Journal Article

Triggers of tree mortality under drought

School of Forestry and Environmental Studies ; Yale University [New Haven], Laboratoire de Physique et Physiologie Intégratives de l’Arbre en environnement Fluctuant (PIAF) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Clermont Auvergne [2017-2020] (UCA [2017-2020]), Duursma, Remko A, Lopez Rodriguez, Rosa Ana, Brodersen, Craig R, Medlyn, Belinda, Brodribb, Timothy J, School of Biological Sciences [Hobart] ; University of Tasmania [Hobart] (UTAS), Hawkesbury Institute for he Environment ; Western Sydney University, Choat, Brendan, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment ; Western Sydney University

2018

Overview

Severe droughts have caused widespread tree mortality across many forest biomes with profound effects on the function of ecosystems and carbon balance. Climate change is expected to intensify regional-scale droughts, focusing attention on the physiological basis of drought-induced tree mortality. Recent work has shown that catastrophic failure of the plant hydraulic system is a principal mechanism involved in extensive crown death and tree mortality during drought, but the multi-dimensional response of trees to desiccation is complex. Here we focus on the current understanding of tree hydraulic performance under drought, the identification of physiological thresholds that precipitate mortality and the mechanisms of recovery after drought. Building on this, we discuss the potential application of hydraulic thresholds to process-based models that predict mortality.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group,CCSD,Nature Publishing Group UK
• Subject: 14/63 / 631/449/1736 / 704/158/2455 / Acclimatization - physiology / Biomes / Botanical research / Carbon / Catastrophic events / Cavitation / Climate change / Death / Desiccation / Drought / Droughts / Ecosystems / Embolisms / Environmental aspects / Flowers & plants / Forests / Global temperature changes / Humanities and Social Sciences / Hydraulic equipment / Hydraulics / Industrial equipment / Life Sciences / Medical imaging / Mortality / multidisciplinary / Natural Disasters / Net losses / Physiological aspects / Physiology / Picea rubens / Review / review-article / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Stress, Physiological - physiology / Thresholds / Trees / Trees (Plants) / Trees - anatomy & histology / Trees - genetics / Trees - physiology / Vegetal Biology / Water - metabolism / Water - physiology / Xylem - metabolism
• ISBN: 0004365943000