AI Article Synopsis

  • Episodic droughts significantly impact the structure and function of Amazonian forests, but the ability of individual plant species to adapt to these conditions is not well understood.
  • In a study conducted over five years, researchers evaluated 83 woody plant species and found that while some leaf traits related to photosynthesis were altered during drought, others remained unchanged, indicating a mixed response.
  • The findings suggest that many species in this diverse forest community have a strong capacity to adapt to intense drought, challenging the belief that they lack flexibility due to a long history in a stable climate.

Article Abstract

Episodic multi-year droughts fundamentally alter the dynamics, functioning, and structure of Amazonian forests. However, the capacity of individual plant species to withstand intense drought regimes remains unclear. Here, we evaluated ecophysiological responses from a forest community where we sampled 83 woody plant species during 5 years of experimental drought (throughfall exclusion) in an eastern Amazonian terra firme forest. Overall, the experimental drought resulted in shifts of some, but not all, leaf traits related to photosynthetic carbon uptake and intrinsic water-use efficiency. Leaf δC values increased by 2-3‰ within the canopy, consistent with increased diffusional constraints on photosynthesis. Decreased leaf C:N ratios were also observed, consistent with lower investments in leaf structure. However, no statistically significant treatment effects on leaf nitrogen content were observed, consistent with a lack of acclimation in photosynthetic capacity or increased production of nitrogen-based secondary metabolites. The results of our study provide evidence of robust acclimation potential to drought intensification in the diverse flora of an Amazonian forest community. The results reveals considerable ability of several species to respond to intense drought and challenge commonly held perspectives that this flora has attained limited adaptive plasticity because of a long evolutionary history in a favorable and stable climate.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00442-018-4195-2DOI Listing

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