Increasing air humidity influences hydraulic efficiency but not functional vulnerability of xylem in hybrid aspen

Sellin, Arne; Alber, Meeli; Kupper, Priit

doi:10.1016/j.jplph.2017.09.006

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 69 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The possibility that VPD is a central selective force reflected in plant hydraulic anatomy has been little explored but does seem congruent with other studies that implicate VPD, rather than temperature per se, as a crucial agent of selection on plant hydraulics (Eamus et al, 2013;Jasi nska et al, 2015;Sellin et al, 2017). Future climates promise increasing extremes of VPD, which in turn exerts strong pressures on plants (Breshears et al, 2013;Lemordant et al, 2018;Park et al, 2013).…”

supporting

confidence: 52%

“…Instead, we show that potential conductance scales isometrically with VPD, as predicted by the scenario in Figure 1. Our results provide the first explanation accounting for the VD standtemperature relationship, and explain otherwise enigmatic results, such as finding narrower, rather than the expected wider, conduits in experiments that raise humidity levels (Jasi nska, Alber, Tullus, Rahi, & Sellin, 2015;Sellin, Alber, & Kupper, 2017).…”

supporting

confidence: 51%

“…In one experiment, hybrid poplars exposed to free-air humidity enhancement produced narrower vessels rather than the wider ones that traditional ecological wood anatomy would expect, in which moister conditions would be expected to favour wider, more vulnerable but more efficient, vessels (Jasi nska et al, 2015;Sellin et al, 2017). Instead, if VD stand scales with VPD, with conductance keeping pace with atmospheric evapourative demand, then this would explain the production of narrower vessels under enhanced humidity (Jasi nska et al, 2015;Sellin et al, 2017 (Anfodillo et al, 2006;Olson et al, 2018Olson et al, , 2020. That the results of our conductance-VPD estimates coincide strikingly with the predicted isometry does suggest that the role of conduit scaling with VPD is one worth exploring in more detail, especially because our analyses clearly reject the freezing hypothesis we tested.…”

Section: Variation In Vessel Diameter-stem Length Y-intercept Acrosmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Across climates and species, higher vapour pressure deficit is associated with wider vessels for plants of the same height

Olson

Anfodillo

Rosell

2020

Plant Cell & Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

While plant height is the main driver of variation in mean vessel diameter at the stem base (VD) across angiosperms, climate, specifically temperature, does play an explanatory role, with vessels being wider with warmer temperature for plants of the same height. Using a comparative approach sampling 537 species of angiosperms across 19 communities, we rejected selection favouring freezing-induced embolism resistance as being able to account for wider vessels for a given height in warmer climates. Instead, we give reason to suspect that higher vapour pressure deficit (VPD) accounts for the positive scaling of height-standardized VD (and potential xylem conductance) with temperature. Selection likely favours conductive systems that are able to meet the higher transpirational demand of warmer climates, which have higher VPD, resulting in wider vessels for a given height. At the same time, wider vessels are likely more vulnerable to dysfunction. With future climates likely to experience ever greater extremes of VPD, future forests could be increasingly vulnerable.

show abstract

supporting

confidence: 52%

supporting

confidence: 51%

Section: Variation In Vessel Diameter-stem Length Y-intercept Acrosmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Across climates and species, higher vapour pressure deficit is associated with wider vessels for plants of the same height

Olson

Anfodillo

Rosell

2020

Plant Cell & Environment

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Differently from what is reported in other studies (e.g. Mencuccini & Grace, ; Martínez‐Vilalta et al ., ; Sellin et al ., ; Guérin et al ., ), the differences in A L : A X ratio could not be explained by local growing conditions (Table ; Figs a, S1). Instead, the scaling of A L vs A X converged towards a similar exponent ( b = 0.58), independent of regional average climatic conditions (Table ; Figs a, S1), thus suggesting that selection favored restricted combinations of A L and A X in branches.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been commonly observed that both trees under environmental (Mencuccini & Grace, ; Martínez‐Vilalta et al ., ; Sellin et al ., ) or size‐related stress conditions (McDowell et al ., ) decrease the ratio of leaf area to sapwood area ( A L : A S ), likely to increase the leaf specific conductance. However, the patterns of anatomical and hydraulic properties related to tree size very seldom are considered in these types of studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree differences in primary and secondary growth drive convergent scaling in leaf area to sapwood area across Europe

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Trees scale leaf (A ) and xylem (A ) areas to couple leaf transpiration and carbon gain with xylem water transport. Some species are known to acclimate in A : A balance in response to climate conditions, but whether trees of different species acclimate in A : A in similar ways over their entire (continental) distributions is unknown. We analyzed the species and climate effects on the scaling of A vs A in branches of conifers (Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies) and broadleaved (Betula pendula, Populus tremula) sampled across a continental wide transect in Europe. Along the branch axis, A and A change in equal proportion (isometric scaling: b ˜ 1) as for trees. Branches of similar length converged in the scaling of A vs A with an exponent of b = 0.58 across European climates irrespective of species. Branches of slow-growing trees from Northern and Southern regions preferentially allocated into new leaf rather than xylem area, with older xylem rings contributing to maintaining total xylem conductivity. In conclusion, trees in contrasting climates adjust their functional balance between water transport and leaf transpiration by maintaining biomass allocation to leaves, and adjusting their growth rate and xylem production to maintain xylem conductance.

show abstract

Northern Forest Trees Under Increasing Atmospheric Humidity

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increasing air humidity influences hydraulic efficiency but not functional vulnerability of xylem in hybrid aspen

Cited by 10 publications

References 69 publications

Across climates and species, higher vapour pressure deficit is associated with wider vessels for plants of the same height

Across climates and species, higher vapour pressure deficit is associated with wider vessels for plants of the same height

Tree differences in primary and secondary growth drive convergent scaling in leaf area to sapwood area across Europe

Northern Forest Trees Under Increasing Atmospheric Humidity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About