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Hydraulic and photosynthetic limitations prevail over root non‐structural carbohydrate reserves as drivers of resprouting in two Mediterranean oaks
Author(s) -
Resco de Dios Víctor,
Arteaga Carles,
PegueroPina José Javier,
SanchoKnapik Domingo,
Qin Haiyan,
Zveushe Obey K.,
Sun Wei,
Williams David G.,
Boer Matthias M.,
Voltas Jordi,
Moreno José M.,
Tissue David T.,
GilPelegrín Eustaquio
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.13781
Subject(s) - biology , photosynthesis , canopy , mediterranean climate , biomass (ecology) , botany , ecology , agronomy , environmental science
Resprouting is an ancestral trait in angiosperms that confers resilience after perturbations. As climate change increases stress, resprouting vigor is declining in many forest regions, but the underlying mechanism is poorly understood. Resprouting in woody plants is thought to be primarily limited by the availability of non‐structural carbohydrate reserves (NSC), but hydraulic limitations could also be important. We conducted a multifactorial experiment with two levels of light (ambient, 2–3% of ambient) and three levels of water stress (0, 50 and 80 percent losses of hydraulic conductivity, PLC) on two Mediterranean oaks ( Quercus ilex and Q . faginea ) under a rain‐out shelter ( n = 360). The proportion of resprouting individuals after canopy clipping declined markedly as PLC increased for both species. NSC concentrations affected the response of Q . ilex , the species with higher leaf construction costs, and its effect depended on the PLC. The growth of resprouting individuals was largely dependent on photosynthetic rates for both species, while stored NSC availability and hydraulic limitations played minor and non‐significant roles, respectively. Contrary to conventional wisdom, our results indicate that resprouting in oaks may be primarily driven by complex interactions between hydraulics and carbon sources, whereas stored NSC play a significant but secondary role.