The coordination of plant leaf water potential (ΨL) regulation and xylem vulnerability to embolism is fundamental for understanding the tradeoffs between carbon uptake and risk of hydraulic damage. There is a general consensus that trees with vulnerable xylem more conservatively regulate ΨLthan plants with resistant xylem. We evaluated if this paradigm applied to three important eastern US temperate tree species,
Drought extent and severity have increased and are predicted to continue to increase in many parts of the world. Understanding tree vulnerability to drought at both individual and species levels is key to ongoing forest management and preparation for future transitions in community composition. The influence of subsurface hydrologic processes is particularly important in water‐limited ecosystems, and is an under‐studied aspect of tree drought vulnerability. With California's 2013–2016 extraordinary drought as a natural experiment, we studied four co‐occurring woodland tree species, blue oak (
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10452611
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Global Change Biology
- Volume:
- 26
- Issue:
- 5
- ISSN:
- 1354-1013
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- p. 3091-3107
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Abstract Quercus alba L.,Acer saccharum Marsh. andLiriodendron tulipifera L., by synthesizing 1600 ΨLobservations, 122 xylem embolism curves and xylem anatomical measurements across 10 forests spanning pronounced hydroclimatological gradients and ages. We found that, unexpectedly, the species with the most vulnerable xylem (Q. alba ) regulated ΨLless strictly than the other species. This relationship was found across all sites, such that coordination among traits was largely unaffected by climate and stand age.Quercus species are perceived to be among the most drought tolerant temperate US forest species; however, our results suggest their relatively loose ΨLregulation in response to hydrologic stress occurs with a substantial hydraulic cost that may expose them to novel risks in a more drought‐prone future. -
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