs), which was evident in the increase of the ABS/RC, DI0/RC and TR0/RC, and the decrease of ET0/RC. T. × europaea demonstrated a more intense decrease of certain parameters during late senescence compared with other species. Despite the close relation of T. cordata and T. × europaea, species showed different physiological traits during senescence after a summer drought. Our results underline the need for monitoring tree conditions not only during stress but also in the wider perspective. Full article
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