Probability distributions of nonstructural carbon ages and transit times provide insights into carbon allocation dynamics of mature trees

In trees, the use of nonstructural carbon (NSC) under limiting conditions impacts the age structure of the NSC pools. We compared model predictions of NSC ages and transit times for Pinus halepensis, Acer rubrum and Pinus taeda, to understand differences in carbon (C) storage dynamics in species wit...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The New phytologist 2020-06, Vol.226 (5), p.1299-1311
Main Authors: Herrera-Ramírez, David, Muhr, Jan, Hartmann, Henrik, Römermann, Christine, Trumbore, Susan, Sierra, Carlos A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acer
Age
Age composition
Carbohydrate Metabolism
Carbon
carbon ages and transit times
carbon allocation
Computer simulation
Dynamics
Fluxes
modeling
nonstructural carbohydrates
Pine trees
Pinus
Probability
Probability theory
Sensitivity analysis
Starvation
Statistical analysis
Storage
Transit time
tree carbon dynamics
tree storage dynamics
Trees
Wood
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In trees, the use of nonstructural carbon (NSC) under limiting conditions impacts the age structure of the NSC pools. We compared model predictions of NSC ages and transit times for Pinus halepensis, Acer rubrum and Pinus taeda, to understand differences in carbon (C) storage dynamics in species with different leaf phenology and growth environments. We used two C allocation models from the literature to estimate the NSC age and transit time distributions, to simulate C limitation, and to evaluate the sensitivity of the mean ages to changes in allocation fluxes. Differences in allocation resulted in different NSC age and transit time distributions. The simulated starvation flattened the NSC age distribution and increased the mean NSC transit time, which can be used to estimate the age of the NSC available and the time it would take to exhaust the reserves. Mean NSC ages and transit times were sensitive to C fluxes in roots and allocation of C from wood storage. Our results demonstrate how trees with different storage traits are expected to react differently to starvation. They also provide a probabilistic explanation for the ‘last-in, first-out’ pattern of NSC mobilization from well-mixed C pools.
ISSN:0028-646X
1469-8137
DOI:10.1111/nph.16461