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Lens F, Gleason SM, Bortolami G, Brodersen C, Delzon S, Jansen S. Functional xylem characteristics associated with drought-induced embolism in angiosperms. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 236:2019-2036. [PMID: 36039697 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Hydraulic failure resulting from drought-induced embolism in the xylem of plants is a key determinant of reduced productivity and mortality. Methods to assess this vulnerability are difficult to achieve at scale, leading to alternative metrics and correlations with more easily measured traits. These efforts have led to the longstanding and pervasive assumed mechanistic link between vessel diameter and vulnerability in angiosperms. However, there are at least two problems with this assumption that requires critical re-evaluation: (1) our current understanding of drought-induced embolism does not provide a mechanistic explanation why increased vessel width should lead to greater vulnerability, and (2) the most recent advancements in nanoscale embolism processes suggest that vessel diameter is not a direct driver. Here, we review data from physiological and comparative wood anatomy studies, highlighting the potential anatomical and physicochemical drivers of embolism formation and spread. We then put forward key knowledge gaps, emphasising what is known, unknown and speculation. A meaningful evaluation of the diameter-vulnerability link will require a better mechanistic understanding of the biophysical processes at the nanoscale level that determine embolism formation and spread, which will in turn lead to more accurate predictions of how water transport in plants is affected by drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frederic Lens
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands
- Leiden University, Institute of Biology Leiden, Plant Sciences, Sylviusweg 72, 2333 BE, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Sean M Gleason
- Water Management and Systems Research Unit, United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Fort Collins, CO, 80526, USA
| | - Giovanni Bortolami
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, PO Box 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Craig Brodersen
- School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | - Sylvain Delzon
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, BIOGECO, 33615, Pessac, France
| | - Steven Jansen
- Institute of Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, D-89081, Ulm, Germany
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2
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Johnson DM, Katul G, Domec J. Catastrophic hydraulic failure and tipping points in plants. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2022; 45:2231-2266. [PMID: 35394656 PMCID: PMC9544843 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Water inside plants forms a continuous chain from water in soils to the water evaporating from leaf surfaces. Failures in this chain result in reduced transpiration and photosynthesis and are caused by soil drying and/or cavitation-induced xylem embolism. Xylem embolism and plant hydraulic failure share several analogies to 'catastrophe theory' in dynamical systems. These catastrophes are often represented in the physiological and ecological literature as tipping points when control variables exogenous (e.g., soil water potential) or endogenous (e.g., leaf water potential) to the plant are allowed to vary on time scales much longer than time scales associated with cavitation events. Here, plant hydraulics viewed from the perspective of catastrophes at multiple spatial scales is considered with attention to bubble expansion within a xylem conduit, organ-scale vulnerability to embolism, and whole-plant biomass as a proxy for transpiration and hydraulic function. The hydraulic safety-efficiency tradeoff, hydraulic segmentation and maximum plant transpiration are examined using this framework. Underlying mechanisms for hydraulic failure at fine scales such as pit membranes and cell-wall mechanics, intermediate scales such as xylem network properties and at larger scales such as soil-tree hydraulic pathways are discussed. Understudied areas in plant hydraulics are also flagged where progress is urgently needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M. Johnson
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural ResourcesUniversity of GeorgiaAthensGeorgiaUSA
| | - Gabriel Katul
- Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUSA
- Nicholas School of the EnvironmentDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Jean‐Christophe Domec
- Nicholas School of the EnvironmentDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUSA
- Department of ForestryBordeaux Sciences Agro, UMR INRAE‐ISPA 1391GradignanFrance
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3
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Feng F, Losso A, Tyree M, Zhang S, Mayr S. Cavitation fatigue in conifers: a study on eight European species. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 186:1580-1590. [PMID: 33905499 PMCID: PMC8260135 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiab170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
After drought-induced embolism and repair, tree xylem may be weakened against future drought events (cavitation fatigue). As there are few data on cavitation fatigue in conifers available, we quantified vulnerability curves (VCs) after embolism/repair cycles on eight European conifer species. We induced 50% and 100% loss of conductivity (LC) with a cavitron, and analyzed VCs. Embolism repair was obtained by vacuum infiltration. All species demonstrated complete embolism repair and a lack of any cavitation fatigue after 50% LC . After 100% LC, European larch (Larix decidua), stone pine (Pinus cembra), Norway spruce (Picea abies), and silver fir (Abies alba) remained unaffected, while mountain pine (Pinus mugo), yew (Taxus baccata), and common juniper (Juniperus communis) exhibited 0.4-0.9 MPa higher vulnerability to embolism. A small cavitation fatigue observed in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) was probably biased by incomplete embolism repair, as indicated by a correlation of vulnerability shifts and conductivity restoration. Our data demonstrate that cavitation fatigue in conifers is species-specific and depends on the intensity of preceding LC. The lack of fatigue effects after moderate LC, and relevant effects in only three species after high LC, indicate that conifers are relatively resistant against cavitation fatigue. This is remarkable considering the complex and delicate conifer pit architecture and may be important considering climate change projections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Feng
- College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
- Qinling National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Huoditang, Ningshan, Shaanxi 711600, China
| | - Adriano Losso
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
| | - Melvin Tyree
- College of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang 321004, China
| | - Shuoxin Zhang
- College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi 712100, China
- Qinling National Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Huoditang, Ningshan, Shaanxi 711600, China
| | - Stefan Mayr
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck 6020, Austria
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Bonetti S, Breitenstein D, Fatichi S, Domec JC, Or D. Persistent decay of fresh xylem hydraulic conductivity varies with pressure gradient and marks plant responses to injury. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2021; 44:371-386. [PMID: 32964494 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2020] [Revised: 09/02/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Defining plant hydraulic traits is central to the quantification of ecohydrological processes ranging from land-atmosphere interactions, to tree mortality and water-carbon budgets. A key plant trait is the xylem specific hydraulic conductivity (Kx ), that describes the plant's vascular system capacity to transport water. While xylem's vessels and tracheids are dead upon maturity, the xylem is neither inert nor deadwood, various components of the sapwood and surrounding tissue remaining alive and functional. Moreover, the established definition of Kx assumes linear relations between water flux and pressure gradient by tacitly considering the xylem as a "passive conduit". Here, we re-examine this notion of an inert xylem by systematically characterizing xylem flow in several woody plants using Kx measurements under constant and cyclic pressure gradients. Results show a temporal and pressure gradient dependence of Kx . Additionally, microscopic features in "living branches" are irreversibly modified upon drying of the xylem, thus differentiating the macroscopic definition of Kx for living and dead xylem. The findings highlight the picture of the xylem as a complex and delicate conductive system whose hydraulic behaviour transcends a passive gradient-based flow. The study sheds new light on xylem conceptualization, conductivity measurement protocols, in situ long-distance water transport and ecosystem modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Bonetti
- Institute for Sustainable Resources, Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources, University College London, London, UK
- Soil and Terrestrial Environmental Physics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Breitenstein
- Soil and Terrestrial Environmental Physics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Simone Fatichi
- Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Jean-Christophe Domec
- Bordeaux Sciences Agro, UMR 1391 INRA ISPA, Gradignan Cedex, France
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Dani Or
- Soil and Terrestrial Environmental Physics, Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Desert Research Institute, Reno, Nevada, USA
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Liu X, Zhang Q, Song M, Wang N, Fan P, Wu P, Cui K, Zheng P, Du N, Wang H, Wang R. Physiological Responses of Robinia pseudoacacia and Quercus acutissima Seedlings to Repeated Drought-Rewatering Under Different Planting Methods. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2021; 12:760510. [PMID: 34938307 PMCID: PMC8685255 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2021.760510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Changing precipitation patterns have aggravated the existing uneven water distribution, leading to the alternation of drought and rewatering. Based on this variation, we studied species, namely, Robinia pseudoacacia and Quercus acutissima, with different root forms and water regulation strategy to determine physiological responses to repeated drought-rewatering under different planting methods. Growth, physiological, and hydraulic traits were measured using pure and mixed planting seedlings that were subjected to drought, repeated drought-rewatering (i.e., treatments), and well-irrigated seedlings (i.e., control). Drought had negative effects on plant functional traits, such as significantly decreased xylem water potential (Ψmd), net photosynthetic rate (AP), and then height and basal diameter growth were slowed down, while plant species could form stress imprint and adopt compensatory mechanism after repeated drought-rewatering. Mixed planting of the two tree species prolonged the desiccation time during drought, slowed down Ψmd and AP decreasing, and after rewatering, plant functional traits could recover faster than pure planting. Our results demonstrate that repeated drought-rewatering could make plant species form stress imprint and adopt compensatory mechanism, while mixed planting could weaken the inhibition of drought and finally improve the overall drought resistance; this mechanism may provide a theoretical basis for afforestation and vegetation restoration in the warm temperate zone under rising uneven spatiotemporal water distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao Liu
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Qinyuan Zhang
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Meixia Song
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Ning Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | | | - Pan Wu
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Kening Cui
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Peiming Zheng
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Ning Du
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
| | - Hui Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- *Correspondence: Hui Wang,
| | - Renqing Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Shandong Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Vegetation Ecology, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
- Qingdao Forest Ecology Research Station of National Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shandong University, Qingdao, China
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Mayr S, Schmid P, Beikircher B, Feng F, Badel E. Die hard: timberline conifers survive annual winter embolism. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 226:13-20. [PMID: 31677276 PMCID: PMC7065000 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 10/27/2019] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
During winter, timberline trees are exposed to drought and frost, factors known to induce embolism. Studies indicated that conifers cope with winter embolism by xylem refilling. We analysed the loss of hydraulic conductivity (LC) in Picea abies branch xylem over 10 years, and correlated winter embolism to climate parameters. LC was investigated by direct X-ray micro-computer tomography (micro-CT) observations and potential cavitation fatigue by Cavitron measurements. Trees showed up to 100% winter embolism, whereby LC was highest, when climate variables indicated frost drought and likely freeze-thaw stress further increased LC. During summer, LC never exceeded 16%, due to hydraulic recovery. Micro-CT revealed homogenous embolism during winter and that recovery was based on xylem refilling. Summer samples exhibited lower LC in outermost compared to older tree rings, although no cavitation fatigue was detected. Long-term data and micro-CT observations demonstrate that timberline trees can survive annual cycles of pronounced winter-embolism followed by xylem refilling. Only a small portion of the xylem conductivity cannot be restored during the first year, while remaining conduits are refilled without fatigue during consecutive years. We identify important research topics to better understand the complex induction and repair of embolism at the timberline and its relevance to general plant hydraulics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Mayr
- Department of BotanyUniversity of InnsbruckSternwartestr. 156020InnsbruckAustria
| | - Peter Schmid
- Department of BotanyUniversity of InnsbruckSternwartestr. 156020InnsbruckAustria
| | - Barbara Beikircher
- Department of BotanyUniversity of InnsbruckSternwartestr. 156020InnsbruckAustria
| | - Feng Feng
- College of ForestryNorthwest A&F University3 Taicheng RdYangling712100ShaanxiChina
| | - Eric Badel
- INRA, PIAFUniversité Clermont AuvergneF‐63000Clermont–FerrandFrance
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