Study of quantitative parameters of Norway spruce needle structure under the effect of elevated CO₂ concentration and different irradiance

Zuzana Kubínová: Study of Quantitative Parameters of Norway Spruce Needle Structure under the Effect of Elevated CO2 Concentration and Different Irradiance, Doctoral Thesis, Prague 2019 Abstract Atmospheric concentration of CO2 is increasing, while its influence on plants is still not fully elucidated. Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) is an abundant conifer tree in European temperate and boreal forests, which behave as carbon sink in the global carbon cycle. The physiological response to elevated CO2 concentration may be interconnected with changes in leaf anatomy and morphology. Needle structure is also determined by other factors in addition to CO2 concentration, irradiance being the most important one. Thus, effect of irradiance was also included in our studies. The effects of elevated CO2 concentration and irradiance on Norway spruce needle structure were studied using new applications of well-established quantitative methods and novel methods enabling effective and unbiased analysis of needle structural traits. The General Procrustes analysis showed to be effective for needle shape on cross section comparison and the disector method proved to be suitable for chloroplast number estimates. The influence of elevated CO2 concentration and different irradiance on needle structure was studied at two..