Evergreen and deciduous species coexist in tropical dry forests and savannas, but differ in physiological mechanisms and life-history strategies. Hydraulic conductivity and mechanical support are two major functions of the xylems of woody plant species related to plant growth and survival. In this study, we measured sapwood-specific hydraulic conductivity (Ks), leaf-specific hydraulic conductivity (KL), modulus of rupture (MOR) and elasticity (MOE), xylem anatomical traits and fiber contents in the xylems of 20 woody species with contrasting leaf phenology (evergreen vs deciduous) in a Chinese savanna. Our results showed that deciduous species had significantly higher Ks and KL but lower MOR and MOE than evergreen species. Evergreen species experienced more negative seasonal minimum water potential (Pmin) than deciduous species during the dry season. Furthermore, we found trade-offs between xylem hydraulic efficiency and mechanical strength across species and within the evergreen and deciduous groups, and these trade-offs were modulated by structural and chemical traits. Both Ks and KL were significantly related to hydraulic weighted vessel diameter (Dh) across all species and within the deciduous group. Both MOR and MOE were significantly related to wood density, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber across species and within evergreen and deciduous groups. Our findings demonstrated that Chinese evergreen and deciduous savanna species diverged in xylem hydraulic and mechanical functions, reflecting conservative and acquisitive life-history strategies for evergreen and deciduous species, respectively. This study provides new information with which to understand the hydraulic and biomechanical properties and ecological strategies of savanna species in long-term dry-hot environments.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpac017 | DOI Listing |
New Phytol
January 2025
Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tercer Circuito s/n de Ciudad Universitaria, Ciudad de México, 04510, Mexico.
Along their lengths, stems experience different functional demands. Because bark and wood traits are usually studied at single points on stems, it remains unclear how carbon allocation changes along tip-to-base trajectories across species. We examined bark vs wood allocation by measuring cross-sectional areas of outer and inner bark (OB and IB), IB regions (secondary phloem, cortex, and phelloderm), and wood from stem tips to bases of 35 woody angiosperm species of diverse phylogenetic lineages, climates, fire regimes, and bark morphologies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Plant Sci
December 2024
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A and F University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
Uncovering the response of plant functional types (PFTs) to nutrient limitation caused by atmospheric deposition is critical for assessing the health of terrestrial ecosystems under climate change conditions. However, it remains unclear how atmospheric deposition and underlying ecological factors affect PFTs globally. To address this, we compiled a global dataset of four PFTs, i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcotoxicol Environ Saf
December 2024
International Center for Bamboo and Rattan, No. 8, Futong Eastern Avenue, Wangjing Area, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100102, China.
Plants play a key role in the ecological restoration of urban wetlands. Previous studies have shown that heavy-metal accumulation capacities and adaptation strategies of wetland plants may be related to their life forms. In this study, pot experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of nitrogen (N) on the adaptation strategies of two evergreen and deciduous aquatic iris life forms under cadmium (Cd) stress.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant Dis
December 2024
Chinese Academy of Sciences, South China Botanical Garden, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China;
Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Per., named as May Cang, is a rare deciduous evergreen tree and cultivated for its ethnopharmacological properties and medicinal uses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLandsc Ecol
December 2024
Institute of Environment Sciences, University of Quebec at Montreal, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8 Canada.
Context: Trees play a vital role in reducing street-level particulate matter (PM) pollution in metropolitan areas. However, the optimal tree growth type for maximizing the retention of various sizes of PM remains uncertain.
Objectives: This study assessed the PM reduction capabilities of evergreen and deciduous broadleaf street trees, focusing on how leaf phenology influences the dispersion of pollutants across particle sizes.
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