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Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur concentration and partitioning in beech ecotypes (Fagus sylvatica L.): phosphorus most affected by drought

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Abstract

Beech seedlings of different drought sensitivity originating from 11 German provenances were grown in pots and cultivated in a greenhouse. The present paper aims to give insights on uptake, transport and use of macronutrients, since the knowledge of drought effects on the nutrition of trees is low compared to water relations. Therefore, the elemental composition, the ratio of inorganic to total content, and the partitioning between roots and shoots of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur were investigated as affected by provenance and drought treatment. Phosphorus and phosphate concentrations decreased in all tissues after a 3 week drought treatment simulating a summer drought period. In roots carbon increased and nitrate decreased, in stems nitrogen decreased but nitrate increased following drought. The observed effects on phosphorus and phosphate are discussed in terms of lower phosphate mobility in the substrate due to lower water availability. The decrease in the ratio of phosphate to phosphorus in the tissues suggests the use of vacuolar phosphate pools for maintaining organic phosphorus homeostasis. The partitioning of all macronutrients was not affected by drought, although phosphorus and phosphate were significantly lowered in tissues. In most of the parameters studied significant differences between provenances were found. The recently observed drought sensitivity of provenances was not reflected in the strength of concentration changes or partitioning of macronutrients by drought over provenances.

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Acknowledgements

This paper was supported by a grant from Land Baden-Württemberg (BW SÖ 99001). We thank Elfriede Reisberg and Dr. W. Kaiser (Würzburg) for ICP analysis and R. Langel and Dr. A. Reining (Göttingen) for CN-analysis. The critical reading of the manuscript by Tony Winters, Forest Science Centre, Creswick, Australia is acknowledged.

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  1. Institut für Forstbotanik und Baumphysiologie, Georges-Köhler-Allee Geb. 053/054, 79110, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany

    A. D. Peuke & H. Rennenberg

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  1. A. D. Peuke
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  2. H. Rennenberg
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Correspondence to A. D. Peuke.

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Peuke, A.D., Rennenberg, H. Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulphur concentration and partitioning in beech ecotypes (Fagus sylvatica L.): phosphorus most affected by drought. Trees 18, 639–648 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-004-0335-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-004-0335-x

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