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  4. Twenty years of irrigation acclimation is driven by denser canopies and not by plasticity in twig- and needle-level hydraulics in a Pinus sylvestris forest
 
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research article

Twenty years of irrigation acclimation is driven by denser canopies and not by plasticity in twig- and needle-level hydraulics in a Pinus sylvestris forest

Gauthey, Alice  
•
Bachofen, Christoph  
•
Chin, Alana
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February 20, 2024
Journal Of Experimental Botany

Climate change is predicted to increase atmospheric vapor pressure deficit, exacerbating soil drought, and thus enhancing tree evaporative demand and mortality. Yet, few studies have addressed the longer-term drought acclimation strategy of trees, particularly the importance of morphological versus hydraulic plasticity. Using a long-term (20 years) irrigation experiment in a natural forest, we investigated the acclimation of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) morpho-anatomical traits (stomatal anatomy and crown density) and hydraulic traits (leaf water potential, vulnerability to cavitation (Psi(50)), specific hydraulic conductivity (K-s), and tree water deficit) to prolonged changes in soil moisture. We found that low water availability reduced twig water potential and increased tree water deficit during the growing season. Still, the trees showed limited adjustments in most branch-level hydraulic traits (Psi(50) and K-s) and needle anatomy. In contrast, trees acclimated to prolonged irrigation by increasing their crown density and hence the canopy water demand. This study demonstrates that despite substantial canopy adjustments, P. sylvestris may be vulnerable to extreme droughts because of limited adjustment potential in its hydraulic system. While sparser canopies reduce water demand, such shifts take decades to occur under chronic water deficits and might not mitigate short-term extreme drought events.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1093/jxb/erae066
Web of Science ID

WOS:001189258900001

Author(s)
Gauthey, Alice  
•
Bachofen, Christoph  
•
Chin, Alana
•
Cochard, Herve
•
Gisler, Jonas
•
Mas, Eugenie  
•
Meusburger, Katrin
•
Peters, Richard L.
•
Schaub, Marcus
•
Tunas, Alex
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Date Issued

2024-02-20

Publisher

Oxford Univ Press

Published in
Journal Of Experimental Botany
Subjects

Life Sciences & Biomedicine

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Acclimation

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Canopy Density

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Drought

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Hydraulic Conductivity

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Irrigation

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Psi(50)

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Scots Pine

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Tree Water Deficit

Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
PERL  
FunderGrant Number

Sandoz Family Foundation

Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF

310030_204697

Grant of the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN

18.0031.PJ/ F3D2D37FF

Available on Infoscience
April 3, 2024
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/206982
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