An empirical method that separates irreversible stem radial growth from bark water content changes in trees: theory and case studies
Abstract
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.
- Authors:
-
- 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)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1412906
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-17-27764
Journal ID: ISSN 0140-7791
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-06NA25396; NE/I011749/1; 11/022839; FT110100457
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Plant, Cell and Environment
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 40; Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0140-7791
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Biological Science; Earth Sciences; hydraulic capacitance; bark water use; plant water potential; stem dendrometry
Citation Formats
Mencuccini, Maurizio, Salmon, Yann, Mitchell, Patrick, Hölttä, Teemu, Choat, Brendan, Meir, Patrick, O'Grady, Anthony, Tissue, David, Zweifel, Roman, Sevanto, Sanna, and Pfautsch, Sebastian. An empirical method that separates irreversible stem radial growth from bark water content changes in trees: theory and case studies. United States: N. p., 2017.
Web. doi:10.1111/pce.12863.
Mencuccini, Maurizio, Salmon, Yann, Mitchell, Patrick, Hölttä, Teemu, Choat, Brendan, Meir, Patrick, O'Grady, Anthony, Tissue, David, Zweifel, Roman, Sevanto, Sanna, & Pfautsch, Sebastian. An empirical method that separates irreversible stem radial growth from bark water content changes in trees: theory and case studies. United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12863
Mencuccini, Maurizio, Salmon, Yann, Mitchell, Patrick, Hölttä, Teemu, Choat, Brendan, Meir, Patrick, O'Grady, Anthony, Tissue, David, Zweifel, Roman, Sevanto, Sanna, and Pfautsch, Sebastian. Sun .
"An empirical method that separates irreversible stem radial growth from bark water content changes in trees: theory and case studies". United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12863. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1412906.
@article{osti_1412906,
title = {An empirical method that separates irreversible stem radial growth from bark water content changes in trees: theory and case studies},
author = {Mencuccini, Maurizio and Salmon, Yann and Mitchell, Patrick and Hölttä, Teemu and Choat, Brendan and Meir, Patrick and O'Grady, Anthony and Tissue, David and Zweifel, Roman and Sevanto, Sanna and Pfautsch, Sebastian},
abstractNote = {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.},
doi = {10.1111/pce.12863},
journal = {Plant, Cell and Environment},
number = 2,
volume = 40,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Nov 12 00:00:00 EST 2017},
month = {Sun Nov 12 00:00:00 EST 2017}
}
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Table 1: List of state variables, parameters and their definition for the two models of this paper
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