Wood-Ash Fertiliser and Distance from Drainage Ditch Affect the Succession and Biodiversity of Vascular Plant Species in Tree Plantings on Marginal Organic Soil

Cutaway peatland is a marginal land, which without further management is an unfavourable environment for plant growth due to low bearing capacity, high acidity and unbalanced nutrient composition of the soil. After wood-ash application, the soil becomes enriched with P and K, creating better conditions for tree growth. In addition to being economically viable, tree plantations ensure long-term carbon storage and promote habitat restoration. In a three-year term, we studied how distance from a drainage ditch and three different doses of wood-ash—5, 10, and 15 tons per hectare—affect the diversity of vascular plants in a tree plantation on a cutaway peatland. Plant species richness, vegetation cover and composition were positively affected by the distance from the drainage ditch and application with fertiliser, but in most cases, fertiliser dose had no significant effect. Both cover and species diversity were not affected by the planted tree species. In a tree plantation, herbaceous plants provide soil fertility by decay and recycling, and reduce mineral leaching in the long term. Since vascular plants play an important role in both the development of habitats and tree growth, it is important to know how multiple factors influence the development of vegetation in tree plantations

Wood-Ash Fertiliser and Distance from Drainage Ditch Affect the Succession and Biodiversity of Vascular Plant Species in Tree Plantings on Marginal Organic Soil

Cutaway peatland is a marginal land, which without further management is an unfavourable environment for plant growth due to low bearing capacity, high acidity and unbalanced nutrient composition of the soil. After wood-ash application, the soil becomes enriched with P and K, creating better conditions for tree growth. In addition to being economically viable, tree plantations ensure long-term carbon storage and promote habitat restoration. In a three-year term, we studied how distance from a drainage ditch and three different doses of wood-ash—5, 10, and 15 tons per hectare—affect the diversity of vascular plants in a tree plantation on a cutaway peatland. Plant species richness, vegetation cover and composition were positively affected by the distance from the drainage ditch and application with fertiliser, but in most cases, fertiliser dose had no significant effect. Both cover and species diversity were not affected by the planted tree species. In a tree plantation, herbaceous plants provide soil fertility by decay and recycling, and reduce mineral leaching in the long term. Since vascular plants play an important role in both the development of habitats and tree growth, it is important to know how multiple factors influence the development of vegetation in tree plantations

Shedding light on the increased carbon uptake by a boreal forest under diffuse solar radiation across multiple scales

Solar radiation is scattered by cloud cover, aerosols and other particles in the atmosphere, all of which are affected by global changes. Furthermore, the diffuse fraction of solar radiation is increased by more frequent forest fires and likewise would be if climate interventions such as stratospheric aerosol injection were adopted. Forest ecosystem studies predict that an increase in diffuse radiation would result in higher productivity, but ecophysiological data are required to identify the processes responsible within the forest canopy. In our study, the response of a boreal forest to direct, diffuse and heterogeneous solar radiation conditions was examined during the daytime in the growing season to determine how carbon uptake is affected by radiation conditions at different scales. A 10‐year data set of ecosystem, shoot and forest floor vegetation carbon and water‐flux data was examined. Ecosystem‐level carbon assimilation was higher under diffuse radiation conditions in comparison with direct radiation conditions at equivalent total photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). This was driven by both an increase in shoot and forest floor vegetation photosynthetic rate. Most notably, ecosystem‐scale productivity was strongly related to the absolute amount of diffuse PAR, since it integrates both changes in total PAR and diffuse fraction. This finding provides a gateway to explore the processes by which absolute diffuse PAR enhances productivity, and the long‐term persistence of this effect under scenarios of higher global diffuse radiation

UV-screening and springtime recovery of photosynthetic capacity in leaves of Vaccinium vitis-idaea above and below the snow pack

Evergreen plants in boreal biomes undergo seasonal hardening and dehardening adjusting their photosynthetic capacity and photopmtection; acclimating to seasonal changes in temperature and irradiance. Leaf epidermal ultraviolet (UV)-screening by flavonols responds to solar radiation, perceived in part through increased ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation, and is a candidate trait to provide cross-photoprotection. At Hyytiala Forestry Station, central Finland, we examined whether the accumulation of flavonols was higher in leaves of Vaccinium vitis-idaea L. growing above the snowpack compared with those below the snowpack. We found that leaves exposed to colder temperatures and higher solar radiation towards the top of hummocks suffered greater photoinhibition than those at the base of hummocks. Epidermal UV-screening was highest in upper-hummock leaves, particularly during winter when lower leaves were beneath the snowpack. There was also a negative relationship between indices of flavonols and anthocyanins across all leaves suggesting fine-tuning of flavonoid composition for screening vs. antioxidant activity in response to temperature and irradiance. However, the positive correlation between the maximum quantum yield of photosystem II photochemistry (F-v/F-m) and flavonol accumulation in upper hummock leaves during dehardening did not confer on them any greater cross-protection than would be expected from the general relationship of F-v/F-m with temperature and irradiance (throughout the hummocks). Irrespective of timing of snow-melt, photosynthesis fully recovered in all leaves, suggesting that V. vills-idaea has the potential to exploit the continuing trend for longer growing seasons in central Finland without incurring significant impairment from reduced duration of snow cover.Peer reviewe

Ultraviolet radiation accelerates photodegradation under controlled conditions but slows the decomposition of senescent leaves from forest stands in southern Finland

Depending on the environment, sunlight can positively or negatively affect litter decomposition, through the ensemble of direct and indirect processes constituting photodegradation. Which of these processes predominate depends on the ecosystem studied and on the spectral composition of sunlight received. To examine the relevance of photodegradation for litter decomposition in forest understoreys, we filtered ultraviolet radiation (UV) and blue light from leaves of Fagus sylvatica and Bettda pendula at two different stages of senescence in both a controlled-environment experiment and outdoors in four different forest stands (Picea abies, Pagus sylvatica, Acer platanoides, Betula pendula). Controlling for leaf orientation and initial differences in leaf chlorophyll and flavonol concentrations; we measured mass loss at the end of each experiment and characterised the phenolic profile of the leaf litter following photodegradation. In most forest stands, less mass was lost from decomposing leaves that received solar UV radiation compared with those under UV-attenuating filters, while in the controlled environment UV-A radiation either slightly accelerated or had no significant effect on photodegradation, according to species identity. Only a few individual phenolic compounds were affected by our different filter treatments, but photodegradation did affect the phenolic profile. We can conclude that photodegradation has a small stand- and species-specific effect on the decomposition of surface leaf litter in forest understoreys during the winter following leaf fall in southern Finland. Photodegradation was wavelength-dependent and modulated by the canopy species filtering sunlight and likely creating different combinations of spectral composition, moisture, temperature and snowpack characteristics.Peer reviewe

Effect of light spectral quality on Betula pendula and Fagus sylvatica leaf litter decomposition during senescence

Nepastāvīgo meteoroloģisko apstākļu dēļ arvien grūtāk kļūst paredzēt izmaiņas barības vielu aprites ciklos un kā tie var reaģēt uz klimata pārmaiņām. Viens no būtiskākajiem procesiem šajos ciklos ir organiskā materiāla sadalīšana, jo tā nodrošina primāros producentus ar barības vielām. Ir zināms, ka fotodegradācija dažās ekosistēmās ir svarīgs faktors, kas kontrolē augu materiāla sadalīšanos, bet citās tās nozīmība nav novērtēta vai pat apsvērta. Pilnībā nav izprasti galvenie faktori, kas šo procesu ietekmē, un kā gaismas spektrs ietekmē augu materiālu ar morfoloģiskām un bioķīmiskām atšķirībām. Lai novērtētu gaismas spektra ietekmi uz fotodegradāciju, tika izmantotas lapas dažādās novecošanas fāzēs ar atšķirīgām funkcionālajam iezīmēm no divu sugu kokiem. Lapas tika ievietotas kontrolētos apstākļos, kur novietotas zem plastikāta filtriem, kas bloķē konkrētas daļas no gaismas spektra. Galvenie rezultāti paradīja, ka āra bērza un parastā dižskabārža lapas atšķirīgās novecošanas fāzēs dažādi reaģēja uz eksperimenta apstākļiem, kaut arī lapas ievāktas neilgi viena pēc otras. Kā arī, lielākoties UV-A radiācija veicina masas zaudēšanu fotodegradācijas procesā. Lapām, kuras netika pakļautas UV-A radiācijai, masas zudums saskan ar literatūrā atrodamajiem novērojumiem, ka sadalīšanās notiek ātrāk lapās ar lielāku slāpekļa koncentrāciju. Bet tas netika novērots, kad lapas tika pakļautas redzamās gaismas un UV-A radiācijai. Rezultāti liecina, ka oglekļa un slāpekļa attiecība šo lapu fotodegradācijas procesā nav dominējošais faktors kā tas tika ieteikts literatūrā. Iespējams epidermā esošie flavonoīdi saglabā UV starojuma aizsardzības īpašības arī pēc lapu nomešanas.The variability of climatic conditions makes it hard to assess global nutrient fluxes and how they might respond to climate change. One of the key parts in nutrient cycling is decomposition as it provides resources for primary producers. Photodegradation is known to be an important driver of decomposition in some ecosystems, while in others its relative importance has not been evaluated or even considered. There are uncertainties about the factors that most influence the rate of photodegradation and how the spectrum of light acts upon plant material differing in its structure and biochemistry. To assess the effect of light quality on photodegradation, leaves of two species with different functional traits and in two phases of senescence were chosen. Afterwards, leaves were put in controlled conditions and the spectrum of light was altered by using filters that attenuate certain wavelengths of light. The main results were that leaves of Betula pendula and Fagus sylvatica in different phases of senescence responded differently to the experimental treatments even though they were collected shortly after each other. Furthermore, in most cases UV-A radiation enhanced mass loss during photodegradation. The results obtained under the treatment without UV-A radiation are consistent with the existing literature reporting that decomposition happens faster in litter with higher nitrogen content. This was not the case for leaves under the treatment receiving visible and UV-A radiation, suggesting that factors other than the C:N ratio dominate: one possibility is that flavonoids retained in the epidermis during senescence continue to influence the penetration of UV-A into the leaf during the early stages of decomposition

Shedding light on the increased carbon uptake by a boreal forest under diffuse solar radiation across multiple scales

Solar radiation is scattered by cloud cover, aerosols and other particles in the atmosphere, all of which are affected by global changes. Furthermore, the diffuse fraction of solar radiation is increased by more frequent forest fires and likewise would be if climate interventions such as stratospheric aerosol injection were adopted. Forest ecosystem studies predict that an increase in diffuse radiation would result in higher productivity, but ecophysiological data are required to identify the processes responsible within the forest canopy. In our study, the response of a boreal forest to direct, diffuse and heterogeneous solar radiation conditions was examined during the daytime in the growing season to determine how carbon uptake is affected by radiation conditions at different scales. A 10-year data set of ecosystem, shoot and forest floor vegetation carbon and water-flux data was examined. Ecosystem-level carbon assimilation was higher under diffuse radiation conditions in comparison with direct radiation conditions at equivalent total photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). This was driven by both an increase in shoot and forest floor vegetation photosynthetic rate. Most notably, ecosystem-scale productivity was strongly related to the absolute amount of diffuse PAR, since it integrates both changes in total PAR and diffuse fraction. This finding provides a gateway to explore the processes by which absolute diffuse PAR enhances productivity, and the long-term persistence of this effect under scenarios of higher global diffuse radiation.Peer reviewe