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Differential responses of Abies fabri and Rhododendron calophytum at two sites with contrasting pollution deposition and available calcium in southwestern China

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Abstract

The correlation between forest decline and calcium (Ca) depletion under long-term acid deposition remains elusive in China due to the high level of Ca deposition. We compared two species (Abies fabri and Rhododendron calophytum) for their growth pattern and base elements concentration in both polluted (Mt. Emei) and unpolluted (Mt. Gongga) sites in Sichuan, southwestern China. A. fabri grown at Mt. Emei had poorer crown condition, slower radial growth rate, and lower seedling density under long-term acid deposition, which correlated closely with the reduced Ca concentration in foliage and tree-ring, in comparison with those at Mt. Gongga. In contrast, R. calophytum showed a stable Ca level and thus displayed normal growth between the two sites. The differential capability of these two species to acclimate to poor Ca environment is one of the keys to understanding the long-term ecological effect of changing atmospheric acid and Ca deposition in the subalpine forest in southwestern China.

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Abbreviations

Ca:

Calcium

NSC:

Non-structural carbohydrate

ΔCa:

Change rate of calcium concentration in tree-ring

Mg:

Magnesium

K:

Potassium

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Mr. Sieh Sorie Kargbo, Mr. Vuguziga Thadee, Martin Simon, Dr. Jun-xian He, and Dr. Jianhong Hu for critically reading and editing the manuscript. This work was supported by Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (30930076, 30770192, and 30670317). Foundations from Chinese Ministry of Education (20070384033), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in Xiamen University (NCETXMU X071l5), Changjiang Scholarship (X09111), and Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation (Z3110443) are acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for Subtropical Wetland Ecosystem Research, MOE, College of the Environment and Ecology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, Fujian, People’s Republic of China

    Fei-Hua Wu, Juan Chen, Ting-Wu Liu, Zhen-Ji Li, Juan Chen, Lei Chen, Shao-Hua Guan & Hai-Lei Zheng

  2. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310036, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Fei-Hua Wu

  3. Alpine Ecosystem Observation and Experiment Station of Mt. Gongga, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China

    Tong-Yang Li

  4. Central Grasslands Research Extension Center, North Dakota State University, Streeter, ND, 58483, USA

    Xue-Jun Dong & Janet Patton

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  1. Fei-Hua Wu
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  2. Juan Chen
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  11. Hai-Lei Zheng
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Correspondence to Hai-Lei Zheng.

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Fig. S1

The appearance characteristics of A. fabri forest in Mt. Emei (a) and Mt. Gongga (b) in April 2007. Distinct defoliation was observed in Mt. Emei (arrow marked). (PDF 344 kb)

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Wu, FH., Chen, J., Liu, TW. et al. Differential responses of Abies fabri and Rhododendron calophytum at two sites with contrasting pollution deposition and available calcium in southwestern China. Plant Ecol 214, 557–569 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-013-0189-7

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