Is it getting hot in here? Adjustment of hydraulic parameters in six boreal and temperate tree species after 5 years of warming

Stomatal behaviour moderates the water cost of CO2 acquisition for 21 boreal and temperate species under experimental climate change

The linkage of stomatal behaviour with photosynthesis is critical to understanding water and carbon cycles under global change. The relationship of stomatal conductance (gs ) and CO2 assimilation (Anet ) across a range of environmental contexts, as represented in the model parameter (g1 ), has served as a proxy of the marginal water cost of carbon acquisition. We use g1 to assess species differences in stomatal behaviour to a decade of open-air experimental climate change manipulations, asking whether generalisable patterns exist across species and climate contexts. Anet -gs measurements (17 727) for 21 boreal and temperate tree species under ambient and +3.3°C warming, and ambient and ~40% summer rainfall reduction, provided >2700 estimates of g1 . Warming and/or reduced rainfall treatments both lowered g1 because those treatments resulted in lower soil moisture and because stomatal behaviour changed more in warming when soil moisture was low. Species tended to respond similarly, although, in species from warmer and drier habitats, g1 tended to be slightly higher and to be the least sensitive to the decrease in soil water. Overall, both warming and rainfall reduction consistently made stomatal behaviour more conservative in terms of water loss per unit carbon gain across 21 species and a decade of experimental observation.

Divergent species-specific impacts of whole ecosystem warming and elevated CO2 on vegetation water relations in an ombrotrophic peatland

Boreal peatland forests have relatively low species diversity and thus impacts of climate change on one or more dominant species could shift ecosystem function. Despite abundant soil water availability, shallowly rooted vascular plants within peatlands may not be able to meet foliar demand for water under drought or heat events that increase vapor pressure deficits while reducing near surface water availability, although concurrent increases in atmospheric CO₂ could buffer resultant hydraulic stress. We assessed plant water relations of co-occurring shrub (primarily Rhododendron groenlandicum and Chamaedaphne calyculata) and tree (Picea mariana and Larix laricina) species prior to, and in response to whole ecosystem warming (0 to +9°C) and elevated CO₂ using 12.8-m diameter open-top enclosures installed within an ombrotrophic bog. Water relations (water potential [Ψ], turgor loss point, foliar and root hydraulic conductivity) were assessed prior to treatment initiation, then Ψ and peak sap flow (trees only) assessed after 1 or 2 years of treatments. Under the higher temperature treatments, L. laricina Ψ exceeded its turgor loss point, increased its peak sap flow, and was not able to recover Ψ overnight. In contrast, P. mariana operated below its turgor loss point and maintained constant Ψ and sap flow across warming treatments. Similarly, C. calyculata Ψ stress increased with temperature while R. groenlandicum Ψ remained at pretreatment levels. The more anisohydric behavior of L. laricina and C. calyculata may provide greater net C uptake with warming, while the more conservative P. mariana and R. groenlandicum maintained greater hydraulic safety. These latter species also responded to elevated CO₂ by reduced Ψ stress, which may also help limit hydraulic failure during periods of extreme drought or heat in the future. Along with Sphagnum moss, the species-specific responses of peatland vascular communities to drier or hotter conditions will shape boreal peatland composition and function in the future.

Effect of summer warming on growth, photosynthesis and water status in female and male Populus cathayana: implications for sex-specific drought and heat tolerances

Effects of climate warming on tree growth and physiology may be driven by direct thermal effects and/or by changes in soil moisture. Dioecious tree species usually show sexual spatial segregation along abiotic gradients; however, few studies have assessed the sex-specific responses to warming in dioecious trees. We investigated the sex-specific responses in growth, photosynthesis, nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC), water-use efficiency and whole-plant hydraulic conductance (KP) of the dioecious tree species Populus cathayana Rehd. under +4 °C elevated temperature with and without supplemental water. For both sexes, high-temperature treatments significantly decreased growth (height and biomass), photosynthetic rate (A), the ratio of A to dark respiration rate, stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate, NSC, leaf water potential and KP, but increased water-use efficiency (estimated from carbon isotope composition). Under warming with supplemental water, most traits of females did not change relative to ambient conditions, but traits of males decreased, resulting in greater sexual differences. Females showed a lower KP, and their gs and A responded more steeply with water-related traits than males. These results show that the effect of summer warming on growth and photosynthesis was driven mainly by soil moisture in female P. cathayana, while male performance was mainly related to temperature. Females may experience less thermal stress than males due to flexible water balance strategy via stomata regulation and water use.

Surprising lack of sensitivity of biochemical limitation of photosynthesis of nine tree species to open-air experimental warming and reduced rainfall in a southern boreal forest

Photosynthetic biochemical limitation parameters (i.e., V_cmax , J_max and J_max :V_cmax ratio) are sensitive to temperature and water availability, but whether these parameters in cold climate species at biome ecotones are positively or negatively influenced by projected changes in global temperature and water availability remains uncertain. Prior exploration of this question has largely involved greenhouse based short-term manipulative studies with mixed results in terms of direction and magnitude of responses. To address this question in a more realistic context, we examined the effects of increased temperature and rainfall reduction on the biochemical limitations of photosynthesis using a long-term chamber-less manipulative experiment located in northern Minnesota, USA. Nine tree species from the boreal-temperate ecotone were grown in natural neighborhoods under ambient and elevated (+3.4°C) growing season temperatures and ambient or reduced (≈40% of rainfall removed) summer rainfall. Apparent rubisco carboxylation and RuBP regeneration standardized to 25°C (V_cmax25°C and J_max25°C , respectively) were estimated based on AC_i curves measured in situ over three growing seasons. Our primary objective was to test whether species would downregulate V_cmax25°C and J_max25°C in response to warming and reduced rainfall, with such responses expected to be greatest in species with the coldest and most humid native ranges, respectively. These hypotheses were not supported, as there were no overall main treatment effects on V_cmax25°C or J_max25°C (p > .14). However, J_max :V_cmax ratio decreased significantly with warming (p = .0178), whereas interactions between warming and rainfall reduction on the J_max25°C to V_cmax25°C ratio were not significant. The insensitivity of photosynthetic parameters to warming contrasts with many prior studies done under larger temperature differentials and often fixed daytime temperatures. In sum, plants growing in relatively realistic conditions under naturally varying temperatures and soil moisture levels were remarkably insensitive in terms of their J_max25°C and V_cmax25°C when grown at elevated temperatures, reduced rainfall, or both combined.

Sap Flow Responses to Warming and Fruit Load in Young Olive Trees

Global warming will likely lead to temperature increases in many regions of South America where temperatures are already considered to be high for olive production. Thus, experimental studies are needed to assess how water use in olive trees may be affected by global warming. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate the response of olive tree sap flow, stomatal conductance, and xylem anatomy to elevated temperature and (ii) determine whether fruit load may affect the temperature responses. A warming experiment using well-irrigated olive trees (cv. Arbequina) in open-top chambers (OTCs) with two temperature levels was performed from fruit set to the end of fruit growth in two seasons. Temperature levels were a near ambient control (T0) and a treatment 4°C above the control (T+). Trees were in the chambers for either one (2015-2016) or two seasons (2014-2015, 2015-2016) and were evaluated only in the second season when all trees were 3 years old. Whole-tree sap flow on leaf area basis, stomatal conductance, and aspects of xylem anatomy were measured. Sap flow was slightly higher in T+ than T0 trees heated for one season early in fruit development (summer) likely due to the elevated temperature and increase in vapor pressure deficit. Later in fruit development (fall), sap flow was substantially higher in the T+ trees heated for one season. Total vessel number per shoot was greater in the T+ than the T0 trees at this time due to more small-diameter vessels in the T+ trees, but this did not appear to explain the greater sap flow. The T+ trees that were heated for two seasons had less fruit load than the T0 trees due to little flowering. In contrast to trees heated for one season, sap flow was less in T+ than controls late in fruit development the second season, which was likely related to lower fruit load. An independent experiment using untreated trees confirmed that sap flow decreases when fruit load is below a threshold value. The results emphasize that multiple, interacting factors should be considered when predicting warming effects on water use in olive orchards.

Beyond the extreme: recovery of carbon and water relations in woody plants following heat and drought stress

Plant responses to drought and heat stress have been extensively studied, whereas post-stress recovery, which is fundamental to understanding stress resilience, has received much less attention. Here, we present a conceptual stress-recovery framework with respect to hydraulic and metabolic functioning in woody plants. We further synthesize results from controlled experimental studies following heat or drought events and highlight underlying mechanisms that drive post-stress recovery. We find that the pace of recovery differs among physiological processes. Leaf water potential and abscisic acid concentration typically recover within few days upon rewetting, while leaf gas exchange-related variables lag behind. Under increased drought severity as indicated by a loss in xylem hydraulic conductance, the time for stomatal conductance recovery increases markedly. Following heat stress release, a similar delay in leaf gas exchange recovery has been observed, but the reasons are most likely a slow reversal of photosynthetic impairment and other temperature-related leaf damages, which typically manifest at temperatures above 40 °C. Based thereon, we suggest that recovery of gas exchange is fast following mild stress, while recovery is slow and reliant on the efficiency of repair and regrowth when stress results in functional impairment and damage to critical plant processes. We further propose that increasing stress severity, particular after critical stress levels have been reached, increases the carbon cost involved in reestablishing functionality. This concept can guide future experimental research and provides a base for modeling post-stress recovery of carbon and water relations in trees.

Information Needs of Next-Generation Forest Carbon Models: Opportunities for Remote Sensing Science

Forests are integral to the global carbon cycle, and as a result, the accurate estimation of forest structure, biomass, and carbon are key research priorities for remote sensing science. However, estimating and understanding forest carbon and its spatiotemporal variations requires diverse knowledge from multiple research domains, none of which currently offer a complete understanding of forest carbon dynamics. New large-area forest information products derived from remotely sensed data provide unprecedented spatial and temporal information about our forests, which is information that is currently underutilized in forest carbon models. Our goal in this communication is to articulate the information needs of next-generation forest carbon models in order to enable the remote sensing community to realize the best and most useful application of its science, and perhaps also inspire increased collaboration across these research fields. While remote sensing science currently provides important contributions to large-scale forest carbon models, more coordinated efforts to integrate remotely sensed data into carbon models can aid in alleviating some of the main limitations of these models; namely, low sample sizes and poor spatial representation of field data, incomplete population sampling (i.e., managed forests exclusively), and an inadequate understanding of the processes that influence forest carbon accumulation and fluxes across spatiotemporal scales. By articulating the information needs of next-generation forest carbon models, we hope to bridge the knowledge gap between remote sensing experts and forest carbon modelers, and enable advances in large-area forest carbon modeling that will ultimately improve estimates of carbon stocks and fluxes.

Xylem anatomical and growth responses of the dwarf shrub Vaccinium myrtillus to experimental CO2 enrichment and soil warming at treeline

Plant growth responses to environmental changes may be linked to xylem anatomical adjustments. The study of such links is essential for improving our understanding of plant functioning under global change. We investigated the xylem anatomy and above-ground growth of the dwarf shrub Vaccinium myrtillus in the understorey of Larix decidua and Pinus uncinata at the Swiss treeline after 9 years of free-air CO₂ enrichment (+200 ppm) and 6 years of soil warming (+4 °C). We aimed to determine the responses of xylem anatomical traits and growth to these treatments, and to analyse xylem anatomy-growth relationships. We quantified anatomical characteristics of vessels and ray parenchyma and measured xylem ring width (RW), above-ground biomass and shoot elongation as growth parameters. Our results showed strong positive correlations between theoretical hydraulic conductivity (Kh) and shoot increment length or total biomass across all treatments. However, while soil warming stimulated shoot elongation and RW, it reduced vessel size (Dh) by 14%. Elevated CO₂ had smaller effects than soil warming: it increased Dh (5%) in the last experimental years and only influenced growth by increasing basal stem size. The abundance of ray parenchyma, representing storage capacity, did not change under any treatment. Our results demonstrate a link between growth and stem Kh in V. myrtillus, but its growth responses to warming were not explained by the observed xylem anatomical changes. Smaller Dh under warming may increase resistance to freezing events frequently occurring at treeline and suggests that hydraulic efficiency is not limiting for V. myrtillus growing on moist soils at treeline. Our findings suggest that future higher atmospheric CO₂ concentrations will have smaller effects on V. myrtillus growth and functioning than rising temperatures at high elevations; further, growth stimulation of this species under future warmer conditions may not be synchronized with xylem adjustments favouring hydraulic efficiency.

Contrasting acclimation abilities of two dominant boreal conifers to elevated CO2 and temperature

High latitude forests will experience large changes in temperature and CO₂ concentrations this century. We evaluated the effects of future climate conditions on 2 dominant boreal tree species, Pinus sylvestris L. and Picea abies (L.) H. Karst, exposing seedlings to 3 seasons of ambient (430 ppm) or elevated CO₂ (750 ppm) and ambient temperatures, a + 4 °C warming or a + 8 °C warming. Pinus sylvestris responded positively to warming: seedlings developed a larger canopy, maintained high net CO₂ assimilation rates (A_net ), and acclimated dark respiration (R_dark ). In contrast, carbon fluxes in Picea abies were negatively impacted by warming: maximum rates of A_net decreased, electron transport was redirected to alternative electron acceptors, and thermal acclimation of R_dark was weak. Elevated CO₂ tended to exacerbate these effects in warm-grown Picea abies, and by the end of the experiment Picea abies from the +8 °C, high CO₂ treatment produced fewer buds than they had 3 years earlier. Treatments had little effect on leaf and wood anatomy. Our results highlight that species within the same plant functional type may show opposite responses to warming and imply that Picea abies may be particularly vulnerable to warming due to low plasticity in photosynthetic and respiratory metabolism.

Different Growth and Physiological Responses of Six Subtropical Tree Species to Warming

Quantifying changes in interspecific plant growth and physiology under climate warming will facilitate explanation of the shifts in community structure in subtropical forest. We evaluated the effects of 3 years climate warming (ca. 1°C, 2012-2015) on plant growth and physiological parameters of six subtropical tree species by translocating seedlings and soil from a higher to a lower elevation site. We found that an increase in soil/air temperature had divergent effects on six co-occurring species. Warming increased the biomass of Schima superba and Pinus massoniana, whereas it decreased their specific leaf area and intrinsic water use efficiency compared to other species. Warming decreased the foliar non-structural carbohydrates for all species. Our findings demonstrated that a warmer climate would have species-specific effects on the physiology and growth of subtropical trees, which may cause changes in the competitive balance and composition of these forests.