Theory and tests for coordination among hydraulic and photosynthetic traits in co-occurring woody species

Shubham S. Chhajed; Ian J. Wright; Oscar Perez-Priego

doi:10.1111/nph.19987

Theory and tests for coordination among hydraulic and photosynthetic traits in co-occurring woody species

Shubham S. Chhajed^*, Ian J. Wright, Oscar Perez-Priego

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Natural Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

• Co-occurring plants show wide variation in their hydraulic and photosynthetic traits. Here, we extended ‘least-cost’ optimality theory to derive predictions for how variation in key hydraulic traits potentially affects the cost of acquiring and using water in photosynthesis and how this, in turn, should drive variation in photosynthetic traits.

• We tested these ideas across 18 woody species at a temperate woodland in eastern Australia, focusing on hydraulic traits representing different aspects of plant water balance, that is storage (sapwood capacitance, C_S), demand vs supply (branch leaf : sapwood area ratio, A_L : A_S and leaf : sapwood mass ratio and M_L : M_S), access to soil water (proxied by predawn leaf water potential, Ψ_PD) and physical strength (sapwood density, WD).

• Species with higher A_L : A_S had higher ratio of leaf-internal to ambient CO₂ concentration during photosynthesis (c_i : c_a), a trait central to the least-cost theory framework. C_S and the daily operating range of tissue water potential (∆Ψ) had an interactive effect on c_i : c_a. C_S, WD and Ψ_PD were significantly correlated with each other. These results, along with those from multivariate analyses, underscored the pivotal role leaf : sapwood allocation (A_L : A_S), and water storage (C_S) play in coordination between plant hydraulic and photosynthetic systems.

• This study uniquely explored the role of hydraulic traits in predicting species-specific photosynthetic variation based on optimality theory and highlights important mechanistic links within the plant carbon–water balance.

Original language	English
Number of pages	15
Journal	New Phytologist
Early online date	24 Jul 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19987
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 24 Jul 2024

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank Dr Karen Marais for help with plant identification, and Dr Anna Richards and Dr Tony Jerkovic for advice on psychrometer setup for sapwood capacitance measurements. The study was conducted under the scientific licence SL102299 issued by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, NSW Government. IJW acknowledges support from ARC Centres of Excellence grant CE200100015. Open access publishing facilitated by Macquarie University, as part of the Wiley \u2010 Macquarie University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.

Keywords

least-cost optimality theory
photosynthesis
plant ecophysiology
plant functional traits
plant hydraulics
sapwood capacitance

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10.1111/nph.19987

Cite this

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title = "Theory and tests for coordination among hydraulic and photosynthetic traits in co-occurring woody species",

abstract = "• Co-occurring plants show wide variation in their hydraulic and photosynthetic traits. Here, we extended {\textquoteleft}least-cost{\textquoteright} optimality theory to derive predictions for how variation in key hydraulic traits potentially affects the cost of acquiring and using water in photosynthesis and how this, in turn, should drive variation in photosynthetic traits. • We tested these ideas across 18 woody species at a temperate woodland in eastern Australia, focusing on hydraulic traits representing different aspects of plant water balance, that is storage (sapwood capacitance, CS), demand vs supply (branch leaf : sapwood area ratio, AL : AS and leaf : sapwood mass ratio and ML : MS), access to soil water (proxied by predawn leaf water potential, ΨPD) and physical strength (sapwood density, WD). • Species with higher AL : AS had higher ratio of leaf-internal to ambient CO2 concentration during photosynthesis (ci : ca), a trait central to the least-cost theory framework. CS and the daily operating range of tissue water potential (∆Ψ) had an interactive effect on ci : ca. CS, WD and ΨPD were significantly correlated with each other. These results, along with those from multivariate analyses, underscored the pivotal role leaf : sapwood allocation (AL : AS), and water storage (CS) play in coordination between plant hydraulic and photosynthetic systems. • This study uniquely explored the role of hydraulic traits in predicting species-specific photosynthetic variation based on optimality theory and highlights important mechanistic links within the plant carbon–water balance.",

keywords = "least-cost optimality theory, photosynthesis, plant ecophysiology, plant functional traits, plant hydraulics, sapwood capacitance",

author = "Chhajed, {Shubham S.} and Wright, {Ian J.} and Oscar Perez-Priego",

note = "Funding Information: We thank Dr Karen Marais for help with plant identification, and Dr Anna Richards and Dr Tony Jerkovic for advice on psychrometer setup for sapwood capacitance measurements. The study was conducted under the scientific licence SL102299 issued by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, NSW Government. IJW acknowledges support from ARC Centres of Excellence grant CE200100015. Open access publishing facilitated by Macquarie University, as part of the Wiley \u2010 Macquarie University agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist {\textcopyright} 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.",

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N2 - • Co-occurring plants show wide variation in their hydraulic and photosynthetic traits. Here, we extended ‘least-cost’ optimality theory to derive predictions for how variation in key hydraulic traits potentially affects the cost of acquiring and using water in photosynthesis and how this, in turn, should drive variation in photosynthetic traits. • We tested these ideas across 18 woody species at a temperate woodland in eastern Australia, focusing on hydraulic traits representing different aspects of plant water balance, that is storage (sapwood capacitance, CS), demand vs supply (branch leaf : sapwood area ratio, AL : AS and leaf : sapwood mass ratio and ML : MS), access to soil water (proxied by predawn leaf water potential, ΨPD) and physical strength (sapwood density, WD). • Species with higher AL : AS had higher ratio of leaf-internal to ambient CO2 concentration during photosynthesis (ci : ca), a trait central to the least-cost theory framework. CS and the daily operating range of tissue water potential (∆Ψ) had an interactive effect on ci : ca. CS, WD and ΨPD were significantly correlated with each other. These results, along with those from multivariate analyses, underscored the pivotal role leaf : sapwood allocation (AL : AS), and water storage (CS) play in coordination between plant hydraulic and photosynthetic systems. • This study uniquely explored the role of hydraulic traits in predicting species-specific photosynthetic variation based on optimality theory and highlights important mechanistic links within the plant carbon–water balance.

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JF - New Phytologist

ER -

Theory and tests for coordination among hydraulic and photosynthetic traits in co-occurring woody species

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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