Needle life span, photosynthetic rate and nutrient concentration of Picea glehnii, P. jezoensis and P. abies planted on serpentine soil in northern Japan

Our plain-English summary of Needle life span, photosynthetic rate and nutrient concentration of Picea glehnii, P. jezoensis and P. abies planted on serpentine soil in northern Japan, by M. Kayama, K. Sasa, T. Koike (Tree Physiology, 2002).

The study

• Authors: M. Kayama, K. Sasa, T. Koike
• Journal: Tree Physiology
• Published: 2002;22(10):707-16
• Cited by: 17 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

We investigated the adaptation of three spruce species (Picea glehnii Masters, P. jezoensis Carr. and P. abies Karst.) to growth in northern Japan on serpentine soils (characterized by high concentrations of heavy metals and Mg, a low Ca/Mg ratio and low fertility) and fertile brown forest soils. Among species, seedling survival on serpentine soil was highest in P. glehnii. Shoot growth of P. glehnii was similar whether grown on serpentine or brown forest soil, whereas shoot growth of the other species was significantly less on serpentine soil than on brown forest soil. On serpentine soil, needle life span of P. glehnii was at least 3 years longer than that of the other two species. Needle area per shoot of P. glehnii was significantly higher on serpentine soil than on brown forest soil up to a shoot age of 8 years. In all three species, light-saturated photosynthetic rate (Pmax) decreased with needle age independently of soil type. However, on serpentine soil, Pmax in P. glehnii was higher, particularly in older needles, than in the other species. Furthermore, on serpentine soil, needle concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus were higher in P. glehnii than in the other species. We conclude that P. glehnii is better adapted to serpentine soil than P. jezoensis and P. abies at least in part because of its greater needle life span and higher needle nutrient concentrations.

2002 Heron Publishing--Victoria, Canada

In plain English

This study is about trees, not people; it does not mention asbestos. The authors compared three spruce species (Picea glehnii, P. jezoensis and P. abies) in two plantations established in 1940 in the Teshio Experimental Forest, northern Japan. One plantation was on serpentine soil, which the authors describe as low in plant nutrients and high in heavy metals and magnesium. The other was on brown forest soil. On serpentine soil, 66.3% of planted P. glehnii seedlings were alive at age 60 years, against 33.5% for P. jezoensis and 40.0% for P. abies. P. glehnii kept its needles for more than 11 years on serpentine soil. Its shoot growth did not differ significantly between soil types, while the other two species grew significantly less on serpentine soil. In P. glehnii needles up to 8 years old, nitrogen was 300 micromoles per gram higher on serpentine soil than on brown forest soil. The authors concluded that longer-lived needles, total needle area and photosynthetic rate let P. glehnii maintain higher photosynthetic production on serpentine soil than the other two species.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Field comparison of tree plantations (plant physiology study)
• Who was studied: Three spruce species (Picea glehnii, P. jezoensis, P. abies), about 60 years old, in two plantations in the Teshio Experimental Forest of Hokkaido University, northern Hokkaido, Japan. One plantation was on serpentine soil and one on brown forest soil. Most measurements used three trees per species per soil type; needle half-life and shoot growth used ten trees. Samples were taken in 1999 and 2000.
• Exposure: Growth on serpentine soil compared with brown forest soil. The authors describe serpentine soil as low in essential plant nutrients, with high concentrations of heavy metals such as nickel and chromium, excess magnesium and a low calcium-to-magnesium ratio. No asbestos or fibers were studied.
• Main results:
  • Seedling survivorship was defined as the number of trees alive at age 60 years divided by the number of seedlings planted.
  • On serpentine soil, seedling survivorship (trees alive at age 60 out of seedlings planted) was 66.3% for P. glehnii, 33.5% for P. jezoensis and 40.0% for P. abies.
  • P. glehnii kept its needles for more than 11 years on serpentine soil and for 9 years on brown forest soil.
  • Needles of P. glehnii on serpentine soil lasted longest, with an estimated needle half-life of 10 years.
  • Soil type had no significant effect on shoot length growth of P. glehnii. In P. jezoensis and P. abies, shoot length was significantly less on serpentine soil than on brown forest soil.
  • In 6-year-old needles of P. glehnii, the light-saturated photosynthetic rate was significantly higher on serpentine soil than on brown forest soil (P less than 0.05).
  • In P. glehnii needles up to 8 years old, nitrogen concentration was 300 micromoles per gram higher on serpentine soil than on brown forest soil (P less than 0.01).
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that greater needle longevity, total needle area and photosynthetic rate allow P. glehnii on serpentine soil to maintain higher photosynthetic production than P. jezoensis and P. abies. They also postulated that P. glehnii is a nickel excluder.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Chrysotile.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Serpentine Group.

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