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How adaptable is the hydraulic system of European beech in the face of climate change‐related precipitation reduction?
Author(s) -
Schuldt Bernhard,
Knutzen Florian,
Delzon Sylvain,
Jansen Steven,
MüllerHaubold Hilmar,
Burlett Régis,
Clough Yann,
Leuschner Christoph
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/nph.13798
Subject(s) - beech , fagus sylvatica , xylem , hydraulic conductivity , environmental science , climate change , precipitation , atmospheric sciences , ecology , biology , soil science , botany , soil water , geology , geography , meteorology
Summary Climate warming will increase the drought exposure of many forests world‐wide. It is not well understood how trees adapt their hydraulic architecture to a long‐term decrease in water availability. We examined 23 traits characterizing the hydraulic architecture and growth rate of branches and the dependent foliage of mature European beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) trees along a precipitation gradient (855–594 mm yr −1 ) on uniform soil. A main goal was to identify traits that are associated with xylem efficiency, safety and growth. Our data demonstrate for the first time a linear increase in embolism resistance with climatic aridity (by 10%) across populations within a species. Simultaneously, vessel diameter declined by 7% and pit membrane thickness ( T m ) increased by 15%. Although specific conductivity did not change, leaf‐specific conductivity declined by 40% with decreasing precipitation. Of eight plant traits commonly associated with embolism resistance, only vessel density in combination with pathway redundancy and T m were related. We did not confirm the widely assumed trade‐off between xylem safety and efficiency but obtained evidence in support of a positive relationship between hydraulic efficiency and growth. We conclude that the branch hydraulic system of beech has a distinct adaptive potential to respond to a precipitation reduction as a result of the environmental control of embolism resistance.