Comparison of characteristics of tree trunk xylem vessels among three species of Betula in northeast China and their relationships with climate

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2022.0300

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims As pioneer tree species in temperate and boreal forests, birch species (Betula spp.) play an important role in the restoration of secondary forests. Under the current climate change, little is known about the anatomical characteristics of the xylem of different birch species in response to climate change and their adaptation strategies. Therefore, we aim to study the relationship between the characteristics of their xylem vessels and climate, to reveal the response and adaptation strategies of Betula spp. to climate change, and to provide theoretical basis for accurately assessing the impact of climate change on different Betula spp. populations.

Methods In this paper, three natural birch species (B. platyphylla, B. dahurica and B. costata) from Taxus cuspidata National Nature Reserve in Muling, Heilongjiang, China were selected as the research objects. By means of dendrochronology and tree-ring anatomy, we compared these characteristics of xylem vessels of the three birch species, and analyzed the relationship between the characteristics of xylem vessels and seasonal climatic factors, temporal stability, as well as the resistance and recovery of growth to extreme climate.

Important findings (1) The vessel number and vessel density were significantly positively correlated with ring width for all three birch species. The average ring width of B. platyphylla was the widest among the three species, and the vessels were small and numerous. In B. dahurica and B. costata, the average ring width was smaller, and the vessel was significantly larger and less, which made B. dahurica more prone to embolism. (2) The growth of the three species of birch was mainly limited by moisture factors and less limited by temperature. The vessel number of the three birch species was positively correlated with precipitation in each season, and the strongest positive correlation was found in B. costata. The increase of temperature in spring promoted the increase of number of vessels, while the number of birch vessels decreased with the increase of temperature in non-growing seasons. As the climate warmed, B. dahurica tended to have smaller and more vessels, while B. costata tended to have smaller and fewer vessels. (3) The trends of resistance and recovery to drought in the growing season and heat in the non-growing season were similar among the three species, and the resistance and recovery to heat in the non-growing season were lower among the three species. There was great variation among individuals of B. dahurica in response to high temperature in non-growing season. We found that different birch species had different strategies of xylem vessel characteristics to cope with climate warming. B. platyphylla adopted a more conservative strategy (producing more and smaller vessels) to cope with climate change, while B. costata initially adopted a strategy to improve water transport efficiency through large vessels, which may lead to the first decline and even death. B. dahurica’s strategy was between B. platyphylla and B. costata, with moderate number and size of vessels.

Key words: trunk, xylem anatomy, vessel, climate warming, extreme climate, Betula

BAI Yu-Xin, YUAN Dan-Yang, WANG Xing-Chang, LIU Yu-Long, WANG Xiao-Chun. Comparison of characteristics of tree trunk xylem vessels among three species of Betula in northeast China and their relationships with climate[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2023, 47(8): 1144-1158.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2022.0300

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2023/V47/I8/1144

Figures/Tables 11

Table 1 Basic information of tree-ring sampling of three birch species in Taxus cuspidata National Nature Reserve in Muling, Heilongjiang, China

树种(代码) Tree species (code)	纬度 Latitude (° N)	经度 Longitude (° E)	海拔 Altitude (m)	切片样本数 Core number	时间跨度 Time span	与气象站距离 Distance from weather station (km)
硕桦(BC) Betula costata (BC)	44.00	130.10	735	6	1971-2019	77
黑桦(BD) Betula dahurica (BD)	44.03	130.14	690	6	1928-2019	76
白桦(BP) Betula platyphylla (BP)	44.00	130.14	590	6	1976-2019	81

Fig. 1 Anatomical pictures of xylem of three birch species in Taxus cuspidata National Nature Reserve in Muling, Heilongjiang, China. BC, Betula costata; BD, Betula dahurica; BP, Betula platyphylla.

Fig. 2 Variation in monthly mean air temperature and monthly precipitation (A), annual precipitation (B), mean annual temperature (C) and annual relative humidity (D) in Muling 1951-2019. P, monthly precipitation; T, mean monthly air temperature; Tmax, mean monthly maximum air temperature; Tmin, mean monthly minimum air temperature. k, slope of the trend line.

Fig. 3 Difference in tree ring width (RW) and main vessel traits for three birch species (mean ± SD). Kh, theoretical hydraulic conductivity; Ks, specific hydraulic conductivity; MVA, mean vessel area; RCTA, mean percentage of conductive area within xylem; TVA, total vessel area; VD, vessel density; VN, number of vessels. See Table 1 for the codes of tree species. ns, p ≥ 0.05; *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001; ****, p < 0.000 1.

Fig. 4 Trends of tree ring width (RW) and the main vessel traits for three birch species. Kh, theoretical hydraulic conductivity; Ks, specific hydraulic conductivity; MVA, mean vessel area; RCTA, mean percentage of conductive area within xylem; TVA, total vessel area; VD, vessel density; VN, number of vessels. See Table 1 for the codes of tree species.

Fig. 5 Relationship between ring width (RW) and main vessel characteristics of three birch species. Kh, theoretical hydraulic conductivity; Ks, specific hydraulic conductivity; MVA, mean vessel area; RCTA, mean percentage of conductive area within xylem; TVA, total vessel area; VD, vessel density; VN, number of vessels. Corr, correlation coefficient. See Table 1 for the codes of tree species. ×, p ≥ 0.05.

Fig. 6 Principal component (PC) analysis of anatomical parameters of the annual rings of three birch species. Kh, theoretical hydraulic conductivity; Ks, specific hydraulic conductivity; RCTA, mean percentage of conductive area within xylem; MVA, mean vessel area; TVA, total vessel area; VD, vessel density; VN, number of vessels; RW, ring width. cos2, the quality of representation for variables on the factor map. See Table 1 for the codes of tree species.

Fig. 7 Relationship between the principal components (PC) of the anatomical parameters of the tree whorls of three birch species and climatic factors by season. AN, annual; AUT, autumn; GS, growing season; PGS, previous growing season; PNG, previous non-growing season; pWin, previous winter; SPR, spring; SUM, summer. P, monthly precipitation; Rh, annual relative humidity; SPEI, standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index; T, mean monthly air temperature; Tmax, mean monthly maximum air temperature; Tmin, mean monthly minimum air temperature. See Table 1 for the codes of tree species. *, p < 0.05.

Fig. 8 Sliding correlations between the principal components (PC) of the anatomical parameters of the annual rings of three birch species and the main seasonal climatic factors. GS, growing season; PGS, previous growing season; PNG, previous non-growing season. P, monthly precipitation; Rh, annual relative humidity; SPEI, standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index; T, mean monthly air temperature; Tmax, mean monthly maximum air temperature; Tmin, mean monthly minimum air temperature. r, correlation coefficient. See Table 1 for the codes of tree species. *, p < 0.05.

Fig. 9 Comparison of average resistance (Rt) and recovery (Rc) of three birch species to extreme drought between the two-growing seasons. Kh, theoretical hydraulic conductivity; Ks, specific hydraulic conductivity; RCTA, mean percentage of conductive area within xylem; RW, ring width; MVA, mean vessel area; TVA, total vessel area; VD, vessel density; VN, number of vessels. See Table 1 for the codes of tree species. ns, p ≥ 0.05.

Fig. 10 Comparison of average resistance (Rt) and recovery (Rc) of three birch species to five non-growing season heat years. Kh, theoretical hydraulic conductivity; Ks, specific hydraulic conductivity; RCTA, mean percentage of conductive area within xylem; RW, ring width; MVA, mean vessel area; TVA, total vessel area; VD, vessel density; VN, number of vessels. See Table 1 for the codes of tree species. ns, p ≥ 0.05.

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