Leaf-level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of Populus in the Southeastern United States
IntroductionPopulus 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 ada...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1467381/full |
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| author | Heidi J. Renninger Justin J. Pitts Jiaxin Wang |
| author_facet | Heidi J. Renninger Justin J. Pitts Jiaxin Wang |
| author_sort | Heidi J. Renninger |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionPopulus 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.MethodsWe measured trees at two sites in northeastern Mississippi, United States: one upland and one alluvial terrace site. Genotypes included eastern cottonwoods as well as F1 crosses of eastern cottonwood and P. maximowiczii (Henry), P. nigra (L.) and P. trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray).ResultsWe 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 (δ13C and δ15N), 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.DiscussionOverall, 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. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2624-893X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
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| series | Frontiers in Forests and Global Change |
| spelling | doaj-art-6b6136cbba1c415db15a6f55b8fc53a52025-08-20T02:49:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Forests and Global Change2624-893X2024-12-01710.3389/ffgc.2024.14673811467381Leaf-level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of Populus in the Southeastern United StatesHeidi J. RenningerJustin J. PittsJiaxin WangIntroductionPopulus 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.MethodsWe measured trees at two sites in northeastern Mississippi, United States: one upland and one alluvial terrace site. Genotypes included eastern cottonwoods as well as F1 crosses of eastern cottonwood and P. maximowiczii (Henry), P. nigra (L.) and P. trichocarpa (Torr. & Gray).ResultsWe 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 (δ13C and δ15N), 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.DiscussionOverall, 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.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1467381/fullshort rotation woody cropscottonwoodbioenergy feedstocksgenotype×environment interactionsleaf mass per arealeaf gas exchange |
| spellingShingle | Heidi J. Renninger Justin J. Pitts Jiaxin Wang Leaf-level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of Populus in the Southeastern United States Frontiers in Forests and Global Change short rotation woody crops cottonwood bioenergy feedstocks genotype×environment interactions leaf mass per area leaf gas exchange |
| title | Leaf-level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of Populus in the Southeastern United States |
| title_full | Leaf-level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of Populus in the Southeastern United States |
| title_fullStr | Leaf-level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of Populus in the Southeastern United States |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leaf-level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of Populus in the Southeastern United States |
| title_short | Leaf-level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of Populus in the Southeastern United States |
| title_sort | leaf level physiological strategies related to productivity and plasticity of populus in the southeastern united states |
| topic | short rotation woody crops cottonwood bioenergy feedstocks genotype×environment interactions leaf mass per area leaf gas exchange |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1467381/full |
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