Seasonal dynamics of xylem formation in Cunninghamia lanceolata and Schima superba and its response to environmental factors

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2024.0135

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Understanding the physiological mechanism of wood productivity and its capacity to adapt to climate change is crucial for developing sustainable plantation management strategies, which requires an investigation into the xylem formation process. The objective of this study was to clarify the phenology and dynamics of xylem formation and their link with environmental factors in two tree species under subtropical climate.

Methods In 2022, we monitored the seasonal dynamics of xylem formation of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Schima superba using the microcoring method at Qianyanzhou Subtropical Forest Ecological Research Station. We also collected environmental data to analyze the correlations with xylem growth rates.

Important findings The results showed that in late March, C. lanceolataand Schima superbastarted to produce enlargement cells. In April, the cell walls thickened, and in May, the cells began to mature. Schima superba completed cell enlargement in July and finished cell lignification by the end of August, 48 days and 21 days earlier than C. lanceolata, respectively. Despite having a longer growing season, C. lanceolataexhibited a much lower growth rate than S. superba, resulting in a smaller final growth volume. The xylem growth rates of C. lanceolata and S. superba correlated favorably with air temperature and soil water content on an annual basis. Furthermore, C. lanceolatadisplayed a significant positive response to vapor pressure deficit and photosynthetically active radiation, while it was negatively impacted by relative humidity. Additionally, there was a substantially positive correlation between soil temperature and S. superbaxylem growth rate. The primary factors influencing the xylem growth of C. lanceolataand S. superba in the study area were temperature and the soil water conditions.

Key words: xylem, cambium, phenology, growth rate, microcore

LI Si-Yu, YANG Feng-Ting, WANG Hui-Min, DAI Xiao-Qin, MENG Sheng-Wang. Seasonal dynamics of xylem formation in Cunninghamia lanceolata and Schima superba and its response to environmental factors[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2025, 49(2): 295-307.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2024.0135

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2025/V49/I2/295

Figures/Tables 10

Table 1 Key information about the sample trees of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Schima superba in Qianyanzhou research station

树种 Species	生活型 Life form	木材类型 Wood type	树号 Tree No.	胸径 Diameter at breast height (cm)
杉木 Cunninghamia lanceolata	常绿针叶 Evergreen conifer	无孔材 Non-porous wood	1	22.3
			2	20.5
			3	24.0
			4	21.6
木荷 Schima superba	常绿阔叶 Evergreen broadleaf	散孔材 Diffuse-porous wood	1	18.7
			2	24.7
			3	20.7

Fig. 1 Anatomical diagram of xylem of Cunninghamia lanceolata (A) and Schima superba (B) under polarized light microscope. Cz, cambium zone; Ec, enlargement cells; M, mature cells; Ph, phloem; WT, wall thickening cells; Xy, xylem in last year.

Fig. 2 Climate characteristics of Qianyanzhou Station in 2022. PAR, photosynthetically active radiation; Pre, precipitation; RH, relative humidity; ST, soil temperature; SWC, soil water content; Tmax, maximum air temperature; Tmean, mean air temperature; Tmin, minimum air temperature; VPD, saturated vapor pressure difference.

Fig. 3 Key dates (A) and duration (B) of xylem formation in Cunninghamia lanceolata and Schima superba, expressed in day of year (DOY) (mean ± SD). ns, p > 0.05; **, p < 0.01.

Fig. 4 Variation of ring width at each stage of cell differentiation during xylem formation (mean ± SE) in Cunninghamia lanceolata and Schima superba, including cambium zone (A, E), enlarging cells zone (B, F), wall thickening zone (C, G) and mature cells zone (D, H). The bimodal pattern of the cell wall thickening in C. lanceolata is clearly visible in the small figure at the upper right corner of panel C.

Table 2 Fitting results of the Gompertz function for xylem annual growth in Cunninghamia lanceolata and Schima superba

树种 Species	树号 Tree No.	A	β	k	调整R²Adjust R²	r_mean(μm·d^-1)	r_max(μm·d^-1)	t_p
杉木 Cunninghamia lanceolata	1	679.49 ± 58.62	2.12 ± 0.38	0.015 ± 0.003	0.92	2.29	3.75	141.33
	2	1 130.06 ± 249.69	2.21 ± 0.45	0.010 ± 0.003	0.89	2.54	4.16	221.00
	3	871.06 ± 46.14	2.55 ± 0.61	0.023 ± 0.005	0.84	4.51	7.37	110.87
	4	443.55 ± 29.66	2.50 ± 0.56	0.018 ± 0.004	0.85	1.80	2.94	138.89
	平均 Mean	754.50 ± 39.16	1.81 ± 0.19	0.013 ± 0.002	0.95	2.21^b	3.61^b	139.23^a
木荷 Schima superba	1	973.60 ± 48.70	8.24 ± 4.99	0.067 ± 0.040	0.78	14.68	24.00	122.99
	2	2 213.90 ± 69.46	6.56 ± 1.71	0.047 ± 0.012	0.92	23.41	38.28	139.57
	3	2 183.16 ± 66.56	8.40 ± 2.97	0.065 ± 0.022	0.91	31.93	52.20	129.23
	平均 Mean	1 745.44 ± 50.81	7.59 ± 2.32	0.058 ± 0.017	0.92	22.78^a	37.24^a	130.86^a

Fig. 5 Xylem growth dynamics (A, B) and growth rates (C, D) of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Schima superba, fitted using Gompertz model.

Fig. 6 Pearson correlation coefficients between xylem growth rate and environmental factors of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Schima superba. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001. PAR, photosynthetically active radiation; Pre, precipitation; RH, relative humidity; ST, soil temperature; SWC, soil water content; Tmax, maximum air temperature; Tmean, mean air temperature; Tmin, minimum air temperature; VPD, saturated vapor pressure difference.

Fig. 7 Principal component (PC) analysis of xylem growth rate (XGR) and environmental factors in Cunninghamia lanceolata (A) and Schima superba (B). PAR, photosynthetically active radiation; Pre, precipitation; RH, relative humidity; ST, soil temperature; SWC, soil water content; Tmax, maximum air temperature; Tmean, mean air temperature; Tmin, minimum air temperature; VPD, saturated vapor pressure difference.

Fig. 8 Xylem growth characteristics of Cunninghamia lanceolata (A) and Schima superba (B) during dry months in summer drought.

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