Physiological responses of germinant Pinus palustris and P. taeda seedlings to water stress and the significance of the grass-stage

Hart, James; O'Keefe, Kimberly; Augustine, Steven P.; McCulloh, Katherine A.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2019.117647

Physiological responses of germinant Pinus palustris and P. taeda seedlings to water stress and the significance of the grass-stage

Journal Article · Sun Dec 22 23:00:00 EST 2019 · Forest Ecology and Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2019.117647· OSTI ID:1803513

Hart, James ^[1]; O'Keefe, Kimberly ^[2]; Augustine, Steven P. ^[2]; McCulloh, Katherine A. ^[2]

Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States); OSTI
Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (United States)

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) has gradually replaced longleaf pine (P. palustris Mill.) across much of the coastal southeastern United States. Given recent interest in the regeneration of longleaf pine ecosystems, understanding how these two species will respond to drier conditions associated with climate change will be critically important. We conducted a progressive water-stress experiment on germinants of P. palustris and P. taeda over the course of 9 weeks, measuring gas exchange, allometry, water relations, and tracheid anatomy. P. palustris developed more overall biomass, had wider tracheids, allocated more of its biomass into leaf tissue, and maintained a narrower safety margin against hydraulic failure than P. taeda. Both species reduced leaf gas exchange as water stress increased, though P. palustris experienced earlier and greater declines in photosynthetic rates than P. taeda. The greater aboveground growth and narrower hydraulic safety margin observed in P. palustris represents a trade-off between growth and hydraulic safety and is likely related to the species’ defensive strategy against fire. We suggest that this trade-off may limit P. palustris germinant regeneration on sandier, xeric sites as climate change intensifies.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0019037

OSTI ID:: 1803513

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1693529

Journal Information:: Forest Ecology and Management, Journal Name: Forest Ecology and Management Vol. 458; ISSN 0378-1127

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
P. taeda
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leaf gas exchange
longleaf pine savanna
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Physiological responses of germinant Pinus palustris and P. taeda seedlings to water stress and the significance of the grass-stage

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