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Coste, S., Roggy, J. C., Schimann, H., Epron, D., & Dreyer, E. (2011). A cost-benefit analysis of acclimation to low irradiance in tropical rainforest tree seedlings: leaf life span and payback time for leaf deployment. J. Exp. Bot., 62(11), 3941–3955.
Abstract: The maintenance in the long run of a positive carbon balance under very low irradiance is a prerequisite for survival of tree seedlings below the canopy or in small gaps in a tropical rainforest. To provide a quantitative basis for this assumption, experiments were carried out to determine whether construction cost (CC) and payback time for leaves and support structures, as well as leaf life span (i) differ among species and (ii) display an irradiance-elicited plasticity. Experiments were also conducted to determine whether leaf life span correlates to CC and payback time and is close to the optimal longevity derived from an optimization model. Saplings from 13 tropical tree species were grown under three levels of irradiance. Specific-CC was computed, as well as CC scaled to leaf area at the metamer level. Photosynthesis was recorded over the leaf life span. Payback time was derived from CC and a simple photosynthesis model. Specific-CC displayed only little interspecific variability and irradiance-elicited plasticity, in contrast to CC scaled to leaf area. Leaf life span ranged from 4 months to > 26 months among species, and was longest in seedlings grown under lowest irradiance. It was always much longer than payback time, even under the lowest irradiance. Leaves were shed when their photosynthesis had reached very low values, in contrast to what was predicted by an optimality model. The species ranking for the different traits was stable across irradiance treatments. The two pioneer species always displayed the smallest CC, leaf life span, and payback time. All species displayed a similar large irradiance-elicited plasticity.
Keywords: Carbon balance; construction cost; functional diversity; leaf life span; payback time; photosynthesis; tropical rainforest
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Coste, S., Roggy, J. C., Sonnier, G., & Dreyer, E. (2010). Similar irradiance-elicited plasticity of leaf traits in saplings of 12 tropical rainforest tree species with highly different leaf mass to area ratio. Funct. Plant Biol., 37(4), 342–355.
Abstract: Leaf traits of tropical tree species display an important inter-specific diversity, as detected for instance in the large range of values of leaf mass : area ratio (LMA). They also demonstrate a large irradiance-elicited plasticity, but there is still debate whether this plasticity differs among species. To address this question, leaf traits were recorded on saplings from 12 rainforest tree species in French Guiana, grown under approximately 5, 10 and 20% relative irradiance. Fifteen structural and physiological leaf traits related to photosynthesis were measured. The irradiance-elicited plasticity was quantified using a relative distance plasticity index. A large inter-specific diversity was detected for all leaf traits. A principal component analysis opposed species with a large mass-based photosynthesis, respiration, N content and photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency, to species with a large leaf mass : area ratio, LMA. The two pioneer species used in this study displayed the largest photosynthetic capacity (and lowest LMA) and ranked at one end of the species continuum. Relative irradiance affected almost all traits with the exception of mass-based photosynthesis. A weak interaction was found between species and relative irradiance and the species ranking was maintained among relative irradiance treatments for the majority of the traits. A principal component analysis of the values of relative-distance plasticity index failed to reveal any consistent patterns of traits or species. We concluded that irradiance-elicited plasticity of leaf traits was similar among species irrespective of LMA and successional status, despite the occurrence of a large inter-specific diversity for the investigated traits.
Keywords: functional diversity; light availability; photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency; photosynthetic capacity; tropical rainforest
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Coté, G. G., & Gibernau, M. (2012). Distribution of calcium oxalate crystals in floral organs of araceae in relation to pollination strategy. Am. J. Bot., 99(7), 1231–1242.
Abstract: Premise of the study: Many flowers are pollinated by potentially hungry insects, yet flowers also contain gametes and embryos which must be protected from predation. Microscopic calcium oxalate crystals in plant tissues have been proposed to protect against herbivory. Aroids, which have an unusual diversity of such crystals, also exhibit diverse pollination strategies. Many species have pollinators that do not feed while visiting the flowers, while other species, especially those pollinated by beetles, offer sterile staminodia as food rewards. We examined flowers of 21 aroid species with various pollination strategies to test the hypothesis that crystals protect vital gametes and embryos while allowing consumption of food bribes.Methods: Aroid inflorescences collected from the field or from greenhouse material were sectioned, cleared, and examined by bright field and polarization microscopy.Key results: All species examined, regardless of pollination strategy, arrayed crystals around unshed pollen and ovules. Less vital tissues, such as odoriferous appendages, had few crystals. Staminodia offered as food to beetle pollinators, however, differed greatly between species in their crystal contents. Some had minimal crystals; some had crystals in patterns suggesting they limit beetle feeding; still others had abundant crystals in no obvious pattern.Conclusions: The results are consistent with crystals protecting against insect predation of gametes and embryos. However, the role of crystals in food-bribe staminodia is unclear. They may limit and direct feeding by beetles in some species, while in others they might have no protective role. © 2012 Botanical Society of America.
Keywords: Araceae; Beetles; Calcium oxalate; Crystal; Defense; Flowers; Herbivory; Pollination
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Cottet, K., Fromentin, Y., Kritsanida, M., Grougnet, R., Odonne, G., Duplais, C., et al. (2015). Isolation of Guttiferones from Renewable Parts of Symphonia globulifera by Centrifugal Partition Chromatography. Planta Medica, 81(17), 1604–1608.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the species Symphonia globulifera, a source of polycyclic polyprenylated acyl phloroglucinols such as guttiferone A, which is known to exhibit a variety of biological activities including noticeable antileishmanial properties. Our goal was the identification and the quantification of guttiferone A in different renewable parts of S. globulifera and its preparative isolation. To the best of our knowledge, there is no data concerning its mechanism of action. Consequently, it is particularly interesting to isolate it in gram quantities in order to establish structure activity relationship studies. After performing high-performance liquid chromatography profiles detecting the presence of guttiferone A and proceeding to its quantification, a centrifugal partition chromatography methodology using a two-phase solvent system of cyclohexane/ethyl acetate/methanol/water (20 : 1 : 20 : 1, v/v/v/v) was applied to each extract. In conclusion, a centrifugal partition chromatography system has been developed to ensure a fast, reliable, and scalable way to isolate, with a high level of purity, guttiferone A from five renewable parts of S. globulifera. Moreover, this methodology can be extended to the isolation of other polycyclic polyprenylated acyl phloroglucinols such as guttiferones B, C, and D. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.
Keywords: centrifugal partition chromatography; Clusiaceae; countercurrent chromatography guttiferones; PPAPs; Symphonia globulifera
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Cottet, K., Genta-Jouve, G., Fromentin, Y., Odonne, G., Duplais, C., Laprévote, O., et al. (2014). Comparative LC-MS-based metabolite profiling of the ancient tropical rainforest tree Symphonia globulifera. Phytochemistry, 108, 102–108.
Abstract: In the last few years, several phytochemical studies have been undertaken on the tropical tree Symphonia globulifera leading to the isolation and characterisation of several compounds exhibiting antiparasitic activities against Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania donovani. The comparative LC-MS based metabolite profiling study conducted on the tree led to the identification of compounds originating from specific tissues. The results showed that renewable organs/tissues can be used as the starting material for the production of polycyclic poly-prenylated-acylphloroglucinols, therefore reducing impacts on biodiversity. This study also underlined the lack of knowledge on the secondary metabolites produced by S. globulifera since only a small number of the total detected features were putatively identified using the database of known compounds for the species.
Keywords: Kendrick mass defect; Lc-Ms; Plant organs; Symphonia globulifera; Untargeted metabolomics; Symphonia globulifera
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Courtois, E. A., Stahl, C., Burban, B., Van Den Berge, J., Berveiller, D., Bréchet, L., et al. (2019). Automatic high-frequency measurements of full soil greenhouse gas fluxes in a tropical forest. Biogeosciences, 16(3), 785–796.
Abstract: Measuring in situ soil fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) continuously at high frequency requires appropriate technology. We tested the combination of a commercial automated soil CO 2 flux chamber system (LI-8100A) with a CH 4 and N 2 O analyzer (Picarro G2308) in a tropical rainforest for 4 months. A chamber closure time of 2 min was sufficient for a reliable estimation of CO 2 and CH 4 fluxes (100% and 98.5% of fluxes were above minimum detectable flux – MDF, respectively). This closure time was generally not suitable for a reliable estimation of the low N 2 O fluxes in this ecosystem but was sufficient for detecting rare major peak events. A closure time of 25 min was more appropriate for reliable estimation of most N 2 O fluxes (85.6% of measured fluxes are above MDF±0.002 nmolm -2 s -1 ). Our study highlights the importance of adjusted closure time for each gas. © Author(s) 2019.
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Courtois, E. A., Baraloto, C., Timothy Paine, C. E., Petronelli, P., Blandinieres, P. - A., Stien, D., et al. (2012). Differences in volatile terpene composition between the bark and leaves of tropical tree species. Phytochemistry, 82, 81–88.
Abstract: Volatile terpenes are among the most diverse class of defensive compounds in plants, and they are implicated in both direct and indirect defense against herbivores. In terpenes, both the quantity and the diversity of compounds appear to increase the efficiency of defense as a diverse blend of compounds provides a more efficient protection against a broader range of herbivores and limits the chances that an enemy evolves resistance. Theory predicts that plant defensive compounds should be allocated differentially among tissues according to the value of the tissue, its cost of construction and the herbivore pressure on it. We collected volatile terpenes from bark and leaves of 178 individual tree belonging to 55 angiosperm species in French Guiana and compare the kind, amount, and diversity of compounds in these tissues. We hypothesized that in woody plants, the outermost part of the trunk should hold a more diverse blend of volatile terpenes. Additionally, as herbivore communities associated with the leaves is different to the one associated with the bark, we also hypothesized that terpene blends should be distinct in the bark vs. the leaves of a given species. We found that the mixture of volatile terpenes released by bark is different and more diverse than that released by leaves, both in monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes. This supports our hypothesis and further suggests that the emission of terpenes by the bark should be more important for trunk defense than previously thought.
Keywords: French Guiana; Herbivory; Optimal defense theory; Secondary metabolites; Wood
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Courtois, E. A., Dexter, K. G., Paine, C. E. T., Stien, D., Engel, J., Baraloto, C., et al. (2016). Evolutionary patterns of volatile terpene emissions across 202 tropical tree species. Ecol Evol, 6(9), 2854–2864.
Abstract: Plant responses to natural enemies include formation of secondary metabolites acting as direct or indirect defenses. Volatile terpenes represent one of the most diverse groups of secondary metabolites. We aimed to explore evolutionary patterns of volatile terpene emission. We measured the composition of damage-induced volatile terpenes from 202 Amazonian tree species, spanning the angiosperm phylogeny. Volatile terpenes were extracted with solid-phase micro extraction and desorbed in a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry for compound identification. The chemical diversity of the terpene blend showed a strong phylogenetic signal as closely related species emitted a similar number of compounds. Closely related species also tended to have compositionally similar blends, although this relationship was weak. Meanwhile, the ability to emit a given compound showed no significant phylogenetic signal for 200 of 286 compounds, indicating a high rate of diversification in terpene synthesis and/or great variability in their expression. Three lineages (Magnoliales, Laurales, and Sapindales) showed exceptionally high rates of terpene diversification. Of the 70 compounds found in >10% of their species, 69 displayed significant correlated evolution with at least one other compound. These results provide insights into the complex evolutionary history of volatile terpenes in angiosperms, while highlighting the need for further research into this important class of compounds.
Keywords: Chemical defense; French Guiana; herbivory; secondary metabolites; tropical forest
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Courtois, E. A., Paine, C. E. T., Blandinieres, P. A., Stien, D., Bessiere, J. M., Houel, E., et al. (2009). Diversity of the Volatile Organic Compounds Emitted by 55 Species of Tropical Trees: a Survey in French Guiana. J. Chem. Ecol., 35(11), 1349–1362.
Abstract: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are produced by a broad range of organisms, from bacteria to mammals, and they represent a vast chemical diversity. In plants, one of the preeminent roles of VOCs is their repellent or cytotoxic activity, which helps the plant deter its predators. Most studies on VOCs emitted by vegetative parts have been conducted in model plant species, and little is known about patterns of VOC emissions in diverse plant communities. We conducted a survey of the VOCs released immediately after mechanical damage of the bark and the leaves of 195 individual trees belonging to 55 tropical tree species in a lowland rainforest of French Guiana. We discovered a remarkably high chemical diversity, with 264 distinct VOCs and a mean of 37 compounds per species. Two monoterpenes (alpha-pinene and limonene) and two sesquiterpenes (beta-caryophyllene and alpha-copaene), which are known to have cytotoxic and deterrent effects, were the most frequent compounds in the sampled species. As has been established for floral scents, the blend of VOCs is largely species-specific and could be used to discriminate among 43 of the 55 sampled species. The species with the most diverse blends were found in the Sapindales, Laurales, and Magnoliales, indicating that VOC diversity is not uniformly distributed among tropical species. Interspecific variation in chemical diversity was caused mostly by variation in sesquiterpenes. This study emphasizes three aspects of VOC emission by tropical tree species: the species-specificity of the mixtures, the importance of sesquiterpenes, and the wide-ranging complexity of the mixtures.
Keywords: VOCs; Chemical diversity; Sesquiterpenes; Tropical; French Guiana
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Courtois, E. A., Stahl, C., Van den Berge, J., Bréchet, L., Van Langenhove, L., Richter, A., et al. (2018). Spatial Variation of Soil CO2, CH4 and N2O Fluxes Across Topographical Positions in Tropical Forests of the Guiana Shield. Ecosystems, 21(7), 1445–1458.
Abstract: The spatial variation of soil greenhouse gas fluxes (GHG; carbon dioxide—CO2, methane—CH4 and nitrous oxide—N2O) remains poorly understood in highly complex ecosystems such as tropical forests. We used 240 individual flux measurements of these three GHGs from different soil types, at three topographical positions and in two extreme hydric conditions in the tropical forests of the Guiana Shield (French Guiana, South America) to (1) test the effect of topographical positions on GHG fluxes and (2) identify the soil characteristics driving flux variation in these nutrient-poor tropical soils. Surprisingly, none of the three GHG flux rates differed with topographical position. CO2 effluxes covaried with soil pH, soil water content (SWC), available nitrogen and total phosphorus. The CH4 fluxes were best explained by variation in SWC, with soils acting as a sink under drier conditions and as a source under wetter conditions. Unexpectedly, our study areas were generally sinks for N2O and N2O fluxes were partly explained by total phosphorus and available nitrogen concentrations. This first study describing the spatial variation of soil fluxes of the three main GHGs measured simultaneously in forests of the Guiana Shield lays the foundation for specific studies of the processes underlying the observed patterns.
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