Responses of non-structural carbohydrates in Betula platyphylla leaves and fine roots to time since fire
Aims Fire is an important disturbance factor that limits plant growth and development,affects plant metabolism and even leads to plant mortality.Non-structural carbohydrates(NSC)mainly include soluble sugar(SS)and starch(ST),which play an important role in plant survival under disturbance.However,the response mechanism of plant NSC and its components to time since fire is unclear.Methods In this study,five severely burned plots in Huzhong area of Da Hinggan Mountains with different postburn time and one adjacent unburned plot were selected for space-for-time substitution approach.Leaf,fine root and rhizosphere soil samples of Betula platyphylla were collected.The content of NSC and its components,the traits of leaf and fine root,and rhizosphere soil properties were measured.Important findings The content of ST and NSC in B.platyphylla leaves decreased significantly,while the content of ST and NSC in fine roots increased significantly with increasing time since fire.The content of NSC in leaves and fine roots tend to be stable at 30 and 17 years after fire,respectively,and not differ from the unburned plot,indicating that the NSC of fine roots recovered faster from severe fire disturbance.Postburn time directly affect the NSC content of B.platyphylla leaves,and also has an indirect effect on the NSC content of leaves by affecting the specific leaf area.The effect of postburn time on NSC content in B.platyphylla fine roots is mediated by affecting soil pH and specific leaf area.In conclusion,the effect of postburn time on NSC content in plants differs among organs.This result contributes scientific data and theoretical basis to the study of vegetation restoration in burned areas.
restoration after firestarchsoluble sugarsoil propertyplant trait
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
