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At least 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Leaf-level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of Populus in the Southeastern United States

Introduction: Populus and its hybrids are attractive bioenergy crops and the southeastern United States has broad ability to supply bioenergy markets with woody biomass. Breeding and hybridization have led to superior eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall) and hybrid poplars adapted to a wide variety of site types not suited for agricultural production. In order to maximize productivity and minimize inputs, genotypes need to efficiently use available site resources and tolerate environmental stresses. In addition, we need to determine plasticity of traits and their coordination across sites to select traits that will broadly characterize genotypes. Therefore, our study objectives were to determine (1) which leaf traits were correlated with growth, (2) if traits and genotypes exhibited significant plasticity across sites, and (3) how traits were coordinated within and across sites and Populus taxa. Methods: We measured trees at two sites in northeastern Mississippi, United States: one upland and one alluvial terrace site. Genotypes included eastern cottonwoods as well as F 1 crosses of eastern cottonwood and P. maximowiczii (Henry), P. nigra (L.) and P. trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray). Results: We found that sites differed in which leaf traits were correlated with productivity; with water use efficiency specifically being positively correlated with growth at an alluvial terrace site, but negatively correlated with growth at an upland site. Tree height growth, leaf isotope composition (δ 13 C and δ 15 N), as well as leaf mass per area (LMA) exhibited the least plasticity across sites, while physiological gas exchange parameters and leaf nitrogen concentration exhibited the highest plasticity. Broadly across taxa, leaf carbon isotope ratios were correlated with intrinsic water use efficiency, and stomatal conductance was positively correlated with photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency across sites, while leaf nitrogen isotope ratios exhibited contrasting relationships with leaf nitrogen concentration. Discussion: Overall, these results allow us to refine selections of productive genotypes based on site conditions and site-specific relationships with physiological parameters to better match Populus taxa with sites and landowner objectives.

bioenergy feedstocks↗
DOE OSTI2024

Salinity-Induced Photorespiration in Populus Vascular Tissues Facilitate Nitrogen Reallocation

Adaptation to abiotic stress is critical for the survival of perennial tree species. Salinity affects plant growth and productivity by interfering with major biosynthetic processes. Detrimental effects of salinity may vary between different plant tissues and cell types. However, spatial molecular mechanisms controlling plant responses to salinity stress are not yet thoroughly understood in perennial trees. Here, we used laser capture microdissection in clones of Populus tremula x alba to isolate palisade and vascular cells of intermediary leaf from plants exposed to 150 mM NaCl for 10 days, followed by a recovery period. Cell-specific changes in proteins and metabolites were determined. Salinity induced a vascular-specific accumulation of proteins associated with photorespiration, and the accumulation of serine, 3-phosphoglycerate and NH 4 + suggesting changes in N metabolism. Accumulation of the GLUTAMINE SYNTHETASE 2 protein, and increased GS1.1 gene expression, indicated that NH 4 + produced in photorespiration was assimilated to glutamine, the main amino acid translocated in Populus trees. Further analysis of total soluble proteins in stems and roots showed the accumulation of bark storage proteins induced by the salinity treatments. Collectively, our results suggest that the salt-induced photorespiration in vascular cells mediates N-reallocation in Populus, an essential process for the adaptation of trees to adverse conditions.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Unraveling plant phenotype to genotype associations with daily hyperspectral traits in Populus trichocarpa

Hyperspectral remote sensing is a powerful, high-throughput phenotyping tool that quantifies physiologically and structurally relevant wavelengths across diverse genotypes and over varying temporal scales. In this study, we combined tower-based continuous hyperspectral sensing with genome-wide association studies to analyze 1423 wavebands (400-900 nm) and derivative vegetation indices across 505 genotypes and the genetic architecture of hyperspectral phenotypes over time in Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray grown under field conditions. Wavelengths related to chlorophyll and carotenoid absorption spectra exhibited the strongest genetic variation resulting in 98 significant SNP associations. Notably, we found substantial overlap in genetic association between the blue and red spectral regions, indicative of carotenoids and chlorophyll, respectively, and identified more than 10 candidate genes associated with chloroplast function, underpinning photosynthetic activity. Furthermore, fluctuations in associations for vegetative indices, such as the chlorophyll:carotenoid index (CCI), across the growing season reveal a temporally dynamic genetic architecture of physiological traits associated with fall senescence of this temperate tree species. Finally, we also observed correlations (spearman rho = 0.3, p < 1x10 −8 ) between individual wavebands or vegetative indices and growth rate, assessed as the relative change of tree height over the growing season. The growth rate prediction was substantially improved by a regularization multivariate model (spearman rho>0.5, p < 1x10 −16 ), reinforcing the value of hyperspectral measurements for predicting traits linked to tree productivity. These findings highlight the potential of high-throughput, rapid, hyperspectral genome wide association studies GWAS to uncover physiologically meaningful genetic variation and offer promising insights for future acceleration for plant breeding.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Dry Season Transpiration and Soil Water Dynamics in the Central Amazon

With current observations and future projections of more intense and frequent droughts in the tropics, understanding the impact that extensive dry periods may have on tree and ecosystem-level transpiration and concurrent carbon uptake has become increasingly important. Here, we investigate paired soil and tree water extraction dynamics in an old-growth upland forest in central Amazonia during the 2018 dry season. Tree water use was assessed via radial patterns of sap flow in eight dominant canopy trees, each a different species with a range in diameter, height, and wood density. Paired multi-sensor soil moisture probes used to quantify volumetric water content dynamics and soil water extraction within the upper 100 cm were installed adjacent to six of those trees. To link depth-specific water extraction patterns to root distribution, fine root biomass was assessed through the soil profile to 235 cm. To scale tree water use to the plot level (stand transpiration), basal area was measured for all trees within a 5 m radius around each soil moisture probe. The sensitivity of tree transpiration to reduced precipitation varied by tree, with some increasing and some decreasing in water use during the dry period. Tree-level water use scaled with sapwood area, from 11 to 190 L per day. Stand level water use, based on multiple plots encompassing sap flow and adjacent trees, varied from ∼1.7 to 3.3 mm per day, increasing linearly with plot basal area. Soil water extraction was dependent on root biomass, which was dense at the surface (i.e., 45% in the upper 5 cm) and declined dramatically with depth. As the dry season progressed and the upper soil dried, soil water extraction shifted to deeper levels and model projections suggest that much of the water used during the month-long dry-down could be extracted from the upper 2–3 m. Results indicate variation in rates of soil water extraction across the research area and, temporally, through the soil profile. These results provide key information on whole-tree contributions to transpiration by canopy trees as water availability changes. In addition, information on simultaneous stand level dynamics of soil water extraction that can inform mechanistic models that project tropical forest response to drought.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2023

Basin-wide variation in tree hydraulic safety margins predicts the carbon balance of Amazon forests

Abstract Tropical forests face increasing climate risk 1,2 , yet our ability to predict their response to climate change is limited by poor understanding of their resistance to water stress. Although xylem embolism resistance thresholds (for example, $$\varPsi $$ Ψ 50 ) and hydraulic safety margins (for example, HSM 50 ) are important predictors of drought-induced mortality risk 3–5 , little is known about how these vary across Earth’s largest tropical forest. Here, we present a pan-Amazon, fully standardized hydraulic traits dataset and use it to assess regional variation in drought sensitivity and hydraulic trait ability to predict species distributions and long-term forest biomass accumulation. Parameters $$\varPsi $$ Ψ 50 and HSM 50 vary markedly across the Amazon and are related to average long-term rainfall characteristics. Both $$\varPsi $$ Ψ 50 and HSM 50 influence the biogeographical distribution of Amazon tree species. However, HSM 50 was the only significant predictor of observed decadal-scale changes in forest biomass. Old-growth forests with wide HSM 50 are gaining more biomass than are low HSM 50 forests. We propose that this may be associated with a growth–mortality trade-off whereby trees in forests consisting of fast-growing species take greater hydraulic risks and face greater mortality risk. Moreover, in regions of more pronounced climatic change, we find evidence that forests are losing biomass, suggesting that species in these regions may be operating beyond their hydraulic limits. Continued climate change is likely to further reduce HSM 50 in the Amazon 6,7 , with strong implications for the Amazon carbon sink.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2021

Assessing Forest Level Response to the Death of a Dominant Tree within a Premontane Tropical Rainforest

Small-scale treefall gaps are among the most important forms of forest disturbance in tropical forests. These gaps expose surrounding trees to more light, promoting rapid growth of understory plants. However, the effects of such small-scale disturbances on the distribution of plant water use across tree canopy levels are less known. To address this, we explored plant transpiration response to the death of a large emergent tree, Mortoniodendron anisophyllum Standl. & Steyerm (DBH > 220 cm; height ~40 m). Three suppressed, four mid-story, and two subdominant trees were selected within a 50 × 44 m premontane tropical forest plot at the Texas A&M Soltis Center for Research and Education located in Costa Rica. We compared water use rates of the selected trees before (2015) and after (2019) the tree gap using thermal dissipation sap flow sensors. Hemispherical photography indicated a 40% increase in gap fraction as a result of changes in canopy structure after the treefall gap. Micrometeorological differences (e.g., air temperature, relative humidity, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD)) could not explain the observed trends. Rather, light penetration, as measured by sensors within the canopy, increased significantly in 2019. One year after the tree fell, the water usage of trees across all canopy levels increased modestly (15%). Moreover, average water usage by understory trees increased by 36%, possibly as a result of the treefall gap, exceeding even that of overstory trees. These observations suggest the possible reallocation of water use between overstory and understory trees in response to the emergent tree death. With increasing global temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns increasing the likelihood of tree mortality in tropical forests, there is a greater need to enhance our understanding of treefall disturbances that have the potential to redistribute resources within forests.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2007

Simulation Studies of the Effect of Forest Spatial Structure on InSAR Signature

The height of scattering phase retrieved from InSAR data is considered being correlated with the tree height and the spatial structure of the forest stand. Though some researchers have used simple backscattering models to estimate tree height from the height of scattering center, the effect of forest spatial structure on InSAR data is not well understood yet. A three-dimensional coherent radar backscattering model for forest canopies based on realistic three-dimensional scene was used to investigate the effect in this paper. The realistic spatial structure of forest canopies was established either by field measurements (stem map) or through use of forest growth model. Field measurements or a forest growth model parameterized using local environmental parameters provides information of forest species composition and tree sizes in certain growth phases. A fractal tree model (L-system) was used to simulate individual 3- D tree structure of different ages or heights. Trees were positioned in a stand in certain patterns resulting in a 3-D medium of discrete scatterers. The radar coherent backscatter model took the 3-D forest scene as input and simulates the coherent radar backscattering signature. Interferometric SAR images of 3D scenes were simulated and heights of scattering phase centers were estimated from the simulated InSAR data. The effects of tree height, crown cover, crown depth, and the spatial distribution patterns of trees on the scattering phase center were analyzed. The results will be presented in the paper.

Sun, Guoqing↗
DOE OSTI2022

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F CA-NS1 UCI-1850 burn site

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS1 UCI-1850 burn site. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS1 UCI-1850 burn site produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The UCI-1850 site is located in a continental boreal forest, dominated by black spruce trees, within the BOREAS northern study area in central Manitoba, Canada. The site is a member of a chronological series of sites that are representative secondary succession growth stages after large stand replacement fires. Black spruce trees undergo a slow growth process enabling the accurate determination of the chronosequence of stand age disturbance. Additionally, boreal forests make up approximately 25% of forest ecosystems on earth. With both of these in mind, the UCI sites provide an excellent location to study the CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and boreal forest ecosystems as a function of sequential wildfires.

Goulden, Mike↗
DOE OSTI2022

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F CA-NS2 UCI-1930 burn site

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS2 UCI-1930 burn site. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS2 UCI-1930 burn site produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The UCI-1930 site is located in a continental boreal forest, dominated by black spruce trees, within the BOREAS northern study area in central Manitoba, Canada. The site is a member of a chronological series of sites that are representative secondary succession growth stages after large stand replacement fires. Black spruce trees undergo a slow growth process enabling the accurate determination of the chronosequence of stand age disturbance. Additionally, boreal forests make up approximately 25% of forest ecosystems on earth. With both of these in mind, the UCI sites provide an excellent location to study the CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and boreal forest ecosystems as a function of sequential wildfires.

Goulden, Mike↗
DOE OSTI2022

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F CA-NS3 UCI-1964 burn site

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS3 UCI-1964 burn site. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS3 UCI-1964 burn site produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The UCI-1964 site is located in a continental boreal forest, dominated by black spruce trees, within the BOREAS northern study area in central Manitoba, Canada. The site is a member of a chronological series of sites that are representative secondary succession growth stages after large stand replacement fires. Black spruce trees undergo a slow growth process enabling the accurate determination of the chronosequence of stand age disturbance. Additionally, boreal forests make up approximately 25% of forest ecosystems on earth. With both of these in mind, the UCI sites provide an excellent location to study the CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and boreal forest ecosystems as a function of sequential wildfires.

Goulden, Mike↗
DOE OSTI2022

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F CA-NS4 UCI-1964 burn site wet

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS4 UCI-1964 burn site wet. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS4 UCI-1964 burn site wet produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The UCI-1964 wet site is located in a continental boreal forest, dominated by black spruce trees, within the BOREAS northern study area in central Manitoba, Canada. The site is a member of a chronological series of sites that are representative secondary succession growth stages after large stand replacement fires. Black spruce trees undergo a slow growth process enabling the accurate determination of the chronosequence of stand age disturbance. Additionally, boreal forests make up approximately 25% of forest ecosystems on earth. With both of these in mind, the UCI sites provide an excellent location to study the CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and boreal forest ecosystems as a function of sequential wildfires.

Goulden, Mike↗
DOE OSTI2022

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F CA-NS5 UCI-1981 burn site

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS5 UCI-1981 burn site. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS5 UCI-1981 burn site produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The UCI-1981 site is located in a continental boreal forest, dominated by black spruce trees, within the BOREAS northern study area in central Manitoba, Canada. The site is a member of a chronological series of sites that are representative secondary succession growth stages after large stand replacement fires. Black spruce trees undergo a slow growth process enabling the accurate determination of the chronosequence of stand age disturbance. Additionally, boreal forests make up approximately 25% of forest ecosystems on earth. With both of these in mind, the UCI sites provide an excellent location to study the CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and boreal forest ecosystems as a function of sequential wildfires.

Goulden, Mike↗
DOE OSTI2022

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F CA-NS6 UCI-1989 burn site

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS6 UCI-1989 burn site. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS6 UCI-1989 burn site produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The UCI-1989 site is located in a continental boreal forest, dominated by black spruce trees, within the BOREAS northern study area in central Manitoba, Canada. The site is a member of a chronological series of sites that are representative secondary succession growth stages after large stand replacement fires. Black spruce trees undergo a slow growth process enabling the accurate determination of the chronosequence of stand age disturbance. Additionally, boreal forests make up approximately 25% of forest ecosystems on earth. With both of these in mind, the UCI sites provide an excellent location to study the CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and boreal forest ecosystems as a function of sequential wildfires.

Goulden, Mike↗
DOE OSTI2022

AmeriFlux FLUXNET-1F CA-NS7 UCI-1998 burn site

This is the AmeriFlux Management Project (AMP) created FLUXNET-1F version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS7 UCI-1998 burn site. This is the FLUXNET version of the carbon flux data for the site CA-NS7 UCI-1998 burn site produced by applying the standard ONEFlux (1F) software. Site Description - The UCI-1998 site is located in a continental boreal forest, dominated by black spruce trees, within the BOREAS northern study area in central Manitoba, Canada. The site is a member of a chronological series of sites that are representative secondary succession growth stages after large stand replacement fires. Black spruce trees undergo a slow growth process enabling the accurate determination of the chronosequence of stand age disturbance. Additionally, boreal forests make up approximately 25% of forest ecosystems on earth. With both of these in mind, the UCI sites provide an excellent location to study the CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and boreal forest ecosystems as a function of sequential wildfires.

Goulden, Mike↗
DOE OSTI2021

Warming increased bark beetle-induced tree mortality by 30% during an extreme drought in California

Quantifying the responses of forest disturbances to climate warming is critical to our understanding of carbon cycles and energy balances of the Earth system. The impact of warming on bark beetle outbreaks is complex as multiple drivers of these events may respond differently to warming. Using a novel model of bark beetle biology and host tree interactions, we assessed how contemporary warming affected western pine beetle (Dendroctonus brevicomis) populations and mortality of its host, ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), during an extreme drought in the Sierra Nevada, California, United States. When compared with the field data, our model captured the western pine beetle flight timing and rates of ponderosa pine mortality observed during the drought. In assessing the influence of temperature on western pine beetles, we found that contemporary warming increased the development rate of the western pine beetle and decreased the overwinter mortality rate of western pine beetle larvae leading to increased population growth during periods of lowered tree defense. We attribute a 29.9% (95% CI: 29.4%–30.2%) increase in ponderosa pine mortality during drought directly to increases in western pine beetle voltinism (i.e., associated with increased development rates of western pine beetle) and, to a much lesser extent, reductions in overwintering mortality. These findings, along with other studies, suggest each degree (°C) increase in temperature may have increased the number of ponderosa pine killed by upwards of 35%–40% °C-1 if the effects of compromised tree defenses (15%–20%) and increased western pine beetle populations (20%) are additive. Due to the warming ability to considerably increase mortality through the mechanism of bark beetle populations, models need to consider climate's influence on both host tree stress and the bark beetle population dynamics when determining future levels of tree mortality.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Convergent Hydraulic Redistribution and Groundwater Access Supported Facilitative Dependency Between Trees and Grasses in a Semi‐Arid Environment

Abstract Hydraulic redistribution is the transport of water from wet to dry soil layers, upward or downward, through plant roots. Often in savanna and woodland ecosystems, deep‐rooted trees, and shallow‐rooted grasses coexist. The degree to which these different species compete for or share soil‐water derived from precipitation or groundwater, as well as how these interactions are altered by hydraulic redistribution, is unknown. We use a multilayer canopy model and field observations to examine how the presence of deep, but tree‐root accessible, groundwater impacts seasonal patterns of hydraulic redistribution, and interaction between coexisting vegetation species in a semiarid riparian woodland (US‐CMW). Based on the simulation, trees absorb moisture at the water table (∼10 m depth) and release it in the shallow soil depth (0–3 m) during the dry pre‐monsoon season. We observed the occurrence of a new convergent hydraulic redistribution pattern during the monsoon season, where moisture is transported from both the near‐surface (0–0.5 m) and the water table to intermediate soil layers (1–5 m) through tree roots. We found that hydraulic redistribution demonstrates a growth facilitation effect at this site, supporting 49% of growing season tree transpiration and 14% of the grass transpiration. Compared to a similarly structured upland savanna without accessible groundwater, the riparian site shows an increased amount of hydraulically redistributed water and more facilitative water use between coexisting grasses and trees. These results shed light on the linkage between accessible groundwater and the role of hydraulic redistribution on the interaction between deep‐rooted and shallow‐rooted vegetation.

Lee, E.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Demographic composition, not demographic diversity, predicts biomass and turnover across temperate and tropical forests

The growth and survival of individual trees determine the physical structure of a forest with important consequences for forest function. However, given the diversity of tree species and forest biomes, quantifying the multitude of demographic strategies within and across forests and the way that they translate into forest structure and function remains a significant challenge. Here, we quantify the demographic rates of 1961 tree species from temperate and tropical forests and evaluate how demographic diversity (DD) and demographic composition (DC) differ across forests, and how these differences in demography relate to species richness, aboveground biomass (AGB), and carbon residence time. We find wide variation in DD and DC across forest plots, patterns that are not explained by species richness or climate variables alone. There is no evidence that DD has an effect on either AGB or carbon residence time. Rather, the DC of forests, specifically the relative abundance of large statured species, predicted both biomass and carbon residence time. Our results demonstrate the distinct DCs of globally distributed forests, reflecting biogeography, recent history, and current plot conditions. Linking the DC of forests to resilience or vulnerability to climate change, will improve the precision and accuracy of predictions of future forest composition, structure, and function.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗