Wood Anatomical Traits Reveal Different Structure of Peat Bog and Lowland Populations of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. in the Carpathian Region

Ecologically extreme habitats at a species’ distribution edges bear significance for biota under adverse climatic conditions and climate change. Range-edge populations adjust their functional traits to the special local ecological conditions, leading to increased intraspecific variability in their m...

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Main Authors: Balázs Palla, Márta Ladányi, Klára Cseke, Krisztina Buczkó, Mária Höhn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-04-01
Series:Forests
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/4/494
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author Balázs Palla
Márta Ladányi
Klára Cseke
Krisztina Buczkó
Mária Höhn
author_facet Balázs Palla
Márta Ladányi
Klára Cseke
Krisztina Buczkó
Mária Höhn
author_sort Balázs Palla
collection DOAJ
description Ecologically extreme habitats at a species’ distribution edges bear significance for biota under adverse climatic conditions and climate change. Range-edge populations adjust their functional traits to the special local ecological conditions, leading to increased intraspecific variability in their morpho-anatomical structure and, consequently, favor population survival in the absence of competitors. On the basis of wood anatomical traits, such as tracheid lumen area (CA), cell wall thickness (CWTrad), cell diameter-to-radial cell wall thickness ratio (CD/CWT), and the number of tracheids in the radial tracheid files (TNo), we investigated the xylem adjustment of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. populations from six ecologically extreme habitats from the Eastern Carpathians and the Pannonian Basin. Results indicated significant differences among all studied sites in case of all wood anatomical traits as signs of the local adaptation of trees. Peat bog populations adapted their wood anatomical traits to the generally hydric, cool and anaerobic conditions of the peat bogs, exhibiting smaller CA and proportionally thick CWTrad to ensure the hydraulic safety of the stem, whereas, on the lowland site, trees were characterized by a more effective water-conducting system, developing larger CA with relatively thin CWTrad with lower carbon-per-conduit-costs at the expense of higher vulnerability to cavitation. Radial tree ring growth and TNo also differed markedly among sites, following the temperature and groundwater constraints of the habitats. Wood anatomical variability among tree rings and the corresponding short-term climate response of populations differed from the adaptive responses of the trees to the ecological characteristics of the habitat. In addition to the different phylogeographic origin evidenced in former studies, phenotypic differentiation by the habitat type of the studied populations linked to the variance in morpho-anatomical traits have contributed to the survival of the peripheral Scots pine populations at the species’ range margins.
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spelling doaj.art-a4b3e70a384541739521a553370b318d2023-11-21T15:51:46ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072021-04-0112449410.3390/f12040494Wood Anatomical Traits Reveal Different Structure of Peat Bog and Lowland Populations of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. in the Carpathian RegionBalázs Palla0Márta Ladányi1Klára Cseke2Krisztina Buczkó3Mária Höhn4Department of Botany, Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, H-1118 Budapest, HungaryDepartment of Applied Statistics, Institute of Mathematics and Basic Science, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, H-1118 Budapest, HungaryDepartment of Tree Breeding, Forest Research Institute, H-9600 Sárvár, HungaryCentre for Ecological Research, Danube Research Institute, H-1113 Budapest, HungaryDepartment of Botany, Institute of Agronomy, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, H-1118 Budapest, HungaryEcologically extreme habitats at a species’ distribution edges bear significance for biota under adverse climatic conditions and climate change. Range-edge populations adjust their functional traits to the special local ecological conditions, leading to increased intraspecific variability in their morpho-anatomical structure and, consequently, favor population survival in the absence of competitors. On the basis of wood anatomical traits, such as tracheid lumen area (CA), cell wall thickness (CWTrad), cell diameter-to-radial cell wall thickness ratio (CD/CWT), and the number of tracheids in the radial tracheid files (TNo), we investigated the xylem adjustment of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. populations from six ecologically extreme habitats from the Eastern Carpathians and the Pannonian Basin. Results indicated significant differences among all studied sites in case of all wood anatomical traits as signs of the local adaptation of trees. Peat bog populations adapted their wood anatomical traits to the generally hydric, cool and anaerobic conditions of the peat bogs, exhibiting smaller CA and proportionally thick CWTrad to ensure the hydraulic safety of the stem, whereas, on the lowland site, trees were characterized by a more effective water-conducting system, developing larger CA with relatively thin CWTrad with lower carbon-per-conduit-costs at the expense of higher vulnerability to cavitation. Radial tree ring growth and TNo also differed markedly among sites, following the temperature and groundwater constraints of the habitats. Wood anatomical variability among tree rings and the corresponding short-term climate response of populations differed from the adaptive responses of the trees to the ecological characteristics of the habitat. In addition to the different phylogeographic origin evidenced in former studies, phenotypic differentiation by the habitat type of the studied populations linked to the variance in morpho-anatomical traits have contributed to the survival of the peripheral Scots pine populations at the species’ range margins.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/4/494Scots pineadaptationclimate changewood anatomytracheidogramtraits
spellingShingle Balázs Palla
Márta Ladányi
Klára Cseke
Krisztina Buczkó
Mária Höhn
Wood Anatomical Traits Reveal Different Structure of Peat Bog and Lowland Populations of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. in the Carpathian Region
Forests
Scots pine
adaptation
climate change
wood anatomy
tracheidogram
traits
title Wood Anatomical Traits Reveal Different Structure of Peat Bog and Lowland Populations of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. in the Carpathian Region
title_full Wood Anatomical Traits Reveal Different Structure of Peat Bog and Lowland Populations of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. in the Carpathian Region
title_fullStr Wood Anatomical Traits Reveal Different Structure of Peat Bog and Lowland Populations of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. in the Carpathian Region
title_full_unstemmed Wood Anatomical Traits Reveal Different Structure of Peat Bog and Lowland Populations of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. in the Carpathian Region
title_short Wood Anatomical Traits Reveal Different Structure of Peat Bog and Lowland Populations of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L. in the Carpathian Region
title_sort wood anatomical traits reveal different structure of peat bog and lowland populations of i pinus sylvestris i l in the carpathian region
topic Scots pine
adaptation
climate change
wood anatomy
tracheidogram
traits
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/4/494
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