Carbon allocation and morphology of cherrybark oak seedlings and sprouts under three light regimes
- Continued problems in regenerating oak forests has led to a need for more basic infomation on oak seedling biology.
- In the present study, carbon allocation and morphology were compared between cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Raf.) seedlings and sprouts at I -Lag grown in full, 47%, and 20% sunlight.
- Results indicated that cherrybark oak seedling carbon allocation and morphology responded plastically to light availability. In full light, roots were sinks for 14C, while shoots were sinks for 14C under reduced light availability. Cherrybark oak sprouts exhibited similar carbon allocation patterns in response to light availability, but displayed stronger shoot sinks than seedlings when grown underreduced light availability. We also showed that young oak sprout roots are a sink for 14C-photosynthates.
- Results from this study point to the need for a morphological index for oak sprout development so more precise comparisons in sprout development and physiology can be made with seedlings.