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Leifsson C, Buras A, Klesse S, Baittinger C, Bat-Enerel B, Battipaglia G, Biondi F, Stajić B, Budeanu M, Čada V, Cavin L, Claessens H, Čufar K, de Luis M, Dorado-Liñán I, Dulamsuren C, Garamszegi B, Grabner M, Hacket-Pain A, Hansen JK, Hartl C, Huang W, Janda P, Jump AS, Kazimirović M, Knutzen F, Kreyling J, Land A, Latte N, Lebourgeois F, Leuschner C, Longares LA, Martinez Del Castillo E, Menzel A, Motta R, Muffler-Weigel L, Nola P, Panayatov M, Petritan AM, Petritan IC, Popa I, Roibu CC, Rubio-Cuadrado Á, Rydval M, Scharnweber T, Camarero JJ, Svoboda M, Toromani E, Trotsiuk V, van der Maaten-Theunissen M, van der Maaten E, Weigel R, Wilmking M, Zlatanov T, Rammig A, Zang CS. Identifying drivers of non-stationary climate-growth relationships of European beech. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 937:173321. [PMID: 38782287 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The future performance of the widely abundant European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) across its ecological amplitude is uncertain. Although beech is considered drought-sensitive and thus negatively affected by drought events, scientific evidence indicating increasing drought vulnerability under climate change on a cross-regional scale remains elusive. While evaluating changes in climate sensitivity of secondary growth offers a promising avenue, studies from productive, closed-canopy forests suffer from knowledge gaps, especially regarding the natural variability of climate sensitivity and how it relates to radial growth as an indicator of tree vitality. Since beech is sensitive to drought, we in this study use a drought index as a climate variable to account for the combined effects of temperature and water availability and explore how the drought sensitivity of secondary growth varies temporally in dependence on growth variability, growth trends, and climatic water availability across the species' ecological amplitude. Our results show that drought sensitivity is highly variable and non-stationary, though consistently higher at dry sites compared to moist sites. Increasing drought sensitivity can largely be explained by increasing climatic aridity, especially as it is exacerbated by climate change and trees' rank progression within forest communities, as (co-)dominant trees are more sensitive to extra-canopy climatic conditions than trees embedded in understories. However, during the driest periods of the 20th century, growth showed clear signs of being decoupled from climate. This may indicate fundamental changes in system behavior and be early-warning signals of decreasing drought tolerance. The multiple significant interaction terms in our model elucidate the complexity of European beech's drought sensitivity, which needs to be taken into consideration when assessing this species' response to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Leifsson
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany.
| | - Allan Buras
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Stefan Klesse
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Baittinger
- The National Museum of Denmark, Environmental Archaeology and Materials Science, I.C. Modewegs Vej 11, DK - 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Banzragch Bat-Enerel
- Plant Ecology, University of Goettingen, 37073 Goettingen, Germany; Applied Vegetation Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Franco Biondi
- DendroLab, Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Branko Stajić
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marius Budeanu
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry Marin Dracea, 13 Closca street, Brasov, Romania
| | - Vojtěch Čada
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, Praha 6, Suchdol 16521, Czech Republic
| | - Liam Cavin
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
| | - Hugues Claessens
- Forest is Life, ULiège, Passage des Déportés 2, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Katarina Čufar
- University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Wood Science and Technology, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Martin de Luis
- Dpto. de Geografía y Ordenación del Territorio, IUCA, Universidad de Zaragoza, C/ Pedro Cerbuna s/n, 50009 Zaragoza. Spain
| | - Isabel Dorado-Liñán
- Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Choimaa Dulamsuren
- Applied Vegetation Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Balázs Garamszegi
- Institute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Grabner
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Jon Kehlet Hansen
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Claudia Hartl
- Nature Rings - Environmental Research & Education, 55118 Mainz, Germany
| | - Weiwei Huang
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Pavel Janda
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, Praha 6, Suchdol 16521, Czech Republic
| | - Alistair S Jump
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
| | | | - Florian Knutzen
- Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Fischertwiete 1, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kreyling
- University of Greifswald, Experimental Plant Ecology, Soldmannstraße 15, 17498 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Alexander Land
- University of Hohenheim, Institute of Biology (190a), Garbenstraße 30, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Nicolas Latte
- Forest is Life, ULiège, Passage des Déportés 2, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | | | | | - Luis A Longares
- Dpto. de Geografía y Ordenación del Territorio, IUCA, Universidad de Zaragoza, C/ Pedro Cerbuna s/n, 50009 Zaragoza. Spain
| | | | - Annette Menzel
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Ecoclimatology, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Renzo Motta
- Department of Agricoltural Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Lena Muffler-Weigel
- Ecological-Botanical Garden, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Paola Nola
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Momchil Panayatov
- University of Forestry, Dendrology Department, Forest Faculty, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Any Mary Petritan
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry Marin Dracea, 13 Closca street, Brasov, Romania
| | - Ion Catalin Petritan
- Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Transilvania University of Braşov, Braşov, Romania
| | - Ionel Popa
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry Marin Dracea, 13 Closca street, Brasov, Romania; Center for Mountain Economy (CE-MONT), Vatra Dornei, Romania
| | - Cǎtǎlin-Constantin Roibu
- Forest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, Universitatii street, no. 13, Suceava RO720229, Romania
| | - Álvaro Rubio-Cuadrado
- Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Miloš Rydval
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, Praha 6, Suchdol 16521, Czech Republic
| | - Tobias Scharnweber
- Institute for Botany and Landscape Ecology, University Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - J Julio Camarero
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE), CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50080 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Miroslav Svoboda
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, Praha 6, Suchdol 16521, Czech Republic
| | - Elvin Toromani
- Department of Forestry, Agricultural University Tirana, Tirana, Albania
| | - Volodymyr Trotsiuk
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Ernst van der Maaten
- Chair of Forest Growth and Woody Biomass Production, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Robert Weigel
- Ecological-Botanical Garden, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Martin Wilmking
- Institute for Botany and Landscape Ecology, University Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Tzvetan Zlatanov
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Anja Rammig
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Christian S Zang
- Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, Department of Forestry, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 3, 85354 Freising, Germany
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Kinzinger L, Mach J, Haberstroh S, Schindler Z, Frey J, Dubbert M, Seeger S, Seifert T, Weiler M, Orlowski N, Werner C. Interaction between beech and spruce trees in temperate forests affects water use, root water uptake pattern and canopy structure. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 44:tpad144. [PMID: 38070177 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpad144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Beneficial and negative effects of species interactions can strongly influence water fluxes in forest ecosystems. However, little is known about how trees dynamically adjust their water use when growing with interspecific neighbours. Therefore, we investigated the interaction effects between Fagus sylvatica (European beech) and Picea abies (Norway spruce) on water-use strategies and aboveground structural characteristics. We used continuous in situ isotope spectroscopy of xylem and soil water to investigate source water dynamics and root water uptake depths. Picea abies exhibited a reduced sun-exposed crown area in equally mixed compared with spruce-dominated sites, which was further correlated to a reduction in sap flow of -14.5 ± 8.2%. Contrarily, F. sylvatica trees showed +13.3 ± 33.3% higher water fluxes in equally mixed compared with beech-dominated forest sites. Although a significantly higher crown interference by neighbouring trees was observed, no correlation of water fluxes and crown structure was found. High time-resolved xylem δ2H values showed a large plasticity of tree water use (-74.1 to -28.5‰), reflecting the δ2H dynamics of soil and especially precipitation water sources. Fagus sylvatica in equally mixed sites shifted water uptake to deeper soil layers, while uptake of fresh precipitation was faster in beech-dominated sites. Our continuous in situ water stable isotope measurements traced root water uptake dynamics at unprecedented temporal resolution, indicating highly dynamic use of water sources in response to precipitation and to neighbouring species competition. Understanding this plasticity may be highly relevant in the context of increasing water scarcity and precipitation variability under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Kinzinger
- Chair of Ecosystem Physiology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Judith Mach
- Chair of Hydrology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Friedrichstraße 39, 79089 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simon Haberstroh
- Chair of Ecosystem Physiology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Zoe Schindler
- Chair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Julian Frey
- Chair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Maren Dubbert
- IBG, PB 1 'Landschaftsprozesse', Leibniz Zentrum für Agrarlandschaftsforschung (ZALF) e. V, Eberswalder Straße 84, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Seeger
- Chair of Hydrology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Friedrichstraße 39, 79089 Freiburg, Germany
- Soil Physics, Department of Crop Sciences, University of Göttingen, Grisebachstraße 6, 37077 Gottingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Seifert
- Chair of Forest Growth and Dendroecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacher Str. 4, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Forest and Wood Science, Stellenbosch University, Bosman Street, 7599 Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Markus Weiler
- Chair of Hydrology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Friedrichstraße 39, 79089 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Natalie Orlowski
- Chair of Hydrology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Friedrichstraße 39, 79089 Freiburg, Germany
- Chair of Site Ecology and Plant Nutrition, Institute of Soil Science and Site Ecology, TU Dresden, Pienner Strasse 19, Tharandt 01737, Germany
| | - Christiane Werner
- Chair of Ecosystem Physiology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
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Mas E, Cochard H, Deluigi J, Didion-Gency M, Martin-StPaul N, Morcillo L, Valladares F, Vilagrosa A, Grossiord C. Interactions between beech and oak seedlings can modify the effects of hotter droughts and the onset of hydraulic failure. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2024; 241:1021-1034. [PMID: 37897156 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Mixing species with contrasting resource use strategies could reduce forest vulnerability to extreme events. Yet, how species diversity affects seedling hydraulic responses to heat and drought, including mortality risk, is largely unknown. Using open-top chambers, we assessed how, over several years, species interactions (monocultures vs mixtures) modulate heat and drought impacts on the hydraulic traits of juvenile European beech and pubescent oak. Using modeling, we estimated species interaction effects on timing to drought-induced mortality and the underlying mechanisms driving these impacts. We show that mixtures mitigate adverse heat and drought impacts for oak (less negative leaf water potential, higher stomatal conductance, and delayed stomatal closure) but enhance them for beech (lower water potential and stomatal conductance, narrower leaf safety margins, faster tree mortality). Potential underlying mechanisms include oak's larger canopy and higher transpiration, allowing for quicker exhaustion of soil water in mixtures. Our findings highlight that diversity has the potential to alter the effects of extreme events, which would ensure that some species persist even if others remain sensitive. Among the many processes driving diversity effects, differences in canopy size and transpiration associated with the stomatal regulation strategy seem the primary mechanisms driving mortality vulnerability in mixed seedling plantations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugénie Mas
- Plant Ecology Research Laboratory (PERL), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Community Ecology Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Hervé Cochard
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, PIAF, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Janisse Deluigi
- Plant Ecology Research Laboratory (PERL), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Community Ecology Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Margaux Didion-Gency
- Plant Ecology Research Laboratory (PERL), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Community Ecology Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Martin-StPaul
- Unité Ecologie des Forêts Méditerranéennes (UR629), INRAE, DomaineSaint Paul, Site Agroparc, 84914, Avignon Cedex 9, France
| | - Luna Morcillo
- CEAM Foundation, Joint Research Unit University of Alicante-CEAM, Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, PO Box 99, C. San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n, 03080, Alicante, Spain
| | - Fernando Valladares
- Depto de Biogeografía y Cambio Global, LINCGlobal, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), 28006, Madrid, Spain
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Univ. Rey Juan Carlos, Móstoles, 28933, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alberto Vilagrosa
- CEAM Foundation, Joint Research Unit University of Alicante-CEAM, Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, PO Box 99, C. San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n, 03080, Alicante, Spain
| | - Charlotte Grossiord
- Plant Ecology Research Laboratory (PERL), School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Community Ecology Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, CH-1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
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Didion-Gency M, Vitasse Y, Buchmann N, Gessler A, Gisler J, Schaub M, Grossiord C. Chronic warming and dry soils limit carbon uptake and growth despite a longer growing season in beech and oak. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 194:741-757. [PMID: 37874743 PMCID: PMC10828195 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/30/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Progressively warmer and drier climatic conditions impact tree phenology and carbon cycling with large consequences for forest carbon balance. However, it remains unclear how individual impacts of warming and drier soils differ from their combined effects and how species interactions modulate tree responses. Using mesocosms, we assessed the multiyear impact of continuous air warming and lower soil moisture alone or in combination on phenology, leaf-level photosynthesis, nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations, and aboveground growth of young European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Downy oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.) trees. We further tested how species interactions (in monocultures and in mixtures) modulated these effects. Warming prolonged the growing season of both species but reduced growth in oak. In contrast, lower moisture did not impact phenology but reduced carbon assimilation and growth in both species. Combined impacts of warming and drier soils did not differ from their single effects. Under warmer and drier conditions, performances of both species were enhanced in mixtures compared to monocultures. Our work revealed that higher temperature and lower soil moisture have contrasting impacts on phenology vs. leaf-level assimilation and growth, with the former being driven by temperature and the latter by moisture. Furthermore, we showed a compensation in the negative impacts of chronic heat and drought by tree species interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaux Didion-Gency
- Plant Ecology Research Laboratory PERL, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yann Vitasse
- Forest Dynamics Research Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Nina Buchmann
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Forest Dynamics Research Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
- Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jonas Gisler
- Forest Dynamics Research Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Schaub
- Forest Dynamics Research Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Charlotte Grossiord
- Plant Ecology Research Laboratory PERL, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Community Ecology Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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Didion‐Gency M, Gessler A, Buchmann N, Gisler J, Schaub M, Grossiord C. Impact of warmer and drier conditions on tree photosynthetic properties and the role of species interactions. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2022; 236:547-560. [PMID: 35842790 PMCID: PMC9804646 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Increased temperature and prolonged soil moisture reduction have distinct impacts on tree photosynthetic properties. Yet, our knowledge of their combined effect is limited. Moreover, how species interactions alter photosynthetic responses to warming and drought remains unclear. Using mesocosms, we studied how photosynthetic properties of European beech and downy oak were impacted by multi-year warming and soil moisture reduction alone or combined, and how species interactions (intra- vs inter-specific interactions) modulated these effects. Warming of +5°C enhanced photosynthetic properties in oak but not beech, while moisture reduction decreased them in both species. Combined warming and moisture reduction reduced photosynthetic properties for both species, but no exacerbated effects were observed. Oak was less impacted by combined warming and limited moisture when interacting with beech than in intra-specific stands. For beech, species interactions had no impact on the photosynthetic responses to warming and moisture reduction, alone or combined. Warming had either no or beneficial effects on the photosynthetic properties, while moisture reduction and their combined effects strongly reduced photosynthetic responses. However, inter-specific interactions mitigated the adverse impacts of combined warming and drought in oak, thereby highlighting the need to deepen our understanding of the role of species interactions under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaux Didion‐Gency
- Forest Dynamics Research Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSLCH‐8903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Arthur Gessler
- Forest Dynamics Research Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSLCH‐8903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
- Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, ETH ZurichCH‐8092ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Nina Buchmann
- Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH ZurichCH‐8092ZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jonas Gisler
- Forest Dynamics Research Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSLCH‐8903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Marcus Schaub
- Forest Dynamics Research Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSLCH‐8903BirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Charlotte Grossiord
- Plant Ecology Research Laboratory PERL, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental EngineeringEPFLCH‐1015LausanneSwitzerland
- Community Ecology Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSLCH‐1015LausanneSwitzerland
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6
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Vicente E, Didion-Gency M, Morcillo L, Morin X, Vilagrosa A, Grossiord C. Aridity and cold temperatures drive divergent adjustments of European beech xylem anatomy, hydraulics and leaf physiological traits. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 42:1720-1735. [PMID: 35285500 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Understanding plant trait coordination and variance across climatic gradients is critical for assessing forests' adaptive potential to climate change. We measured 11 hydraulic, anatomical and leaf-level physiological traits in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) along a moisture and temperature gradient in the French Alps. We assessed how traits covaried, and how their population-level variances shifted along the gradient. The intrapopulation variances of vessel size and xylem-specific conductivity reduced in colder locations as narrow vessels were observed in response to low temperature. This decreased individual-level water transport capacity compared with the warmer and more xeric sites. Conversely, the maximum stomatal conductance and Huber value variances were constrained in the arid and warm locations, where trees showed restricted gas exchange and higher xylem-specific conductivity. The populations growing under drier and warmer conditions presented wide variance for the xylem anatomical and hydraulic traits. Our results suggest that short-term physiological acclimation to raising aridity and heat in southern beech populations may occur mainly at the leaf level. Furthermore, the wide variance of the xylem anatomical and hydraulic traits at these sites may be advantageous since more heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity could imply populations' greater tree-tree complementarity and resilience against climatic variability. Our study highlights that both intrapopulation trait variance and trait network analysis are key approaches for understanding species adaptation and the acclimation potential to a shifting environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Vicente
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, IMEM Ramón Margalef, University of Alicante, C. San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n, Alicante 03080, Spain
- CEAM Foundation, Joint Research Unit University of Alicante-CEAM, Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, PO Box 99, C. San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n, Alicante 03080, Spain
| | - Margaux Didion-Gency
- Ecosystem Ecology, Forest Dynamics Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, Birmensdorf 8903, Switzerland
| | - Luna Morcillo
- CEAM Foundation, Joint Research Unit University of Alicante-CEAM, Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, PO Box 99, C. San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n, Alicante 03080, Spain
| | - Xavier Morin
- CEFE UMR 5175 (CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier, EPHE, IRD), 1919 Route de Mende, Montpellier Cedex 5 F-34293, France
| | - Alberto Vilagrosa
- CEAM Foundation, Joint Research Unit University of Alicante-CEAM, Department of Ecology, University of Alicante, PO Box 99, C. San Vicente del Raspeig, s/n, Alicante 03080, Spain
| | - Charlotte Grossiord
- Plant Ecology Research Laboratory PERL, School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, EPFL, PO box 96, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
- Functional Plant Ecology, Community Ecology Unit, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape WSL, PO box 96, Lausanne CH-1015, Switzerland
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