On the causes of rising gross ecosystem productivity in a regenerating clearcut environment: leaf area vs. species composition.

Clearcutting a forest ecosystem can result in a drastic reduction of stand productivity. Despite the severity of this disturbance type, past studies have found that the productivity of young regenerating stands can quickly rebound, approaching that of mature undisturbed stands within a few years. One of the obvious reasons is increased leaf area (LA) with each year of recovery. However, a less obvious reason may be the variability in species composition and distribution during the natural regeneration process. The purpose of this study was to investigate to what extent the increase in gross ecosystem productivity (GEP), observed during the first 4 years of recovery in a naturally regenerating clearcut stand, was due to (i) an overall expansion of leaf area and (ii) an increase in the canopy's photosynthetic capacity stemming from either species compositional shifts or drift in physiological traits within species. We found that the multi-year rise in GEP following harvest was clearly attributed to the expansion of LA rather than a change in vegetation composition. Sizeable changes in the relative abundance of species were masked by remarkably similar leaf physiological attributes for a range of vegetation types present in this early-successional environment. Comparison of upscaled leaf-chamber estimates with eddy-covariance-based estimates of light-response curves revealed a broad consistency in both maximum photosynthetic capacity and quantum yield efficiency. The approaches presented here illustrate how chamber- and ecosystem-scale measurements of gas exchange can be blended with species-level LA data to draw conclusive inferences about changes in ecosystem processes over time in a highly dynamic environment.

Relationships among productivity determinants in two hybrid poplar families grown during three years at two contrasting sites.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the environmental, temporal and genetic stability of the relationships between growth and a selection of tree architectural, leaf and phenological traits (selection based on the conclusions of previous studies carried out on the same experimental trial). Therefore, the growth of two hybrid families, Populus deltoides 'S9-2' x Populus nigra 'Ghoy' (D x N family, 180 F(1)) and P. deltoides 'S9-2' x Populus trichocarpa 'V24' (D x T family, 182 F(1)), was investigated during a 3-year period at two sites, i.e., in northern Italy and central France. At the end of the second growing season, all trees were coppiced and the resprouts were thinned to a single stem. At the end of each growing season, stem circumference and height were measured for all F(1) hybrids. The number of sylleptic branches, individual leaf area (LA) and petiole length of the largest leaf along the main stem, production of new leaves, bud flush and bud set were estimated for a selection of genotypes (31 F(1)) per family at each site during the course of the 3-year experiment. The D x T family was clearly the most productive family and displayed the highest heterosis values. However, there appeared to be a compromise between good growth at a given site and stability between the two different sites, both at family and at genotype levels. Particularly, the less performing trees were stable between Italy and France. Among the studied growth components, the number of sylleptic branches and individual LA of the largest leaf along the main stem were the best growth predictors, irrespective of site and family. Growth strategies in terms of leaf development differed between the two families. Hence, leaf production rate was strongly associated with growth of the D x N family only. These results have important consequences for the use of the studied traits as selection criteria in breeding programmes.

Genetic variation of stomatal traits and carbon isotope discrimination in two hybrid poplar families (Populus deltoides 'S9-2' x P. nigra 'Ghoy' and P. deltoides 'S9-2' x P. trichocarpa 'V24').

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Stomata play an important role in both the CO(2) assimilation and water relations of trees. Therefore, stomatal traits have been suggested as criteria for selection of clones or genotypes which are more productive and have larger water-use efficiency (WUE) than others. However, the relationships between plant growth, WUE and stomatal traits are still unclear depending on plant material (genus, species, families, genotypes) and, more precisely, on the strength of the relationships between the plants. In this study, the correlations between these three traits categories, i.e. plant growth, WUE and stomatal traits, were compared in two related poplar families. METHODS: Stomatal traits (stomatal density, length and ratio adaxial : abaxial stomatal densities) of a selection of F(1) genotypes and the parents of two hybrid poplar families Populus deltoides 'S9-2' x P. nigra 'Ghoy' (D x N family, 50 F(1)) and P. deltoides 'S9-2' x P. trichocarpa 'V24' (D x T family, 50 F(1)) were measured, together with stem height and circumference. Carbon isotope discrimination (Delta) was determined and used as an indicator of leaf-level intrinsic WUE. KEY RESULTS: Leaves of hybrids and parents were amphistomatous, except for the P. trichocarpa parent. Both families displayed high values of heritability for stomatal traits and Delta. In the progeny, the relationship between stem circumference and Delta was weak for the D x N family, while abaxial and total stomatal density were positively associated with stem dimensions for the D x T family only. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variation in stomatal traits and Delta was large within as well as between the different poplar species and their hybrids, but there were no direct relationships between stomatal traits and plant growth or Delta. As already noticed in various poplar hybrids, the absence of, or the weak, relationship between Delta and plant growth allows the possibility of selecting poplar genotypes combining high productivity and high WUE. In this study, stomatal traits are of limited value as criteria for selection of genotypes with good growth and large WUE.

Elevated CO2 concentration, fertilization and their interaction: growth stimulation in a short-rotation poplar coppice (EUROFACE).

We investigated the individual and combined effects of elevated CO2 concentration and fertilization on aboveground growth of three poplar species (Populus alba L. Clone 2AS-11, P. nigra L. Clone Jean Pourtet and P. x euramericana Clone I-214) growing in a short-rotation coppice culture for two growing seasons after coppicing. Free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) stimulated the number of shoots per stool, leaf area index measured with a fish-eye-type plant canopy analyzer (LAIoptical), and annual leaf production, but did not affect dominant shoot height or canopy productivity index. Comparison of LAIoptical with LAI estimates from litter collections and from allometric relationships showed considerable differences. The increase in biomass in response to FACE was caused by an initial stimulation of absolute and relative growth rates, which disappeared after the first growing season following coppicing. An ontogenetic decline in growth in the FACE treatment, together with strong competition inside the dense plantation, may have caused this decrease. Fertilization did not influence aboveground growth, although some FACE responses were more pronounced in fertilized trees. A species effect was observed for most parameters.