Understory plant diversity and phenolic allelochemicals across a range of Eucalyptus grandis plantation ages

作     者：Jinjin Li Yumei Huang Lianghua Chen Shun Gao Jian Zhang Danju Zhang Jinjin Li;Yumei Huang;Lianghua Chen;Shun Gao;Jian Zhang;Danju Zhang

作者机构：Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory of Ecological Forestry EngineeringCollege of ForestrySichuan Agricultural UniversityWenjiang 611130ChengduChina College of Landscape ArchitectureSichuan Agricultural UniversityWenjiang 611130ChengduChina 

出 版 物：《林业研究:英文版》 (Journal of Forestry Research)

年 卷 期：2023年第34卷第5期

页      面：1577-1590页

核心收录：

学科分类：08[工学] 0829[工学-林业工程] 0818[工学-地质资源与地质工程] 0903[农学-农业资源与环境] 0901[农学-作物学] 0703[理学-化学] 

基　　金：funded by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No.32171775 31770671)。 

主　　题：Eucalyptus grandis Phenolic compounds Understory plant diversity Plantation age 

摘      要：Allelopathy is an important mechanism in Eucalyptus plantations that causes detrimental impacts on understory diversity.Phenolic compounds are the main allelochemicals suppressing understory plants.However,the dynamic changes in phenolic allelochemicals and their relationship with understory diversity with increasing age of Eucalyptus plantations remain largely unclear.In this study,the understory plant diversity was assessed and phenolic compounds identified from leaf litter,roots,and rhizosphere soil samples in a Eucalyptus grandis plantation at two-year intervals for ten years using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(UPLC-MS/MS).The abundance and diversity of under story plant species were lowest in 4-year-old plantations and increased significantly with age.Seven phenolic acids and 10 flavonoids were identified from leaf litter,roots,and rhizosphere soils.Most of the potential phenolic allelochemicals,such as salicylic acid,gallic acid,4-hydroxybenzoic acid,and epicatechin,were more abundant in younger plantations,especially at4 years old.The concentrations of phenolic compounds in the rhizosphere zone were significantly lower than in litter and root samples and did not change significantly with an increase in age.Notably,phenolic compounds contributed more to the variation in the understory plants than soil factors.Hydroxyphenyllactic acid,ellagic acid,quercetin,salicylic acid,and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid were the main phenolic compounds explaining the variation in plant diversity with plantation age.These findings indicate that young E.grandis plantations,especially at four years of age,merit a greater focus because of their lower understory plant diversity and higher allelopathic potential.