Abstract
Widespread tree mortality associated with drought has been observed on all forested continents and global change is expected to exacerbate vegetation vulnerability. Forest mortality has implications for future biosphere-atmosphere interactions of carbon, water and energy balance, and is poorly represented in dynamic vegetation models. Reducing uncertainty requires improved mortality projections founded on robust physiological processes. However, the proposed mechanisms of drought-induced mortality, including hydraulic failure and carbon starvation, are unresolved. A growing number of empirical studies have investigated these mechanisms, but data have not been consistently analysed across species and biomes using a standardized physiological framework. Here, we show that xylem hydraulic failure was ubiquitous across multiple tree taxa at drought-induced mortality. All species assessed had 60% or higher loss of xylem hydraulic conductivity, consistent with proposed theoretical and modelled survival thresholds. We found diverse responses in non-structural carbohydrate reserves at mortality, indicating that evidence supporting carbon starvation was not universal. Reduced non-structural carbohydrates were more common for gymnosperms than angiosperms, associated with xylem hydraulic vulnerability, and may have a role in reducing hydraulic function. Our finding that hydraulic failure at drought-induced mortality was persistent across species indicates that substantial improvement in vegetation modelling can be achieved using thresholds in hydraulic function.
| Language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 1285-1291 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Nature Ecology and Evolution |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Sep 2017 |
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Keywords
- climate-change ecology
- plant ecology
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A multi-species synthesis of physiological mechanisms in drought-induced tree mortality. / Adams, Henry D.; Zeppel, Melanie J.B.; Anderegg, William R.L.; Hartmann, Henrik; Landhäusser, Simon M.; Tissue, David T.; Huxman, Travis E.; Hudson, Patrick J.; Franz, Trenton E.; Allen, Craig D.; Anderegg, Leander D.L.; Barron-Gafford, Greg A.; Beerling, David J.; Breshears, David D.; Brodribb, Timothy J.; Bugmann, Harald; Cobb, Richard C.; Collins, Adam D.; Dickman, L. Turin; Duan, Honglang; Ewers, Brent E.; Galiano, Lucía; Galvez, David A.; Garcia-Forner, Núria; Gaylord, Monica L.; Germino, Matthew J.; Gessler, Arthur; Hacke, Uwe G.; Hakamada, Rodrigo; Hector, Andy; Jenkins, Michael W.; Kane, Jeffrey M.; Kolb, Thomas E.; Law, Darin J.; Lewis, James D.; Limousin, Jean Marc; Love, David M.; Macalady, Alison K.; Martínez-Vilalta, Jordi; Mencuccini, Maurizio; Mitchell, Patrick J.; Muss, Jordan D.; O'Brien, Michael J.; O'Grady, Anthony P.; Pangle, Robert E.; Pinkard, Elizabeth A.; Piper, Frida I.; Plaut, Jennifer A.; Pockman, William T.; Quirk, Joe; Reinhardt, Keith; Ripullone, Francesco; Ryan, Michael G.; Sala, Anna; Sevanto, Sanna; Sperry, John S.; Vargas, Rodrigo; Vennetier, Michel; Way, Danielle A.; Xu, Chonggang; Yepez, Enrico A.; McDowell, Nate G.
In: Nature Ecology and Evolution, Vol. 1, No. 9, 01.09.2017, p. 1285-1291.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - A multi-species synthesis of physiological mechanisms in drought-induced tree mortality
AU - Adams, Henry D.
AU - Zeppel, Melanie J.B.
AU - Anderegg, William R.L.
AU - Hartmann, Henrik
AU - Landhäusser, Simon M.
AU - Tissue, David T.
AU - Huxman, Travis E.
AU - Hudson, Patrick J.
AU - Franz, Trenton E.
AU - Allen, Craig D.
AU - Anderegg, Leander D.L.
AU - Barron-Gafford, Greg A.
AU - Beerling, David J.
AU - Breshears, David D.
AU - Brodribb, Timothy J.
AU - Bugmann, Harald
AU - Cobb, Richard C.
AU - Collins, Adam D.
AU - Dickman, L. Turin
AU - Duan, Honglang
AU - Ewers, Brent E.
AU - Galiano, Lucía
AU - Galvez, David A.
AU - Garcia-Forner, Núria
AU - Gaylord, Monica L.
AU - Germino, Matthew J.
AU - Gessler, Arthur
AU - Hacke, Uwe G.
AU - Hakamada, Rodrigo
AU - Hector, Andy
AU - Jenkins, Michael W.
AU - Kane, Jeffrey M.
AU - Kolb, Thomas E.
AU - Law, Darin J.
AU - Lewis, James D.
AU - Limousin, Jean Marc
AU - Love, David M.
AU - Macalady, Alison K.
AU - Martínez-Vilalta, Jordi
AU - Mencuccini, Maurizio
AU - Mitchell, Patrick J.
AU - Muss, Jordan D.
AU - O'Brien, Michael J.
AU - O'Grady, Anthony P.
AU - Pangle, Robert E.
AU - Pinkard, Elizabeth A.
AU - Piper, Frida I.
AU - Plaut, Jennifer A.
AU - Pockman, William T.
AU - Quirk, Joe
AU - Reinhardt, Keith
AU - Ripullone, Francesco
AU - Ryan, Michael G.
AU - Sala, Anna
AU - Sevanto, Sanna
AU - Sperry, John S.
AU - Vargas, Rodrigo
AU - Vennetier, Michel
AU - Way, Danielle A.
AU - Xu, Chonggang
AU - Yepez, Enrico A.
AU - McDowell, Nate G.
PY - 2017/9/1
Y1 - 2017/9/1
N2 - Widespread tree mortality associated with drought has been observed on all forested continents and global change is expected to exacerbate vegetation vulnerability. Forest mortality has implications for future biosphere-atmosphere interactions of carbon, water and energy balance, and is poorly represented in dynamic vegetation models. Reducing uncertainty requires improved mortality projections founded on robust physiological processes. However, the proposed mechanisms of drought-induced mortality, including hydraulic failure and carbon starvation, are unresolved. A growing number of empirical studies have investigated these mechanisms, but data have not been consistently analysed across species and biomes using a standardized physiological framework. Here, we show that xylem hydraulic failure was ubiquitous across multiple tree taxa at drought-induced mortality. All species assessed had 60% or higher loss of xylem hydraulic conductivity, consistent with proposed theoretical and modelled survival thresholds. We found diverse responses in non-structural carbohydrate reserves at mortality, indicating that evidence supporting carbon starvation was not universal. Reduced non-structural carbohydrates were more common for gymnosperms than angiosperms, associated with xylem hydraulic vulnerability, and may have a role in reducing hydraulic function. Our finding that hydraulic failure at drought-induced mortality was persistent across species indicates that substantial improvement in vegetation modelling can be achieved using thresholds in hydraulic function.
AB - Widespread tree mortality associated with drought has been observed on all forested continents and global change is expected to exacerbate vegetation vulnerability. Forest mortality has implications for future biosphere-atmosphere interactions of carbon, water and energy balance, and is poorly represented in dynamic vegetation models. Reducing uncertainty requires improved mortality projections founded on robust physiological processes. However, the proposed mechanisms of drought-induced mortality, including hydraulic failure and carbon starvation, are unresolved. A growing number of empirical studies have investigated these mechanisms, but data have not been consistently analysed across species and biomes using a standardized physiological framework. Here, we show that xylem hydraulic failure was ubiquitous across multiple tree taxa at drought-induced mortality. All species assessed had 60% or higher loss of xylem hydraulic conductivity, consistent with proposed theoretical and modelled survival thresholds. We found diverse responses in non-structural carbohydrate reserves at mortality, indicating that evidence supporting carbon starvation was not universal. Reduced non-structural carbohydrates were more common for gymnosperms than angiosperms, associated with xylem hydraulic vulnerability, and may have a role in reducing hydraulic function. Our finding that hydraulic failure at drought-induced mortality was persistent across species indicates that substantial improvement in vegetation modelling can be achieved using thresholds in hydraulic function.
KW - climate-change ecology
KW - plant ecology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85031921138&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41559-017-0248-x
DO - 10.1038/s41559-017-0248-x
M3 - Article
VL - 1
SP - 1285
EP - 1291
JO - Nature Ecology and Evolution
T2 - Nature Ecology and Evolution
JF - Nature Ecology and Evolution
SN - 2397-334X
IS - 9
ER -