Authors: Frank Fleischmann J Barbro Winkler Wolfgang Oßwald
Publish Date: 2009/03/14
Volume: 323, Issue: 1-2, Pages: 75-84
Abstract
A lysimeter study was performed to monitor long term effects of chronic ozone enrichment on saplings of European beech Fagus sylvatica L After 3 years of ozone exposure a root infection with Phytophthora citricola Swada was established in the fourth year to study the interaction between elevated ozone and the root infection on the carbon budget of beech saplings By using quantitative PCR no differences in root infection with P citricola were observed between the ozone treatments In contrast to the first 3 years of ozone exposure sucrose and starch concentrations in leaves were diminished in ozone treated plants in the fourth year The root infection reduced sucrose concentrations in leaves Starch reserves of the heterotrophic biomass were not affected by any treatments Thus 4 years of ozone exposure and 1 year of P citricola root infection had only limited effect on carbohydrate metabolism in beech saplingsThis study is part of the collaborative research centre SFB607 “Growth and Parasite Defence—Competition for Resources in Economic plants from Agronomy and Forestry” funded by the German Research Foundation DFG We thank Dr R Matyssek speaker of the SFB607 for his tireless commitment for this lysimeter experiment We also thank Dr TEE Grams for the determination of aboveground biomass used to calculate starch contents The staff of the Department of Environmental Engineering especially Dr HK Seidlitz Dr H Lang and O Gefke are gratefully acknowledged for the technical realisation of the lysimeter experiment For skilled lab assistance we are grateful to Tina Schmidt and Remigius Hammerl
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