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

6 Citations (Scopus)

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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
Pages (from-to)	1760-1774
Number of pages	15
Journal	New Phytologist
Volume	244
Issue number	5
Early online date	24 Jul 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19987
Publication status	Published - Dec 2024

Bibliographical note

Copyright the Author(s) 2024. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

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

Access to Document

10.1111/nph.19987

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 1.4 MBLicence: CC BY

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",

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AU - Wright, Ian J.

AU - Perez-Priego, Oscar

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PY - 2024/12

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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.

AB - • 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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KW - photosynthesis

KW - plant ecophysiology

KW - plant functional traits

KW - plant hydraulics

KW - sapwood capacitance

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ER -

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

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

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ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture

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

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Projects

ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture

Cite this