Spring Growth Variation in Pioneer and Fibrous Roots in Abies sachalinensis Seedlings from Provenances with Contrasting Snow Cover Environments

作者：Tetsuto Sugai, Wataru Ishizuka, Taiga Masumoto, Izuki Endo, Jun’ichiro Ide, Saki Fujita, Kobayashi Makoto, Naoki Makita · 发表于：International Journal of Plant Sciences · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1086/728188 · 被引用次数：4 · 研究领域：Seedling growth and survival studies、Turfgrass Adaptation and Management、Botany and Plant Ecology Studies

Premise of research. In boreal forests with snow-covered conditions, local adaptation in spring root exploration can be expected due to soil freezing or competition for the fundamental niche. However, few studies have investigated adaptive strategies for acquiring soil space and resources after snowmelt.Methodology. To conduct a common-garden trial, Abies sachalinensis was used as a representative boreal conifer species with local adaptation. Five-year-old seedlings derived from an eastern provenance with low snow cover and a northern provenance with high snow cover were grown for 2 yr in a common garden in a high–snow cover region. Seedlings were dug up in early spring just after snowmelt and in late spring after 1 mo had passed to evaluate patterns of spring root growth. Pioneer roots exploring soil space and fibrous roots acquiring soil resources were collected, and specific root length and relative central-cylinder thickness were measured.Pivotal results. In pioneer roots, a significant increase in specific root length and a decrease in relative central cylinder thickness from early to late spring were observed only in the northern provenance. These results demonstrated that the pioneer roots in the northern provenance were more responsive to spring soil conditions than those in the eastern provenance. In fibrous roots, the decline rate in specific root length from early to late spring averaged approximately 14% in the northern provenance versus 37% in the eastern provena...