Journal Article

The role of nutrients in drought-induced tree mortality and recovery

Marcus Schaub, Arthur Gessler, Nate G. Mc Dowell

2017

Overview

Global forests are experiencing rising temperatures and more severe droughts, with consistently dire forecasts for negative future impacts. Current research on the physiological mechanisms underlying drought impacts is focused on the water- and carbon-associated mechanisms. The role of nutrients is notably missing from this research agenda. Here, we investigate what role, if any, forest nutrition plays for survival and recovery of forests during and after drought. High nutrient availability may play a detrimental role in drought survival due to preferential biomass allocation aboveground that (1) predispose plants to hydraulic constraints limiting photosynthesis and promoting hydraulic failure, (2) increases carbon costs during periods of carbon starvation, and (3) promote biotic attack due to low tissue carbon: nitrogen (C: N). When nutrient uptake occurs during drought, high nutrient availability can increase water use efficiency thus minimizing negative feedbacks between carbon and nutrient balance. Nutrients are released after drought ceases, which might promote faster recovery but the temporal dynamics of microbial immobilization and nutrient leaching have a significant impact on nutrient availability. We provide a framework for understanding nutrient impacts on drought survival that allows a more complete analysis of forest ecosystem responses.

• Publisher: New Phytologist Trust,Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subject: Anthropogenic factors / Availability / Biodegradation / Biological activity / Biomass / Birch effect / Canopies / Carbohydrates / Carbon / Carbon - metabolism / carbon starvation / Carbon-nitrogen ratio / Cavitation / Cells / Climate change / Conductance / Coniferous forests / Control theory / Costs / Damage / Drought / Droughts / dry matter partitioning / Drying / Ecosystems / Environmental impact / Environmental regulations / Failure / feedbacks / Fluid flow / Foliage / Forest ecosystems / Forestry research / Forests / Frost / Growing season / Growth rate / Height / Human influences / hydraulic failure / Hydraulics / Hydrologic cycle / Interactions / Ionic mobility / leaching / Leaf area / Leaves / Limiting factors / Lysis / Metabolism / Microorganisms / Mineralization / Mortality / Mortality risk / Nitrogen / Nitrogen - metabolism / nutrient availability / nutrient balance / Nutrient uptake / Nutrients / Nutrition / Nutritional status / Optimization / Organic matter / Organic soils / Pathogens / Pests / Phosphorus - metabolism / Photosynthesis / Physiological functions / Physiology / Plant growth / Plant nutrition / Plant tissues / predisposition / Productivity / Proteins / Rainfall / Ratios / Reserves / Risk / Safety / Sensitivity / Soil microorganisms / Soils / Starvation / Stocks / Stomatal conductance / Studies / Sulfur / Survival / Tansley insight / temperature / temporal variation / Terrestrial ecosystems / Tissue / Trajectories / Transpiration / tree height / tree mortality / Trees / Trees - physiology / Water - physiology / Water circulation / Water shortages / Water supply / Water use / water use efficiency / Water use regulations