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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.)

Small tropical forest trees have a greater capacity to adjust carbon metabolism to long-term drought than large canopy trees

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Author(s):
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Bartholomew, David C. [1] ; Bittencourt, Paulo R. L. [2, 1] ; da Costa, Antonio C. L. [3] ; Banin, Lindsay F. [4] ; de Britto Costa, Patricia [2] ; Coughlin, Sarah I. [5] ; Domingues, Tomas F. [6] ; Ferreira, Leandro V. [7] ; Giles, Andre [2] ; Mencuccini, Maurizio [8, 9] ; Mercado, Lina [1, 10] ; Miatto, Raquel C. [6] ; Oliveira, Alex [7] ; Oliveira, Rafael [2] ; Meir, Patrick [5, 11] ; Rowland, Lucy [1]
Total Authors: 16
Affiliation:
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[1] Univ Exeter, Sch Geog, Coll Life & Environm Sci, Exeter, Devon - England
[2] Univ Campinas UNICAMP, Inst Biol, Campinas - Brazil
[3] Univ Fed Para, Inst Geosciencias, Belem, Para - Brazil
[4] UK Ctr Ecol & Hydrol, Penicuik, Midlothian - Scotland
[5] Australian Natl Univ, Res Sch Biol, Canberra, ACT - Australia
[6] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Biol, FFCLRP, Ribeirao Preto - Brazil
[7] Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belem, Para - Brazil
[8] ICREA, Barcelona - Spain
[9] Univ Autonoma Barcelona, CREAF, Barcelona - Spain
[10] UK Ctr Ecol & Hydrol, Wallingford, Oxon - England
[11] Univ Edinburgh, Sch GeoSci, Edinburgh, Midlothian - Scotland
Total Affiliations: 11
Document type: Journal article
Source: PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT; v. 43, n. 10 AUG 2020.
Web of Science Citations: 0
Abstract

The response of small understory trees to long-term drought is vital in determining the future composition, carbon stocks and dynamics of tropical forests. Long-term drought is, however, also likely to expose understory trees to increased light availability driven by drought-induced mortality. Relatively little is known about the potential for understory trees to adjust their physiology to both decreasing water and increasing light availability. We analysed data on maximum photosynthetic capacity (J(max),V-cmax), leaf respiration (R-leaf), leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf thickness and leaf nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations from 66 small trees across 12 common genera at the world's longest running tropical rainfall exclusion experiment and compared responses to those from 61 surviving canopy trees. Small trees increasedJ(max),V-cmax,R(leaf)and LMA (71, 29, 32, 15% respectively) in response to the drought treatment, but leaf thickness and leaf nutrient concentrations did not change. Small trees were significantly more responsive than large canopy trees to the drought treatment, suggesting greater phenotypic plasticity and resilience to prolonged drought, although differences among taxa were observed. Our results highlight that small tropical trees have greater capacity to respond to ecosystem level changes and have the potential to regenerate resilient forests following future droughts. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 11/52072-0 - Soil-plant-atmosphere interactions in a changing tropical landscape
Grantee:Rafael Silva Oliveira
Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research Partnership for Technological Innovation - PITE