Compound-specific carbon isotope patterns in needles of conifer tree species from the Swiss National Park under recent climate change

Olga V Churakova Sidorova; Marco M Lehmann; Rolf T W Siegwolf; Matthias Saurer; Marina V Fonti; Lola Schmid; Galina Timofeeva; Katja T Rinne-Garmston; Christof Bigler

doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.03.016

Compound-specific carbon isotope patterns in needles of conifer tree species from the Swiss National Park under recent climate change

Plant Physiol Biochem. 2019 Jun:139:264-272. doi: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.03.016. Epub 2019 Mar 12.

Authors

Olga V Churakova Sidorova¹, Marco M Lehmann², Rolf T W Siegwolf³, Matthias Saurer³, Marina V Fonti⁴, Lola Schmid⁵, Galina Timofeeva⁶, Katja T Rinne-Garmston⁷, Christof Bigler⁸

Affiliations

¹ Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland; Siberian Federal University, Institute of Ecology and Geography, Laboratory of Ecosystems Biogeochemistry, 660041 Krasnoyarsk, Svobodniy pr 82/6, bld. 25, Russian Federation. Electronic address: olga.churakova@hotmail.com.
² Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
³ Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland; Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen - PSI, Switzerland.
⁴ Siberian Federal University, Institute of Ecology and Geography, Laboratory of Ecosystems Biogeochemistry, 660041 Krasnoyarsk, Svobodniy pr 82/6, bld. 25, Russian Federation.
⁵ Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen - PSI, Switzerland.
⁶ Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland; Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen - PSI, Switzerland.
⁷ Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Latokartanonkaari 9, 00790 Helsinki, Finland.
⁸ Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Universitätstrasse 16, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland.

PMID: 30925436
DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2019.03.016

Abstract

Elevated CO₂ along with rising temperature and water deficits can lead to changes in tree physiology and leaf biochemistry. These changes can increase heat- and drought-induced tree mortality. We aim to reveal the impacts of climatic drivers on individual compounds at the leaf level among European larch (Larix decidua) and mountain pine (Pinus mugo) trees, which are widely distributed at high elevations. We investigated seasonal carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) and concentration patterns of carbohydrates and organic acids in needles of these two different species from a case study in the Swiss National Park (SNP). We found that average and minimum air temperatures were the main climatic drivers of seasonal variation of δ¹³C in sucrose and glucose as well as in concentrations of carbohydrates and citric acid/citrate in needles of both tree species. The impact of seasonal climatic drivers on larch and mountain pine trees at the needle level is in line with our earlier study in this region for long-term changes at the tree-ring level. We conclude that the species-specific changes in δ¹³C and concentrations of carbohydrates and organic acids are sensitive indicators of changes in the metabolic pathways occurring as a result of climatic changes.

Keywords: Abiotic stress; Adaptation; Carbohydrates; Climate; Forest dieback; Organic acids; Tree needles.

MeSH terms

Carbon Isotopes / analysis*
Climate Change
Parks, Recreational
Pinus / metabolism*
Trees / metabolism

Substances

Carbon Isotopes