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Forest Ecosystems 2024, 11(1): 100167 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100167
Research Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 17 January 2024

The storage and utilization of carbohydrates in response to elevation mediated by tree organs in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests

Show Author's Information Bin Xua,b,  Xueli Jianga,  Yingying Zonga,  G. Geoff Wangc,  Fusheng Chena,b,  Zhenyu Zhaoa,  Xiangmin Fanga,b( )
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Forest Ecosystem Protection and Restoration of Poyang Lake Watershed, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
Jiulianshan National Observation and Research Station of Chinese Forest Ecosystem, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA
Keywords:
Elevation, Nonstructural carbohydrates, Structural carbohydrates, Subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests, Tree organs
Cite this article:
Xu B, Jiang X, Zong Y, et al. The storage and utilization of carbohydrates in response to elevation mediated by tree organs in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests. Forest Ecosystems, 2024, 11(1): 100167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100167
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Abstract Full text About this article

Global climate change can affect tree growth and carbon sink function by influencing plant carbohydrate synthesis and utilization, while elevation can be used as an ideal setting under natural conditions to simulate climate change effects. The effect of elevation on tree growth may depend on organ type. However, the allocation patterns of nonstructural and structural carbohydrates (NSCs and SCs, respectively) in different tree organs and their response to elevation remain unclear. We selected four dominant tree species, Schima superba, Castanopsis eyrei, Castanopsis fargesii and Michelia maudiae, along an elevation gradient from 609 to 1,207 ​m in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests and analyzed leaf, trunk, and fine root NSCs, carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and the relative abundance of SCs. Leaf NSCs increased initially and then decreased, and trunk NSCs increased with increasing elevation. However, root NSCs decreased with increasing elevation. The relative abundance of SCs in leaves and trunks decreased, while the relative abundance of root SCs increased with increasing elevation. No significant correlations between SCs and NSCs in leaves were detected, while there were negative correlations between SCs and NSCs in trunks, roots, and all organs. Hierarchical partitioning analysis indicated that plant C/N and C/P were the main predictors of changes in SCs and NSCs. Our results suggest that tree organs have divergent responses to elevation and that increasing elevation will inhibit the aboveground part growth and enhance the root growth of trees. A tradeoff between the C distribution used for growth and storage was confirmed along the elevation gradient, which is mainly manifested in the “sink” organs of NSCs. Our results provide insight into tree growth in the context of global climate change scenarios in subtropical forest ecosystems.


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About this article

The storage and utilization of carbohydrates in response to elevation mediated by tree organs in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests

Show Author's information Bin Xua,b, Xueli Jianga, Yingying Zonga, G. Geoff Wangc, Fusheng Chena,b, Zhenyu Zhaoa, Xiangmin Fanga,b( )
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Forest Ecosystem Protection and Restoration of Poyang Lake Watershed, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
Jiulianshan National Observation and Research Station of Chinese Forest Ecosystem, College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

Abstract

Global climate change can affect tree growth and carbon sink function by influencing plant carbohydrate synthesis and utilization, while elevation can be used as an ideal setting under natural conditions to simulate climate change effects. The effect of elevation on tree growth may depend on organ type. However, the allocation patterns of nonstructural and structural carbohydrates (NSCs and SCs, respectively) in different tree organs and their response to elevation remain unclear. We selected four dominant tree species, Schima superba, Castanopsis eyrei, Castanopsis fargesii and Michelia maudiae, along an elevation gradient from 609 to 1,207 ​m in subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests and analyzed leaf, trunk, and fine root NSCs, carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and the relative abundance of SCs. Leaf NSCs increased initially and then decreased, and trunk NSCs increased with increasing elevation. However, root NSCs decreased with increasing elevation. The relative abundance of SCs in leaves and trunks decreased, while the relative abundance of root SCs increased with increasing elevation. No significant correlations between SCs and NSCs in leaves were detected, while there were negative correlations between SCs and NSCs in trunks, roots, and all organs. Hierarchical partitioning analysis indicated that plant C/N and C/P were the main predictors of changes in SCs and NSCs. Our results suggest that tree organs have divergent responses to elevation and that increasing elevation will inhibit the aboveground part growth and enhance the root growth of trees. A tradeoff between the C distribution used for growth and storage was confirmed along the elevation gradient, which is mainly manifested in the “sink” organs of NSCs. Our results provide insight into tree growth in the context of global climate change scenarios in subtropical forest ecosystems.

Keywords: Elevation, Nonstructural carbohydrates, Structural carbohydrates, Subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests, Tree organs

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Received: 02 September 2023
Revised: 06 January 2024
Accepted: 09 January 2024
Published: 17 January 2024
Issue date: February 2024

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