Needle browning and death in the flagged crown of Abies mariesii in the timberline ecotone of the alpine region in central Japan

In the flagged crown, which is asymmetric growth formed by severe stresses during winter in alpine regions, needles of evergreen conifers often became brown and died in early spring, but did not in a cushion-shaped crown. Needle browning and death is thought to occur by increasing transpiration due...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Trees (Berlin, West) West), 2013-06, Vol.27 (3), p.815-825
Main Authors: Nakamoto, Aoi, Ikeda, Takefumi, Maruta, Emiko
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abies mariesii
Agriculture
Alpine regions
Biomedical and Life Sciences
conifers
death
Desiccation
epicuticular wax
Forestry
ice
Life Sciences
mechanical damage
Mortality
Original Paper
Plant Anatomy/Development
Plant Pathology
Plant Physiology
Plant Sciences
snow
spring
Transpiration
treeline
winter
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Summary:In the flagged crown, which is asymmetric growth formed by severe stresses during winter in alpine regions, needles of evergreen conifers often became brown and died in early spring, but did not in a cushion-shaped crown. Needle browning and death is thought to occur by increasing transpiration due to a thinner cuticle or mechanical damage to the cuticle by wind-born snow and ice particles. To confirm whether the needle browning and death in the flagged crown of Abies mariesii Mast., in the alpine region of Japan conform with this concept, we assessed mechanical damage of the needle cuticle in a timberline ecotone and evaluated the effect of cuticle thickness on cuticular resistance. Mechanical damage on needle cuticles of A. mariesii was not observed. In the cushion-shaped crown, epicuticular wax covered the cuticle and plugged stomatal antechambers. In the flagged crown, epicuticular wax was mostly absent. Cuticular resistance in the flagged crown was lower than that in the cushion-shaped crown. However, the cuticle in the flagged crown was thicker than that in the cushion-shaped crown. The needle browning and death in the flagged crown of A. mariesii occurred even though needle cuticles were not mechanically damaged. The thicker cuticle of the flagged crown may play a role in other stresses. To estimate desiccation stress in relation to the cuticle, we need to elucidate not only cuticular resistance and cuticle thickness, but also cuticle quality and structure.
ISSN:0931-1890
1432-2285
DOI:10.1007/s00468-012-0836-y