Climate‐related trends in sapwood biophysical properties in two conifers: avoidance of hydraulic dysfunction through coordinated adjustments in xylem efficiency, safety and capacitance

ABSTRACT In the Pacific north‐west, the Cascade Mountain Range blocks much of the precipitation and maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in distinct climates east and west of the mountains. The current study aimed to investigate relationships between water storage and transport propert...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Plant, cell and environment Vol. 34; no. 4; pp. 643 - 654
Main Authors:	BARNARD, DAVID M., MEINZER, FREDERICK C., LACHENBRUCH, BARBARA, MCCULLOH, KATHERINE A., JOHNSON, DANIEL M., WOODRUFF, DAVID R.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2011 Blackwell
Subjects:	Adaptation, Physiological Biological and medical sciences Biological Transport capacitance Cascade Mountain region Climate climatic factors conifers drought Droughts Electric Capacitance Electric Conductivity Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology geographical variation growth & development hydraulic architecture hydraulic conductivity Hydraulics metabolism Northwestern States Northwestern United States physiology Pinus ponderosa Pinus ponderosa - growth & development Pinus ponderosa - metabolism Pinus ponderosa - physiology Plant Leaves Plant Leaves - metabolism Plant Leaves - physiology Plant Stems Plant Stems - growth & development Plant Stems - metabolism Plant Stems - physiology Plant Transpiration Plant Transpiration - physiology Pseudotsuga Pseudotsuga - growth & development Pseudotsuga - metabolism Pseudotsuga - physiology Pseudotsuga menziesii sapwood tree trunk Water Water - metabolism water storage Xylem Xylem - metabolism Xylem - physiology xylem embolism xylem vulnerability Northwestern United States Cascade Mountain region Northwestern States Biophysical property Sapwood Climate Xylem Hydraulics Plant ecology Hydraulic conductivity Vulnerability xylem vulnerability Embolism Water storage xylem embolism Efficiency Water regime Dysfunction Gymnospermae Spermatophyta Coniferales hydraulic architecture Drought Avoidance
ISSN:	0140-7791, 1365-3040, 1365-3040
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	ABSTRACT In the Pacific north‐west, the Cascade Mountain Range blocks much of the precipitation and maritime influence of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in distinct climates east and west of the mountains. The current study aimed to investigate relationships between water storage and transport properties in populations of Douglas‐fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) adapted to both climates. Sapwood thickness, capacitance, vulnerability to embolism, and axial and radial conductivity were measured on samples collected from trunks of mature trees. The sapwood of ponderosa pine was three to four times thicker than Douglas‐fir. Radial conductivity was higher in west‐side populations of both species, but axial conductivity was higher in the east‐side populations and in Douglas‐fir. Eastern populations of both species had sapwood that was more vulnerable to embolism than west‐side populations. Sapwood capacitance was similar between species, but was about twice as great in east‐side populations (580 kg m−3 MPa−1) as in west‐side populations (274 kg m−3 MPa−1). Capacitance was positively correlated with both mean embolism pressure and axial conductivity across species and populations, suggesting that coordinated adjustments in xylem efficiency, safety and water storage capacity may serve to avoid embolism along a gradient of increasing aridity.
Bibliography:	Current address: Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1
ISSN:	0140-7791 1365-3040 1365-3040
DOI:	10.1111/j.1365-3040.2010.02269.x