Jessica Orozco, Paula Guzmán-Delgado, Maciej A. Zwieniecki
{"title":"Megafire smoke exposure jeopardizes tree carbohydrate reserves and yield","authors":"Jessica Orozco, Paula Guzmán-Delgado, Maciej A. Zwieniecki","doi":"10.1038/s41477-024-01819-4","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>The global incidence of megafires is on the rise, leading to extensive areas being shrouded in dense smoke for prolonged periods, spanning days or weeks<sup>1</sup>. Here, by integrating long-term regional observations of non-structural carbohydrate content in trees across California’s Central Valley with spatiotemporal satellite data, we present compelling evidence that dense smoke plumes negatively impact carbohydrate stores in three tree species: <i>Prunus dulcis</i>, <i>Pistacia vera</i> and <i>Juglans regia</i>. Our findings show that the presence of smoke causes a significant decrease in total non-structural carbohydrates, with reductions in the accumulation of both soluble sugar and starch reserves. This decline in carbohydrate levels persists through the trees’ dormancy period into the next season’s bloom, culminating in a reduced yield. Our results highlight a previously unrecognized wildfire threat that could affect plant health and ecosystem stability in both agricultural and natural environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":18904,"journal":{"name":"Nature Plants","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":15.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Plants","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-024-01819-4","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PLANT SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The global incidence of megafires is on the rise, leading to extensive areas being shrouded in dense smoke for prolonged periods, spanning days or weeks1. Here, by integrating long-term regional observations of non-structural carbohydrate content in trees across California’s Central Valley with spatiotemporal satellite data, we present compelling evidence that dense smoke plumes negatively impact carbohydrate stores in three tree species: Prunus dulcis, Pistacia vera and Juglans regia. Our findings show that the presence of smoke causes a significant decrease in total non-structural carbohydrates, with reductions in the accumulation of both soluble sugar and starch reserves. This decline in carbohydrate levels persists through the trees’ dormancy period into the next season’s bloom, culminating in a reduced yield. Our results highlight a previously unrecognized wildfire threat that could affect plant health and ecosystem stability in both agricultural and natural environments.
期刊介绍:
Nature Plants is an online-only, monthly journal publishing the best research on plants — from their evolution, development, metabolism and environmental interactions to their societal significance.