Terpenes and phenolics in response to nitrogen fertilization: A test of the carbon/nutrient balance hypothesis

Abstract

Abstract. Nitrogen fertilization resulted in a linear increase in the growth of Abies grandis seedlings, but linear decrease in foliage concentrations of phenolic compounds. These data are consistent with the inverse relationship between growth and production of carbonbased secondary chemicals predicted by the carbon/nutrient balance (CNB) hypothesis. However, in contrast to predictions of the CNB hypothesis, nitrogen fertilization had no effect on foliage terpene concentrations. The results suggest that not all carbon-based chemicals respond in the same manner to environmental variation, and that the carbon/nutrient balance hypothesis does not adequately explain all patterns of environmentally-induced variation in secondary metabolism.

Characterization of Phenolic Compounds in Pinus laricio Needles and Their Responses to Prescribed Burnings

“…The mean content of total phenolic compounds in the needles varied from 25.6±2.6 to 47.0±4.4 mg of gallic acid/g dry weight (Figure 1), which is of the same order as the levels found in the literature [7,9,19]. Before the prescribed burning, total phenolic compound levels were higher at VN1 (unburned station) than at VN2 (burned station) (Anova, p<0.05; Figure 1).…”

Effect of mesograzers and nutrient levels on induction of defenses in several Brazilian macroalgae

“…Current allocation models, like the 'growth-differentiation balance hypothesis' or the 'carbon-nutrient balance hypothesis', consider resources responsible for allocation of defenses and predict phenotypic variation in the secondary defense metabolism of plants (Lerdau et al 1997). They predict a negative correlation between growth and concentrations of Cbased secondary compounds like phlorotannins or terpenes (Haukioja et al 1998) because of a trade-off between primary and secondary metabolic pathways (Herms & Mattson 1992, Muzika 1993, which compete for limited resources within a plant (Glynn et al 2003).…”

Phenolic compounds content in Pinus halepensis Mill. needles: a bioindicator of air pollution

“…Among these secondary metabolites, phenolic compounds are of particular interest because of (i) their major ecological role in allelopathic processes (Haslam, 1989;Rhodes, 1994;Cooper-Driver and Bhattacharya, 1998), (ii) their role in the protection of plants against herbivores (Pisani and Distel, 1998) and (iii) their involvement in the response of plants to environmental stress such as intra and/or interspecific competition or atmospheric pollution (Muzika, 1993;Karolewski and Giertych, 1994;Peñ nuelas et al, 1996). Most bibliographical studies on the impact of atmospheric pollutants on phenolic compounds only concerns the impact of standard atmospheric pollutants under controlled experimental conditions (Karolewski, 1990;Giertych and Karolewski, 1993;Karolewski and Giertych, 1994;Peñ nuelas et al, 1996).…”