Flavonoids in plants is very important in its ecological role and economic value. The dynamic features of flavonoids content in different organs of larch (Larix gmelinii) at different light and temperature conditions were investigated in this study. Results showed that the order of flavonoids content in different organs from high to low was 7.78% (stem bark) > 2.79% (leaves) > 1.72% (branches) > 1.19% (stem xylem)and different organs had a great seasonal variation in flavonoids content, but the change of flavonoids content at different temperature was not obvious in different organs., The content of flavonoids in barck had, a positive correlation with temperature (R^2=0.75), but that in other organs had slight variation with the change of temperatures. For all the tested organs, the flavonoids content in summer and autumn was approximately 3-4 times higher than in spring and winter. This is attributed to the great stress from environmental physical variables such as UV radiation, high temperature that induce the accumulation of flavonoids. The flavonoid content of sun leaves was evidently higher than that of shade leaves, and leaves at upper part of canopy had a higher flavonoids content compared with that at other parts. This result indicates that sun radiation could improve flavonoids production in leaves (R^2=0.76). The flavonoids may actively evolve in plant defenses to environmental stress, protecting larch from the damage of high temperature and radiation, and its main function is different in different organs.
The correct method used in forest soil respiration measurement by Li-6400 is a premise of data quality control. According to the study in a larch plantation, collars should be inserted at 12 hours in advance to efficiently reduce the influence of CO2 spring-out.Moreover, collar insertion depth substantially affected soil respiration measurement, i.e. when collar was shallowly inserted into soil,transversal gas diffusion and the CO2 re-spring-out caused by unstable collars in the measurement could lead to overestimating soil respiration rate; however, when collar was deeply inserted into soil, root respiration decline caused by root-cut and the most active respiratory of the surface soil separated by the inserted collars could lead to underestimating soil respiration rate. Furthermore, an error less than 5% could be guaranteed in typical sunny day if the target [CO2] was set to the mean value of ambient [CO2] in most time of the day, but it should be carefully set in early morning and late afternoon according to changing ambient [CO2]. This protocol of measurement is useful in real measurement.
