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Freezing injury in primary and secondary needles of Mediterranean pine species of contrasting ecological niches

Dégâts du gel sur des aiguilles primaires et secondaires chez différentes espèces de pins méditerranéens dans des niches écologiques contrastées

Annals of Forest Science volume 66, page 407 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

  • • Pine seedlings show a marked ontogenetic difference between primary and secondary needles, the latter prevailing with a different timing among species.

  • • Using the electrolyte leakage method following an artificial freezing test, we aimed at (1) determining the differences in freezing tolerance between primary and secondary needles in eight pines of contrasting thermal habitats: P. canariensis, P. pinea, P. halepensis, P. brutia, P. pinaster, P. nigra, P. sylvestris and P. radiata, (2) evaluating the relation between freezing tolerance and sclerophylly and (3) relating freezing tolerance with the climate of origin.

  • • Primary needles were significantly more sensitive to freezing than secondary needles in Pinus halepensis, P. brutia, P. pinaster and P. nigra, whereas no differences were found in P. canariensis, P. pinea and P. radiata. LT50 was uncorrelated with needle sclerophylly but very highly correlated with the mean temperature of the coldest month at the seed source.

  • • Results support an adaptive role of secondary needles in the mountain Mediterranean pines P. nigra, P. pinaster and P. brutia, while the more complex responses in coastal Mediterranean pines can be interpreted in the light of seedling ontogeny and species’ ecological niches.

Résumé

  • • Les jeunes plants de pin présentent une nette différence ontogénétique entre aiguilles primaires et secondaires, les secondes devenant dominantes après des délais variables selon les espèces.

  • • À l’aide d’une expérience de gel artificiel et à l’aide de la méthode de perte d’électrolyte, nous avons visé à : (1) déterminer les différences de tolérance au gel entre aiguilles primaires et secondaires de huit espèces de pins présentant des habitats thermiques contrastés : P. canariensis, P. pinea, P. halepensis, P. brutia, P. pinaster, P. nigra, P. sylvestris et P. radiata, (2) évaluer la relation entre tolérance au gel et degré de sclérophyllie, et (3) mettre en relation tolérance au gel et climat d’origine.

  • • Les aiguilles primaires étaient beaucoup plus sensibles au gel que les aiguilles secondaires chez Pinus halepensis, P. brutia, P. pinaster et P. nigra, alors qu’aucune différence n’a été constatée chez P. canariensis, P. pinea et P. radiata. La température induisant 50 % de mortalité n’était pas corrélée avec la sclérophyllie des aiguilles mais très fortement avec la température moyenne du mois le plus froid de la provenance des semences.

  • • Les résultats corroborent l’idée d’un rôle adaptatif des aiguilles secondaires des pins méditerranéens montagnards P. nigra, P. pinaster et P. brutia, tandis que les réponses plus complexes des pins méditerranéens côtiers peuvent être interprétées à la lumière de l’ontogénie des semis et des niches écologiques des espèces.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Forest Research Centre (CIFOR)-Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Ctra. A Coruña km 7.5, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Jose Climent, M. Regina Chambel & Marta Pardos

  2. Instituto Superior de Agronomia, 1349-017, Tapada da Ajuda, Lisbon, Portugal

    Filipe Costa e Silva & M. Helena Almeida

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  1. Jose Climent
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  2. Filipe Costa e Silva
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  3. M. Regina Chambel
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  4. Marta Pardos
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  5. M. Helena Almeida
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Correspondence to Jose Climent.

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Climent, J., Costa e Silva, F., Chambel, M.R. et al. Freezing injury in primary and secondary needles of Mediterranean pine species of contrasting ecological niches. Ann. For. Sci. 66, 407 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009016

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009016

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Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X