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Early growth and ecophysiological responses of Koa (Acacia koa A. Gray) seedlings to reduced water and phosphorus

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Abstract

Sites in need of restoration typically have one or more environmental factors that limit seedling establishment. Identifying ecophysiological responses to environmental stressors can provide important insights into mitigating measures that would allow seedlings to overcome such constraints to survival. Koa (Acacia koa A. Gray) is a nitrogen-fixing tree species endemic to Hawaiʻi that is highly valued in restoring degraded forest ecosystems, which are often limited in available water and phosphorus. This study examined how koa seedlings respond to conditions of reduced water (65 W) and no phosphorus (0P). After 17 weeks, seedlings subjected to 65 W or 0P accumulated less biomass, smaller root-collar diameters, and lower nitrogen and phosphorus contents. Combined reductions in water and P resulted in seedlings with increased root to shoot dry biomass and shorter shoots. Seedlings subjected to 65 W also had lower instantaneous rates of CO2 assimilation, but higher instantaneous water-use efficiencies following irrigation, suggesting that koa responds to water deficits by decreasing water loss via reduced stomatal conductance. Seedlings subjected to 0P had similar rates of CO2 assimilation relative to those grown with adequate P, suggesting that koa is able to employ strategies to avoid physiological impairment from conditions of inadequate P. Future research should assess whether subjecting koa seedlings to reduced water before planting on water-limited sites cues increased drought resistance and whether uptake and storage of P by seedlings in the nursery better supports growth following outplanting, particularly on sites with anticipated low plant-available water.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Carson Alberg for his assistance in experiment establishment and data collection and Nicklos Dudley for providing seeds, and Chris Catricala for assistance with tissue nutrient analyses.

Funding

This work was supported by the College of Forestry at Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR, USA). Funding was provided by the Oxbow Farm and Conservation Center.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Kaitlin Gerber

  2. Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Amy Ross-Davis & Steven S. Perakis

  3. Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, US Geological Survey, Corvallis, OR, USA

    Steven S. Perakis

  4. College of Life Sciences and Agriculture, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA

    Anthony S. Davis

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  1. Kaitlin Gerber
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Contributions

Conceptualization: KG and AD; Methodology: KG and AD; Formal analysis and investigation: KG, AD, and AR-D; Writing—original draft preparation: KG and AD; Writing—review and editing: KG, AD, AR-D, and SP; Funding acquisition: KG and AD; Resources: AD, SP; Supervision: AD and SP.

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Correspondence to Anthony S. Davis.

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The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article. The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study, as well as the codes used for analysis, are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Gerber, K., Ross-Davis, A., Perakis, S.S. et al. Early growth and ecophysiological responses of Koa (Acacia koa A. Gray) seedlings to reduced water and phosphorus. New Forests 53, 643–660 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-021-09877-8

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