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Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) as mediator of calcium cycling: new insights are revealed by analysis of foliar partitioning

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Abstract

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) is an important understory tree species that is thought to enhance ecological calcium (Ca) cycling and soil Ca availability through high foliar Ca concentrations and rapid leaf litter decomposition. Calcium is an essential macronutrient in plants, important for stabilizing cell walls and plasma membranes. It is also an ubiquitous intracellular second messenger, helping plants sense and physiologically respond to numerous environmental cues. Analyses of total foliar Ca can be dominated by chemically sequestered Ca, which is not readily available for cellular processes. Thus, analyses of specific foliar partitions of Ca are more closely tied to Ca-dependent processes such as signal transduction. To further develop our understanding of the role of flowering dogwood in ecological Ca cycling, we evaluated foliar Ca partitioning via sequential acidic extractions. We compared Ca partitioning in flowering dogwood to that of white oak (Quercus alba L.), and found significantly more labile Ca in dogwood and a much greater proportion of Ca sequestration in oak. We compared foliar Ca partitioning in white oak at sites with dogwood to that of oaks at dogwood-absent sites, and found significantly greater labile Ca in oaks where dogwood was present. We also investigated the phenological patterns of Ca partitioning and sequestration in flowering dogwood foliage, and found preferential partitioning of Ca into the more labile and physiologically accessible pools throughout the growing season, with minimal Ca sequestration. This work helps elucidate the mechanisms and consequences associated with Ca cycling by flowering dogwood in forested systems.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Paul Schaberg, Ron Miller, Mary Castro, and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions on earlier drafts of this manuscript. Michelle Hamby, Mary Castro, Rachel Leslie, Amber Mooney, Brittney Nelson and Lesley Lane provided excellent technical support in field collections and laboratory procedures. The Synovus Sophomore Scholarship program, the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences Development of Undergraduate Research program, Student Work, and the Biology Department at Berry College provided financial support for this work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biology Department, Berry College, 2277 Martha Berry Hwy, Mount Berry, GA, 30149, USA

    Catherine H. Borer, Sarah Grace Sapp & Lisha H. Hutchinson

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  1. Catherine H. Borer
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  2. Sarah Grace Sapp
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  3. Lisha H. Hutchinson
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Correspondence to Catherine H. Borer.

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Communicated by R. D. Guy.

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Borer, C.H., Sapp, S.G. & Hutchinson, L.H. Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida L.) as mediator of calcium cycling: new insights are revealed by analysis of foliar partitioning. Trees 27, 841–849 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-012-0838-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-012-0838-9

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