Seasonal variation in biomass and carbohydrate partitioning of understory sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) seedlings

Gaucher, Catherine; Gougeon, Sébastien; Mauffette, Yves et Messier, Christian (2005). « Seasonal variation in biomass and carbohydrate partitioning of understory sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) seedlings ». Tree physiology, 25, pp. 93-100.

Fichier(s) associé(s) à ce document :
[img]
Prévisualisation
PDF
Télécharger (1MB)

Résumé

We investigated seasonal patterns of biomass and carbohydrate partitioning in relation to shoot growth phenology in two age classes of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.) seedlings growing in the understory of a partially harvested forest. The high root:shoot biomass ratio and carbohydrate concentration of sugar maple are characteristic of species with truncated growth patterns (i.e., cessation of aboveground shoot growth early in the growing season), a conservative growth strategy and high shade tolerance. The low root:shoot biomass ratio and carbohydrate concentration of yellow birch are characteristic of species with continuous growth patterns, an opportunistic growth strategy and low shade tolerance. In both species, starch represented up to 95% of total nonstructural carbohydrates and was mainly found in the roots. Contrary to our hypothesis, interspecific differences in shoot growth phenology (i.e., continuous versus truncated) did not result in differences in seasonal patterns of carbohydrate partitioning. Our results help explain the niche differentiation between sugar maple and yellow birch in temperate, deciduous understory forests.

Type: Article de revue scientifique
Mots-clés ou Sujets: photosynthetic:non-photosynthetic tissue ratio, root:shoot ratio, starch, total nonstructural carbohydrates
Unité d'appartenance: Faculté des sciences > Département des sciences biologiques
Déposé par: Christian Messier
Date de dépôt: 02 déc. 2008
Dernière modification: 01 nov. 2014 02:07
Adresse URL : http://archipel.uqam.ca/id/eprint/1430

Statistiques

Voir les statistiques sur cinq ans...