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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Xylem hydraulic safety and construction costs determine tropical tree growth

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Author(s):
Eller, Cleiton B. [1, 2] ; Barros, Fernanda de V. [1] ; Bittencourt, Paulo R. L. [1] ; Rowland, Lucy [2] ; Mencuccini, Maurizio [3, 4] ; Oliveira, Rafael S. [1]
Total Authors: 6
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Inst Biol, Dept Plant Biol, BR-6109 Campinas, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Exeter, Dept Geog, Coll Life & Environm Sci, Exeter EX4 4RJ, Devon - England
[3] ICREA, Pg Lluis Co 23, Barcelona 08010 - Spain
[4] CREAF, Barcelona 08193 - Spain
Total Affiliations: 4
Document type: Journal article
Source: PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT; v. 41, n. 3, p. 548-562, MAR 2018.
Web of Science Citations: 9
Abstract

Faster growth in tropical trees is usually associated with higher mortality rates, but the mechanisms underlying this relationship are poorly understood. In this study, we investigate how tree growth patterns are linked with environmental conditions and hydraulic traits, by monitoring the cambial growth of 9 tropical cloud forest tree species coupled with numerical simulations using an optimization model. We find that fast-growing trees have lower xylem safety margins than slow-growing trees and this pattern is not necessarily linked to differences in stomatal behaviour or environmental conditions when growth occurs. Instead, fast-growing trees have xylem vessels that are more vulnerable to cavitation and lower density wood. We proposethe growth - xylem vulnerability trade-off represents a wood hydraulic economics spectrum similar to the classic leaf economic spectrum, and show through numerical simulations that this trade-off can emerge from the coordination between growth rates, wood density, and xylem vulnerability to cavitation. Our results suggest that vulnerability to hydraulic failure might be related with the growth-mortality trade-off in tropical trees, determining important life history differences. These findings are important in furthering our understanding of xylem hydraulic functioning and its implications on plant carbon economy. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 13/19555-2 - Water use and carbon balance dynamics of cloud forest woody species
Grantee:Cleiton Breder Eller
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate