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Effects of branch position on water relations and gas exchange of European larch trees in an alpine community

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Abstract

Water relations and gas exchange were studied in the crowns of small European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) trees with respect to branch position. The upper-crown branches showed significantly higher branch sap flux rate (F la) and branch conductance (g b) compared to the lower crown (P<0.001). Values of leaf conductance (g l), transpiration rate (E) and net photosynthesis (A), averaged for different ranges of atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD), were also higher in the upper crown position. We suppose that the up to 2.6-fold smaller soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance observed in the lower branches (P<0.001, compared to upper branches) could contribute to the decreased values of F la, g b, g l, and E in the lower crown position. Variation in tracheid lumen diameter with respect to crown position (P<0.001) supported the hypothesis that branches growing at the crown base are hydraulically more constrained than branches located at the top of the tree. Leaf area to sapwood area ratio (A la/A sa) exhibited 1.4 times smaller values in lower crown (P<0.01), however, this could not compensate the effect of decreased hydraulic conductivity of the lower-crown branches.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Mr. Dennis Otieno, Mrs. Tiiu Kupper and Ms. Olimpia Kolcun for their assistance and support in the field. We would like to thank the staff of the Berchtesgaden National Park for providing suitable working conditions. We are also grateful to three anonymous reviewers for their critical remarks and useful comments on the manuscript. This study was supported by grant No. 5296 from the Estonian Science Foundation and by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Botany and Ecology, University of Tartu, Lai 40, 51005, Tartu, Estonia

    Priit Kupper & Arne Sellin

  2. Department of Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, 95440, Bayreuth, Germany

    John Tenhunen & Markus Schmidt

  3. Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian Agricultural University, Riia 181, 51014, Tartu, Estonia

    Märt Rahi

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  1. Priit Kupper
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Correspondence to Priit Kupper.

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Kupper, P., Sellin, A., Tenhunen, J. et al. Effects of branch position on water relations and gas exchange of European larch trees in an alpine community. Trees 20, 265–272 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-005-0033-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-005-0033-3

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