Skip to Main Content
-
Integrated responses of hydraulic architecture, water and carbon relations of western hemlock to dwarf mistletoe infection.
Author(s): E.C. Meinzer; D.R. Woodruff; D.C. Shaw
Date: 2004
Source: Plant, Cell and Environment. 27: 937-946
Publication Series: Scientific Journal (JRNL)
PDF: View PDF (763 MB)Description
Dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthohium spp.) is a hemiparasite that is said to be the single-most destructive pathogen of commercially valuable coniferous trees in many regions of the world. Although its destructive nature is well documented in many respects, its effects on the physiology of its host are poorly understood. In the present study, water and carbon relations were characterized over a range of scale from leaf to whole tree in large (40- to 50-m-tall) individuals of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) that were either heavily infected, or uninfected with hemlock dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium tsugense). Specific hydraulic conductivity (ks) of infected branches was approximately half that of uninfected branches, yet leaf specific conductivity (kL was similar because leaf area:sapwood area ratios (AL:AS) of infected brandies were lower. Pre-dawn and minimum leaf water potential and stomatal conductance gs) were similar among infected and uninfected trees because adjustments in hydraulic architecture of infected trees maintained kl despite reduced ks. Maximum whole tree water use was substantially lower hi infected trees (approximately 55 kg d-1) than in uninfected trees (approximately 90kg d-1) because reduced numbers of live branches in infected trees reduced whole tree AL:AS in a maturer consistent with that observed in infected branches. Maximum photosynthetic rates of heavily infected trees were approximately half those of uninfected trees. Correspondingly. leaf nitrogen content was 35% lower in infected trees. Foliar δ13C values were 2.8% more negative in infected than in uninfected individuals, consistent with the absence of stomatal adjustment to diminished photosynthetic capacity. Adjustments in hydraulic architecture of infected trees thus contributed to homeostasis of water transport efficiency and transpiration on a leaf area basis whereas both carbon accumulation and photosynthetic water use efficiency were sharply reduced at both the leaf and whole-tree scale.Publication Notes
- You may send email to pnw_pnwpubs@fs.fed.us to request a hard copy of this publication.
- (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)
- We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
- This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.
Citation
Meinzer, E.C.; Woodruff, D.R.; Shaw, D.C. 2004. Integrated responses of hydraulic architecture, water and carbon relations of western hemlock to dwarf mistletoe infection. Plant, Cell and Environment. 27: 937-946Keywords
Arceuthobium spp., Tsuga heterophylla, carbon isotope ratio, leaf-specific conductivity, photosynthesis, stomata, water use efficiencyRelated Search
- Basal area growth impacts of dwarf misletoe on western hemlock in an old-growth forest
- Impacts of dwarf mistletoe on the physiology of host Tsuga heterophylla trees as recorded in tree-ring C and O stable isotopes
- Spatial and population characteristics of dwarf mistletoe infected trees in an old-growth Douglas-fir - western hemlock forest.
XML: View XML
Show More
Show Fewer
https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/20354