AOBPreview originally published online on January 13, 2005
Annals of Botany 2005 95(4):661-672; doi:10.1093/aob/mci063
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Annals of Botany 95/4 © Annals of Botany Company 2005; all rights reserved
Differences in Growth Characteristics and Dynamics of Elements Absorbed in Seedlings of Three Spruce Species Raised on Serpentine Soil in Northern Japan
1 Hokkaido University Forests, FSC, Sapporo 060-0809, Japan and 2 Symbiotech Research Inc., Alberta, Canada T9E 7N5
* For correspondence. E-mail tkoike{at}exfor.agr.hokudai.ac.jp
Received: 6 July 2004 Returned for revision: 7 September 2004 Accepted: 16 October 2004 Published electronically: 13 January 2005
• Background and Aims Serpentine soils are characterized by the presence of heavy metals (Ni and Cr) and excess Mg; these elements often suppress plant growth. Picea glehnii is nevertheless distributed widely on serpentine soils in northern Japan. Growth characteristics were compared among P. glehnii, Picea jezoensis (distributed in the same region) and Picea abies (planted for timber production), and concentrations of elements in various tissues over time and the amount of ectomycorrhizal infection in short roots were evaluated.
• Methods Seedlings of three spruce species were planted in two types of experimental plots, comprising serpentine soil and brown forest (non-serpentine) soil, and these seedlings were grown for 3 years. Growth, ectomycorrhizal infection of short roots, and elemental composition of tissues were examined.
• Key Results The total dry mass of P. glehnii planted on serpentine soil was almost the same as on brown forest soil, and a large number of needles survived to reach later age classes. By contrast, growth of P. jezoensis and P. abies in serpentine soil was significantly less than in brown forest soil, and needle shedding was accelerated. Moreover, roots of seedlings of P. glehnii on serpentine soil were highly infected with ectomycorrhiza, and the concentration of Ni in needles and roots of P. glehnii was the lowest of the three species.
• Conclusions Picea glehnii has a high ability to maintain a low concentration of Ni, and the ectomycorrhizal infection may have the positive effect of excluding Ni. As a result, P. glehnii is more tolerant than the other spruce species to serpentine soil conditions.
Key words: Picea glehnii, Picea jezoensis, Picea abies, serpentine soil, growth, needle longevity, ectomycorrhiza, nutrient physiology, metal exclusion