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Mode of competition for light and water amongst juvenile beech and spruce trees under ambient and elevated levels of O3 and CO2

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Our study provides evidence that neither elevated CO 2 nor elevated O 3 alters the positive asymmetric competition for light and the symmetric competition for water among beech and spruce individuals grown in monoculture. We conclude that the mechanism of competition (i.e. symmetric/asymmetric) above (e.g shading or overtopping effect) and belowground (e.g. non-preemption or foraging) rather than abiotic treatments such as elevated CO 2 , O 3 and CO 2 /O 3 regimes, plays a dominant role for ensuring competitive success among tree saplings.

Abstract

Despite numerous studies conducted on plant responses to increasing CO2 and O3 concentrations, there is still a gap in understanding on how these gasses would affect the mode of competition (e.g., the ability by which larger and smaller plants capture resources) at the individual level of intra-specific beech and spruce saplings. Using empirical data and simulations from the plant-growth model PLATHO, we analyzed underlying mechanisms of competition and extrapolated effects beyond the time span of the experiment. We hypothesized that among juvenile beech and spruce trees planted in monoculture, +CO2 would diminish the positive asymmetric competition for light. Conversely, +O3 would enhance this outcome. In addition, we hypothesized that the symmetric mode of competition belowground for water would remain unchanged, irrespective of +CO2 and/or +O3 treatments. Our results showed that +CO2 and/or +O3 treatments did not alter the mode of competition aboveground for light. Conversely, we accepted our hypothesis that the mode of competition for water would remain unchanged under both treatments. Overall, we conclude that neither +CO2 nor +O3 alters the positive asymmetric competition for light and the symmetric competition for water among beech and spruce individuals grown in monoculture. We further conclude that competitive mechanism above (e.g., shading or overtopping effect) and belowground (e.g., non-preemption or foraging) rather than abiotic treatments, such as elevated CO2, O3 and CO2/O3 regimes, plays a dominant role for ensuring competitive success among tree saplings.

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Acknowledgments

This work is funded by the Sonderforschungsbereich (SFB) 607 ‘Growth and Parasite Defense—Competition for Resources in Economic Plants from Agronomy and Forestry, Projects B5 and C3’ through the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Technische Universität Munchen (TUM) Frauenförderung through MJDS Doctoral Fellowship grant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department für Ökologie, Ecophysiology of Plants, Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany

    Maria Joy Daigo Schulte, Rainer Matyssek & Thorsten E. E. Grams

  2. Institute of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany

    Sebastian Gayler & Eckart Priesack

  3. Water and Earth System Science Competence Cluster (WESS), c/o University of Tübingen, Hölderlinstr. 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany

    Sebastian Gayler

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  1. Maria Joy Daigo Schulte
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  2. Rainer Matyssek
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  3. Sebastian Gayler
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  4. Eckart Priesack
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  5. Thorsten E. E. Grams
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Correspondence to Maria Joy Daigo Schulte.

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Communicated by H. Rennenberg.

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Schulte, M.J.D., Matyssek, R., Gayler, S. et al. Mode of competition for light and water amongst juvenile beech and spruce trees under ambient and elevated levels of O3 and CO2 . Trees 27, 1763–1773 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0922-9

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