title: Effects of drought on leaf carbon source and growth of European beech are modulated by soil type.
abstract: Drought potentially affects carbon balance and growth of trees, but little is known to what extent soil plays a role in the trade-off between carbon gain and growth investment. In the present study, we analyzed leaf non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) as an indicator of the balance of photosynthetic carbon gain and carbon use, as well as growth of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) saplings, which were grown on two different soil types (calcareous and acidic) in model ecosystems and subjected to a severe summer drought. Our results showed that drought led in general to increased total NSC concentrations and to decreased growth rate, and drought reduced shoot and stem growth of plants in acidic soil rather than in calcareous soil. This result indicated that soil type modulated the carbon trade-off between net leaf carbon gain and carbon investment to growth. In drought-stressed trees, leaf starch concentration and growth correlated negatively whereas soluble sugar:starch ratio and growth correlated positively, which may contribute to a better understanding of growth regulation under drought conditions. Our results emphasize the role of soil in determining the trade-off between the balance of carbon gain and carbon use on the leaf level and growth under stress (e.g. drought).
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.|Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Jian-Feng
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.|Institute of Botany, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arend
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wen-Juan
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schaub
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Yan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.|Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gessler
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Ze-Ping
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rigling
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.|Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China.
authors.forename: Mai-He
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D050260:Carbohydrate Metabolism; D002241:Carbohydrates; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism*; D055864:Droughts; D029964:Fagus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D012987:Soil; D002244:Carbon