Grass(stage)root movement to ensure future resilience of longleaf pine ecosystems
- Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States); Univ. of Georgia, Aiken, SC (United States); University of Georgia Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Recent interest in restoring longleaf pine ecosystems highlights the need for an improved understanding, appreciation, and consideration of longleaf pine’s unique life history compared to other southern pines. Longleaf pine ecosystems are considered more resilient than other southern pine ecosystems and the attributes that confer this resilience may be related to belowground carbon allocation patterns that occur during the seedling stage of its life history where it exists for years in a grass stage. The long residence time spent in the grass stage has impeded adoption of longleaf pine by landowners for decades, which has resulted in efforts to expedite emergence from the grass stage through silviculture, nursery production, and selection breeding techniques; however, expedited emergence may come at the expense of root and belowground carbohydrate storage reserve development —traits that purportedly enhance longleaf pine tree and ecosystem resilience relative to other southern pine species. Furthermore, I caution that efforts to expedite longleaf pine emergence from the grass stage also consider the potential implications on belowground carbon allocation and identify research priorities to help facilitate the improvement of longleaf pine seedling silviculture, nursery production, and breeding in a way that ensures the maintenance of attributes linked to resilience.
- Research Organization:
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL), Aiken, SC (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- Grant/Contract Number:
- EM0003622; EM0004391; EM0005228
- OSTI ID:
- 1900382
- Journal Information:
- New Forests, Journal Name: New Forests Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 53; ISSN 0169-4286
- Publisher:
- Springer NatureCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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