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Light availability and soil flooding regulate photosynthesis of an imperiled shrub in lowland forests of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA

  • Original Paper
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Photosynthetica

Abstract

Physiological responses to light availability and soil flooding on Lindera melissifolia (Walt.) Blume were studied. Shrubs were grown under 70, 37 or 5% of full sunlight with either 0, 45, or 90 d of soil flooding. We measured leaf photosynthetic rate (PN) to test the hypothesis that soil flooding reduces P N in L. melissifolia following shrub acclimation to low light availability. Results showed that light availability and soil flooding interacted to affect P N. In the 0 d and 45 d flooding regimes (flood water removed 36–39 d prior to measurement), P N was similar between shrubs receiving 70% or 37% light, and these shrubs had 147% greater P N than shrubs receiving 5% light. Shrubs receiving 90 d of soil flooding had similar low rates of area-based P N regardless of light level. Similar P N between 0 d and 45 d flooded shrubs indicated physiological recovery following removal of flood water.

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Abbreviations

Barea :

blade area

Bmass :

blade mass

Bm/a :

blade mass per unit area

Btemp :

blade temperature

C a :

ambient CO2 concentration

C i :

intercellular CO2 concentration

FRF:

Flooding Research Facility

g s :

stomatal conductance

MAV:

Mississippi Alluvial Valley

N area :

N content per unit area

N mass :

N concentration

P N :

photosynthetic rate

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments that improved this manuscript. Support for this research was provided by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, Vicksburg District, Agreement Number SRS 01-IA-11330127-527; USDI, Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered-Threatened Species Subpermit SA0142-Amendment 3; and the USDA, Forest Service, Southern Research Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Center for Bottomland Hardwoods Research, P.O. Box 227, 432 Stoneville Road, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA

    B. R. Lockhart, E. S. Gardiner, T. D. Leininger, M. S. Devall, A. D. Wilson, K. F. Connor, P. B. Hamel & N. M. Schiff

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  1. B. R. Lockhart
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  2. E. S. Gardiner
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  3. T. D. Leininger
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  4. M. S. Devall
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  5. A. D. Wilson
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  6. K. F. Connor
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  7. P. B. Hamel
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  8. N. M. Schiff
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Correspondence to B. R. Lockhart.

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Lockhart, B.R., Gardiner, E.S., Leininger, T.D. et al. Light availability and soil flooding regulate photosynthesis of an imperiled shrub in lowland forests of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, USA. Photosynthetica 55, 411–420 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11099-016-0655-2

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