Nonstructural carbohydrates predict survival in saplings of temperate trees under carbon stress

Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) mediate plant survival when the plant's carbon (C) balance is negative, suggesting that NSCs could predict plant survival under C stress. To examine this possibility, we exposed saplings of six temperate tree species to diverse levels of C stress created by the combination of two light conditions (full light availability and deep shade) and two defoliation levels (severe defoliation and nondefoliation). We then measured survival, biomass and total NSCs and soluble sugars (SSs) concentrations in different organs of both dead and live saplings. We estimated mean NSCs and SSs contents and concentrations per sapling and fitted logistic generalized mixed-effects models to determine if NSCs and SSs predict survival. Using inverse prediction modelling, we also determined whether there is a common NSCs and SSs threshold across species at the time of sapling's death. Defoliation and shade reduced the mean sapling's NSCs and SSs contents, indicating C stress. Mean sapling NSCs and SSs contents and concentrations predicted survival and the robustness of the models improved with the inclusion of species. At death, saplings of the exotic deciduous tree species Acer pseudoplatanus exhibited significantly lower mean NSCs and SSs contents than saplings of the evergreen conifer species Podocarpus nubigenus and lower stem NSCs and SSs concentrations than the broadleaf evergreen species Drimys winteri. The energetic role that NSCs and SSs play in plants under C stress was evidenced by the capacity of these compounds to predict sapling survival under C stress. No common threshold of NSCs and SSs contents or concentrations for sapling survival amongst species was found, indicating that the level of these compounds may not be good proxies for interspecific comparisons of tolerance to C stress. Presumably, there are species-specific limits for the mobilization and use of NSCs and SSs in metabolism. Our results anticipate that the inclusion of NSCs and SSs in modelling will improve predictions regarding tree responses to ongoing climate change. Nonetheless, a better understanding of the many roles that carbohydrates play in plant survival under C stress is required to scale predictions up to the community level. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Automated summary

Nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) play an important role in plant survival and can predict plant survival under carbon stress. However, different species may have different requirements and limitations for NSCs content and concentration.