Date of Award

12-17-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Wildfire smoke can induce changes in plant growth, phenology, and chemical composition. The frequency and intensity of wildfires have increased over the last thirty years in Alaska, and smoke has the potential to affect important wild fruit plants, such as bog blueberry (Vaccinium uliginosum L.), a food source for many Alaskans and wild animals. We exposed bog blueberry plants to wood smoke at different stages in fruit development: early-season when the plants were flowering ("early-smoked"), mid-season when fruits were unripe ("mid-smoked"), and late-season when fruits were fully ripe ("late-smoked"). We measured anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and total phenolics in the ripe fruits, as well as branch growth, leaf anthocyanin levels, fruit set, and flower, fruit, and leaf phenology. Impact of smoke exposure on anthocyanins depended on fruit developmental state: fruits exposed late in the season had no changes in anthocyanin concentration, while early- and mid-smoked fruits showed increases in anthocyanins. Changes in proanthocyanidins followed a similar pattern to anthocyanins, but differences between treatments were not statistically significant. Total phenolic compounds were not different across treatments. Leaf anthocyanins from mid-smoked and late-smoked plants were higher than the control, while early-smoked leaves were unaffected. Early-smoked plants had lower fruit set than the control, but there was no effect of smoke exposure on mid- and late-smoked fruit abundance. Smoke caused treated plants to lose leaves at a faster rate than control plants, but did not change the timing of leaf color change. Smoke did not affect branch growth or flower and fruit phenology. Our study shows that smoke has immediate effects on bog blueberry in the increase of anthocyanins in leaves and fruits, and seasonal effects in lower leaf longevity and limited fruit set in plants exposed while flowering. These results indicate higher stress levels in smoke-exposed plants that might result in higher fruit quality due to the health benefits of anthocyanins, but at the expense of fruit abundance.

Handle

http://hdl.handle.net/11122/14975

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