An empirical method that separates irreversible stem radial growth from bark water content changes in trees: theory and case studies

Mencuccini, Maurizio; Salmon, Yann; Mitchell, Patrick; Hölttä, Teemu; Choat, Brendan; Meir, Patrick; O'Grady, Anthony; Tissue, David; Zweifel, Roman; Sevanto, Sanna; Pfautsch, Sebastian

doi:10.1111/pce.12863

Title: An empirical method that separates irreversible stem radial growth from bark water content changes in trees: theory and case studies

Journal Article · 12 November 2017 · Plant, Cell and Environment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12863 · OSTI ID:1412906

Mencuccini, Maurizio ^[1]; Salmon, Yann ^[2]; Mitchell, Patrick ^[3]; Hölttä, Teemu ^[4]; Choat, Brendan ^[5]; Meir, Patrick ^[6]; O'Grady, Anthony ^[3]; Tissue, David ^[5]; Zweifel, Roman ^[7]; Sevanto, Sanna ^[8]; Pfautsch, Sebastian ^[5]

Univ. of Edinburgh, Scotland (United Kingdom). School of GeoSciences; Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Barcelona (Spain); Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avancats (ICREA), Barcelona (Spain)
Univ. of Helsinki (Finland). Dept. of Physics
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Hobart, Tas. (Australia). Land and Water
Univ. of Helsinki (Finland). Dept. of Forest Sciences
Western Sydney Univ., Richmond, NSW (Australia). Hawkesbury Inst. for the Environment
Univ. of Edinburgh, Scotland (United Kingdom). School of GeoSciences; Australian National Univ., Canberra, ACT (Australia). Research School of Biology
Swiss Federal Inst. for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, (WSL), Birmensdorf (Switzerland)
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Substantial uncertainty surrounds our knowledge of tree stem growth, with some of the most basic questions, such as when stem radial growth occurs through the daily cycle, still unanswered. Here, we employed high-resolution point dendrometers, sap flow sensors, and developed theory and statistical approaches, to devise a novel method separating irreversible radial growth from elastic tension-driven and elastic osmotically driven changes in bark water content. We tested this method using data from five case study species. Experimental manipulations, namely a field irrigation experiment on Scots pine and a stem girdling experiment on red forest gum trees, were used to validate the theory. Time courses of stem radial growth following irrigation and stem girdling were consistent with a-priori predictions. Patterns of stem radial growth varied across case studies, with growth occurring during the day and/or night, consistent with the available literature. Importantly, our approach provides a valuable alternative to existing methods, as it can be approximated by a simple empirical interpolation routine that derives irreversible radial growth using standard regression techniques. In conclusion, our novel method provides an improved understanding of the relative source–sink carbon dynamics of tree stems at a sub-daily time scale.

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Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396; NE/I011749/1; 11/022839; FT110100457

OSTI ID:: 1412906

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-17-27764

Journal Information:: Plant, Cell and Environment, Vol. 40, Issue 2; ISSN 0140-7791

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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