When considering the effect of heavy metals on trees generally and on forest ecosystems especially, importance is given to their influence on seed germination in metal polluted soil. There is ...insufficient data on this subject, especially when conifers are concerned. In this work, the influence of high cadmium concentrations on percentage germination, specific activities and isoenzyme patterns of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD) during the germination of Serbian spruce Picea omorika (Panc.) Purkyne was studied. Cadmium chloride concentrations of up to 0.1 mM did not cause an inhibition of germination, while 1 mM concentration inhibited germination and the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. The isoenzyme profile of catalase and superoxide dismutase did not change at high cadmium concentrations, while peroxidase expression of basic peroxidase (B5) with pi value of 9.1 increased. This isoform of POD can play an important role in the early development of Serbian spruce and its defense mechanism against heavy metals.
Cell wall response to UV radiation in needles of Picea omorika Mitrović, Aleksandra Lj; Radosavljević, Jasna Simonović; Prokopijević, Miloš ...
Plant physiology and biochemistry,
April 2021, 2021-Apr, 2021-04-00, 20210401, Letnik:
161
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
The UV-B represents the minor fraction of the solar spectrum, while UV-C is not contained in natural solar radiation, but both radiation types can cause damaging effects in plants. Cell walls (CWs) ...are one of the targets for external stressors. Juvenile P. omorika trees were treated either with 21 day-high doses UV-B or with 7 day- UV-C in open-top chambers. Using spectroscopic and biochemical techniques, it was shown that the response to UV radiation includes numerous modifications in needle CW structure: relative content of xylan, xyloglucan, lignin and cellulose decreased; cellulose crystallinity changed; yield of lignin monomers with stronger connection of CC in side chain with the ring increased; re-distribution of inter- and intra-polymer H-bonds occurred. The recovery was mediated by an increase in the activities and changes in isoform profiles of CW bound covalent peroxidases (POD) and polyphenol oxidases (PO) (UV–B), and ionic POD and covalent PO (UV–C). A connection between activities of specific POD/PO isoforms and phenolic species (m- and p-coumaric acid, pinoresinol and cinnamic acid derivatives) was demonstrated, and supported by changes in the sRNA profile. In vivo fluorometry showed phenolics accumulation in needle epidermal CWs. These results imply transversal connections between polymers and changed mechanical properties of needle CW as a response to UV. The CW alterations enabled maintenance of physiological functions, as indicated by the preserved chlorophyll content and/or organization. The current study provides evidence that in conifers, needle CW response to both UV-B and UV-C includes biochemical modifications and structural remodeling.
•Cell wall - mediated response to UV-B and UV-C in a juvenile conifer includes:•Decreased content of xylan, xyloglucan and cellulose, changed cellulose crystallinity.•Increased yield of lignin monomers with stronger connection of CC in side chain with the ring.•Re-distribution of inter- and intra-polymer H-bonds.•Connection between activities of specific POD/PO isoforms and specific phenolic types.
Population variability of n-alkanes in the cuticular waxes of Serbian spruce needles from Bosnia and Herzegovina was investigated for the first time. n-Alkanes exhibited composition variability ...ranging from C18 to C35.
The divergence of populations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and previously investigated Serbian populations was statistically confirmed by PCA, DA, and CA (Cluster analysis), which could support the fact that there are two possible spruce chemotypes: one relating to the Bosnian-Herzegovinian and the other to the Serbian populations. Climate parameters (precipitation, temperature, wind, and solar radiation) approved this conclusion.
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•n-Alkanes of Serbian spruce from Bosnia and Herzegovina were investigated for the first time.•Among them, C29, C23, C27, and C25 were the most abundant.•PCA and especially DA showed the greatest distance of population Viogor.•There are two possible chemotypes: Bosnian-Herzegovinian and Serbian populations.•Precipitation, temperature, wind, and solar radiation approved this conclusion.
Key message
The
Picea abies
dendromass production can be replaced by introduced spruce species where the
Picea omorika
showed the highest biomass production and resistance to climate change in ...central European conditions.
Climate change has a major impact on the availability of sustainable wood production. From the perspective of dendromass processing, the most important European species is Norway spruce (
Picea abies
L. Karst.), whose stands have been subject to large-scale dieback in recent years. This situation requires partial replacement. In our comprehensive study, we evaluate the potential for replacement of
P. abies
by
Picea mariana
Mill. Britt., Sterns and Poggenburg (black spruce),
Picea omorika
Pančić Purk. (Serbian spruce), and
Picea pungens
Engelm. (blue spruce), growing under the same conditions in an Antonín forest plantation (area 165 ha, 51 years old) in Czechia, planted after the reclamation of a spoil heap. The following characteristics were evaluated on the 18 permanent research plots: biomass production potential, carbon sequestration, growth resistance to climate change based on dendrochronological analyses, and selected physical and mechanical properties providing a basic idea of the quality of the feedstock for the timber industry. The highest biomass production was achieved by
P. omorika
(150 t ha
−1
) and the lowest by
P. mariana
(77 t ha
−1
).
P. mariana
was also found to be the least resistant to climatic extremes. In contrast,
P. omorika
showed stable, uniform growth, and high resistance, especially to prolonged dry periods. In terms of wood parameters, the highest quality values were found in the case of native
P. abies
values in terms of strength (45.4 MPa) and density (503 kg m
−3
), followed by
P. omorika
(40.2 MPa and 504 kg m
−3
).
P. omorika
showed the greatest homogeneity of growth, production potential, resistance to climate change, high technical quality of the raw wood material.
P. omorika
clearly represents a suitable alternative to the native
P. abies
, whereas
P. mariana
and
P. pungens
are not suitable substitutes for growing under Central European conditions.
Species in the genus
Picea
are well-suited for afforestation on high altitudes and latitudes, but are fairly intolerant to high temperatures. In this study,
Picea pungens
,
Picea abies
, and
Picea ...omorika
were subjected to 45 °C, 40 °C, 35 °C, and ambient temperature (CK) for 6 h, and then allowed to recover for 28 d. Changes in phenotype, relative water content (RWC), and maximal photochemical efficiency (Fv/Fm) of photosystem II (PS II) were observed to ascertain their thermal tolerance. Overall, all three species were negatively affected by exposure to 45 °C, but
P. pungens
exhibited full recovery, with the highest RWC, while
P. omorika
exhibited partial recovery, and
P. abies
showed minimal recovery. The PS II of all three species were damaged after 45 °C treatment, but that of
P. pungens
exhibited the most dramatic recovery, with Fv/Fm recovering from 0 to 0.26. In conclusion,
P. pungens
was found to exhibit the greatest thermal tolerance, followed by
P. omorika
and
P. abies
. Thus, thermal tolerance should be considered as a tool for species selection for future reforestation endeavor in the face of climate change that is expected to bring high summer temperature events.
The increase in length and severity of drought events predicted for South-Eastern Europe are expected to engender important changes to remaining native forests. To make informed management decisions ...promoting their conservation, it is important to better understand their responses to climate and environmental disturbances.
In this study, we analyze growth responses over a network of 15 sites of Serbian spruce (Picea omorika), an endemic relict conifer species of the Balkan region — with a natural range restricted to the canyon of the Drina river at the border between Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina — that has already shown signs of decline and dieback likely induced by increasing temperature and drought.
Tree-ring analyses spanning the common period from 1974 to 2016 have shown a strong growth reduction and highlighted an increasing negative growth response to summer drought over the last 30–40 years. The strength of the response differed among individuals and sites, where younger trees and those growing at lower altitude suffered more from drought.
Management practices oriented at reducing drought impact, such as thinning to reduce competition for water resources and enhance survival of seedlings, together with assisted natural regeneration and migration to more suitable habitats, are recommended for the conservation of this relict species. The measures are even more necessary considering that this species is more vulnerable than others due to its weak capacity to naturally regenerate and compete.
Fluorescence-detected linear dichroism (FDLD) microscopy provides observation of structural order in a microscopic sample and its expression in numerical terms, enabling both quantitative and ...qualitative comparison among different samples. We applied FDLD microscopy to compare the distribution and alignment of cellulose fibrils in cell walls of compression wood (CW) and normal wood (NW) on stem cross-sections of juvenile Picea omorika trees. Our data indicate a decrease in cellulose fibril order in CW compared with NW. Radial and tangential walls differ considerably in both NW and CW. In radial walls, cellulose fibril order shows a gradual decrease from NW to severe CW, in line with the increase in CW severity. This indicates that FDLD analysis of cellulose fibril order in radial cell walls is a valuable method for estimation of CW severity.
We analysed sediments from Crveni Potok (Tara Mountains, Serbia), a key site in the Dinaric Alps because it is located within the restricted distribution range of the endemic conifer Picea omorika ...(Serbian spruce), and thereby bears a unique potential in revealing its Holocene history. We used a set of proxies (pollen, plant-macrofossils, charcoal) to reconstruct the long-term vegetation and fire histories at different spatial scales. The comprehensive snapshot provided by the reconstructions fill an important gap of European long-term vegetation and fire histories in the overall data-coverage poor region of the Dinaric Alps. The reconstructions unfolded an unusual late-Holocene persistence of high forest cover that contrasts with the large majority of European landscape-scale forest-cover records, which show massive anthropogenic openings in the past two millennia. We also found evidence for good post-fire recovery of the currently threatened endemic P. omorika populations. This leads us to suggest that prescribed-burning programmes may be beneficial to reduce the vulnerability of the species, and for ecological restoration and conservation purposes of the declining and endangered populations.
•We reconstruct vegetation and fire history using pollen, plant macrofossils, charcoal.•We found persistence of high forest cover during pre-historical and historical time.•P. omorika needle findings cluster at times of biomass-burning phases.•Support the notion of good post-fire recovery of P. omorika.
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