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Comparative studies on physiological and biochemical adaptation of Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens seedlings to different soil water regimes

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Abstract

Responses of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) and pondcypress (Taxodium ascendens) seedlings in leaf gas exchange and root metabolism to a wide range of hydrological regimes were studied. Four water treatments included control (C), mild drought (MD), wet soil (WS) and flooding (FL). Both species showed no significant change in net photosynthetic rate (Pn) in response to flooding in contrast to significant reduction in Pn under mild drought conditions. In baldcypress, Pn was also maintained at control level compared to significant increase of Pn in pondcypress when subjected to the wet soil treatment. In flooding, both species showed significant increase in contents of malate and shikimate in their lateral roots and further in total roots, as compared to control. However, different adaptation to flooding was demonstrated in their taproots in contents of malate and shikimate. Furthermore, baldcypress seedlings showed significant reductions in lateral and total root biomass, in contrast with no significant change in that of pondcypress seedlings in response to flooding. In wet soil, no significant effects were revealed in contents of malate and shikimate in roots (including different root portions) of baldcypress seedlings in contrast to significant increase of their contents in lateral roots of pondcypress seedlings. No significant effects on root biomass were detected in either baldcypress or pondcypress seedlings in response to wet soil. When subjected to mild drought, baldcypress seedlings displayed no significant change in contents of malate and shikimate in roots, whereas pondcypress seedlings exhibited significant reduction in content of shikimate in lateral roots and total roots. In addition, root biomass of baldcypress seedlings showed no significant change, while lateral and total root biomass of pondcypress seedlings demonstrated significant increase when mild drought was imposed. These findings indicate that baldcypress and pondcypress appear to be promising candidates for reforestation in the Three Gorges Reservoir region due to their characteristics of water-tolerance and mild drought endurance. However, pondcypress is more resilient than baldcypress to the continuum of water availability conditions expected in the Three Gorges Reservoir region.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financed by the Key Project of Chongqing Natural Science Foundation Program (Program number: CSTC-2008BA7032), and partially funded by 948 Program of State Forestry Administration (Program number: 2008-4-45), Key Laboratory for the Eco-Environment of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of the Ministry of Education, and Chongqing Key Laboratory for the Protection and Restoration of Forest Ecology of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region. Special thanks to Professor Keith Hjortshoj of Cornell University of the U.S. for his invaluable comments on earlier drafts. We are also indebted to Professor Marinus J. A. Werger of Utrecht University, The Netherlands and Professor Jim Lassoie of Cornell University, U.S.A. for critically reading the manuscript. The two anonymous reviewers and editor Dr. John McPherson Cheeseman are greatly appreciated for their thoughtful and insightful comments that helped us to improve our manuscript significantly. The authors would also like to thank the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program to provide logistic support during writing the manuscript.

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  1. Key Laboratory for the Eco-Environment of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People’s Republic of China

    Changxiao Li & Zhangcheng Zhong

  2. Chongqing Key Laboratory for the Protection and Restoration of Forest Ecology of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, Chongqing, 400036, People’s Republic of China

    Changxiao Li & Yanghui Geng

  3. Department of Natural Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Rebecca Schneider

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  1. Changxiao Li
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Correspondence to Changxiao Li.

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Responsible Editor: John McPherson Cheeseman.

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Li, C., Zhong, Z., Geng, Y. et al. Comparative studies on physiological and biochemical adaptation of Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens seedlings to different soil water regimes. Plant Soil 329, 481–494 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-0174-z

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