Winter climate change and fine root biogenic silica in sugar maple trees (<i>Acer saccharum</i>): Implications for silica in the Anthropocene

Maguire, Timothy J.; Templer, Pamela H.; Fulweiler, Robinson W.

doi:10.1002/2016jg003755

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…The extent to which plants can actively control Si accumulation relative to passive uptake that is hydraulically and osmotically driven is still debated (Kumar, Milstein, Brami, Elbaum, & Elbaum, 2017;McLarnon, McQueen-Mason, Lenk, & Hartley, 2017;Quigley & Anderson, 2014). There is, however, wider recognition that climatic factors such as water availability and temperature influence Si accumulation (Hartley, 2015;Maguire, Templer, Battles, & Fulweiler, 2017;Schoelynck et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate warming and plant biomechanical defences: Silicon addition contributes to herbivore suppression in a pasture grass

et al. 2019

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Plants, notably the Poaceae, often accumulate large amounts of silicon (Si) from the soil. Si has multiple functional roles, particularly for alleviating abiotic and biotic stresses (e.g., defence against herbivores). Recent evidence suggests that environmental change, including temperature changes, can diminish Si accumulation which could affect functions such as herbivore defence. Using a field warming experiment, we grew a pasture grass (Phalaris aquatica) that was either supplemented or untreated with Si (+Si and −Si, respectively) under ambient and elevated (+2.8°C above ambient) air temperatures. We quantified soil water, plant growth rates, Si accumulation, leaf biomechanical properties and in situ relative growth rates of a herbivorous global insect pest (Helicoverpa armigera). Si supplementation promoted shoot and root biomass by c. 48% and 61%, respectively under ambient temperatures, but these gains were not apparent under warmed conditions. Warmer temperatures reduced Si uptake by −Si plants by c. 17%, potentially due to the lower levels of soil water content in warmed plots. Si supplementation, however, increased Si accumulation in leaves by c. 24% in warmed plots restoring Si levels to those seen under ambient temperatures. Si supplementation enhanced biomechanical properties in the leaves, but this was only statistically significant under ambient temperatures; leaves of +Si plants required 42% more force to fracture and were 30% tougher at the midrib than leaves of −Si plants. The relative growth rates of H. armigera declined by 56% when feeding on +Si plants under ambient temperatures, and while Si supplementation caused a trend towards declining herbivore growth rates under warmer conditions, this was not statistically significant. We conclude that climate warming may mitigate the beneficial effects of Si on Phalaris aquatica in the short term, potentially by reducing Si uptake. While Si uptake can be restored with Si supplementation, Si‐enhanced biomechanical defences against a global pest may not be fully restored under warmer temperatures. A plain language summary is available for this article.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate warming and plant biomechanical defences: Silicon addition contributes to herbivore suppression in a pasture grass

et al. 2019

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“…Transpiration‐based estimates exceed those in litter by twofold to fivefold, although Si is largely immobile in live foliage, with minimal leaching (Markewitz & Richter, ). Any accumulation in root tissue (i.e., as observed by Maguire et al, ) would presumably happen before we sampled the transpiration stream in branches, as Si is not known to be relocated in the phloem (Exley, ). We conclude that some sequestration in wood (e.g., Clymans et al, ) combined with measurement uncertainty may explain this observation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Belowground sequestration is also challenging to measure, and elemental concentrations are rarely reported, although may be important in some cases. Maguire et al (), for example, estimated that 29% of biogenic Si in A. saccharum is present in fine roots, which account for less than 4% of the tree biomass. Using green leaves to estimate litter flux, as we did here, does not account for any resorption that may occur during senescence (Vergutz et al, ), potentially overestimating return to the soil surface.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Cycling of Mineral Nutrients in a Temperate Forested Shale Catchment

et al. 2018

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Biological pumping of mineral elements (root uptake from the soil and concentration at the surface via litterfall) may be an important mechanism influencing their loss from terrestrial ecosystems by accelerating transport in runoff, though few estimates exist to assess this. In the Susquehanna Shale Hills Critical Zone Observatory (a temperate forested watershed in central Pennsylvania), we compared two independent methods (litterfall-based and transpiration flow-based) for estimating the total uptake of elements (Ca, K, Mg, Mn, Si, Sr, and Al) by canopy trees. Elemental concentrations were measured monthly in leaf tissue and xylem sap of dominant species Quercus rubra (chestnut oak), Q. prinus (red oak), and Acer saccharum (sugar maple) for two growing seasons. Species-specific litterfall and transpiration (estimated by eddy covariance) were used to scale concentrations to annual fluxes. For most elements, both methods generated comparable gross fluxes in the range of 53-85 (Ca), 9-19 (Mg), 14-28 (Mn), 0.2-0.6 (Al), and 0.1-0.3 (Sr) kg·ha À1 ·year À1 . For K, litterfall-based methods generated substantially lower estimates than transpiration, though neither accounted comprehensively for leaching from live foliage, resorption, or potential recycling within the growing season. For most elements, uptake rates were similar in magnitude to stream losses, implying a low degree of recycling. For K and Mn however, biological uptake exceeded losses by 1-2 orders of magnitude, suggesting a biological role in ecosystem retention. We conclude that litter-and transpiration-based methods can be combined to broadly estimate the magnitude of biological pumping, with additional measures of wood-/root-based turnover necessary for more accurate budgets.Plain Language Summary Elements such as silicon and calcium that are weathered from rocks can be moved from deep in the soil to the surface through uptake by plant roots and subsequent litterfall. At the surface, these elements are more vulnerable to being lost from an ecosystem by being eroded or washed into waterways, where they can eventually influence downstream processes such as ocean carbon uptake. It is difficult to estimate how important transport by trees is for element loss (or for recycling within the ecosystem) without good measurement methods. Here we compared two methods for estimating tree uptake of seven elements by measuring their concentrations in either leaf litter or plant sap. We measured three dominant tree species (oaks and maples) in a temperate forest catchment in central Pennsylvania and used total litterfall and sap flow to scale these concentrations into annual uptake rates. For most elements, both methods generated similar estimates that showed that the amount taken up by trees was similar to the amount lost in streams every year. However, for potassium and manganese, tree uptake was much greater than stream loss, suggesting that incorporation into tree litter helps to retain these elements within the ecosystem.

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“…These small-scale phytogenic Si were demonstrated to influence various soil and plant processes (Meunier et al, 2017;Puppe et al, 2017). Maguire et al (2017), who examined the impact of climate change on Si uptake by trees, observed that fine roots of sugar maple (Acer saccharum), which represented only 4 % of the tree's biomass, accumulated 29 % of the Si.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Considering the high Si content of fine roots (Krieger et al, 2017;Maguire et al, 2017) and their rapid turnover in forest ecosystems (approximately 1 year in beech forests in Europe; Brunner et al, 2013), we hypothesized that fine roots could significantly contribute to the input of BSi into the soil.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Contribution of fine tree roots to the silicon cycle in a temperate forest ecosystem developed on three soil types

Turpault

Calvaruso²,

Kirchen

et al. 2018

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. The role of forest vegetation in the silicon (Si) cycle has been widely examined. However, to date, little is known about the specific role of fine roots. The main objective of our study was to assess the influence of fine roots on the Si cycle in a temperate forest in north-eastern France. Silicon pools and fluxes in vegetal solid and solution phases were quantified within each ecosystem compartment, i.e. in the atmosphere, above-ground and below-ground tree tissues, forest floor and different soil layers, on three plots, each with different soil types, i.e. Dystric Cambisol (DC), Eutric Cambisol (EC) and Rendzic Leptosol (RL). In this study, we took advantage of a natural soil gradient, from shallow calcic soil to deep moderately acidic soil, with similar climates, atmospheric depositions, species compositions and management. Soil solutions were measured monthly for 4 years to study the seasonal dynamics of Si fluxes. A budget of dissolved Si (DSi) was also determined for the forest floor and soil layers. Our study highlighted the major role of fine roots in the Si cycle in forest ecosystems for all soil types. Due to the abundance of fine roots mainly in the superficial soil layers, their high Si concentration (equivalent to that of leaves and 2 orders higher than that of coarse roots) and their rapid turnover rate (approximately 1 year), the mean annual Si fluxes in fine roots in the three plots were 68 and 110 kgha-1yr-1 for the RL and the DC, respectively. The turnover rates of fine roots and leaves were approximately 71 and 28 % of the total Si taken up by trees each year, demonstrating the importance of biological recycling in the Si cycle in forests. Less than 1 % of the Si taken up by trees each year accumulated in the perennial tissues. This study also demonstrated the influence of soil type on the concentration of Si in the annual tissues and therefore on the Si fluxes in forests. The concentrations of Si in leaves and fine roots were approximately 1.5–2.0 times higher in the Si-rich DC compared to the Si-poor RL. In terms of the DSi budget, DSi production was large in the three plots in the forest floor (9.9 to 12.7 kgha-1yr-1), as well as in the superficial soil layer (5.3 to 14.5 kgha-1yr-1), and decreased with soil depth. An immobilization of DSi was even observed at 90 cm depth in plot DC (−1.7 kgha-1yr-1). The amount of Si leached from the soil profile was relatively low compared to the annual uptake by trees (13 % in plot DC to 29 % in plot RL). The monthly measurements demonstrated that the seasonal dynamics of the DSi budget were mainly linked to biological activity. Notably, the peak of dissolved Si production in the superficial soil layer occurred during winter and probably resulted from fine-root decomposition. Our study reveals that biological processes, particularly those involving fine roots, play a predominant role in the Si cycle in temperate forest ecosystems, while the geochemical processes appear to be limited.

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Winter climate change and fine root biogenic silica in sugar maple trees (Acer saccharum): Implications for silica in the Anthropocene

Cited by 18 publications

References 54 publications

Climate warming and plant biomechanical defences: Silicon addition contributes to herbivore suppression in a pasture grass

Climate warming and plant biomechanical defences: Silicon addition contributes to herbivore suppression in a pasture grass

Biological Cycling of Mineral Nutrients in a Temperate Forested Shale Catchment

Contribution of fine tree roots to the silicon cycle in a temperate forest ecosystem developed on three soil types

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