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Title: Experimental drought and heat can delay phenological development and reduce foliar and shoot growth in semiarid trees

Abstract

Higher temperatures associated with climate change are anticipated to trigger an earlier start to the growing season, which could increase the terrestrial C sink strength. Greater variability in the amount and timing of precipitation is also expected with higher temperatures, bringing increased drought stress to many ecosystems. We experimentally assessed the effects of higher temperature and drought on the foliar phenology and shoot growth of mature trees of two semiarid conifer species. We exposed field-grown trees to a ~45% reduction in precipitation with a rain-out structure (‘drought’), a ~4.8 °C temperature increase with open-top chambers (‘heat’), and a combination of both simultaneously (‘drought + heat’). Over the 2013 growing season, drought, heat, and drought + heat treatments reduced shoot and needle growth in piñon pine (Pinus edulis) by ≥39%, while juniper (Juniperus monosperma) had low growth and little response to these treatments. Needle emergence on primary axis branches of piñon pine was delayed in heat, drought, and drought + heat treatments by 19–57 days, while secondary axis branches were less likely to produce needles in the heat treatment, and produced no needles at all in the drought + heat treatment. Growth of shoots and needles, and the timing of needlemore » emergence correlated inversely with xylem water tension and positively with nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations. Our findings demonstrate the potential for delayed phenological development and reduced growth with higher temperatures and drought in tree species that are vulnerable to drought and reveal potential mechanistic links to physiological stress responses. Furthermore, climate change projections of an earlier and longer growing season with higher temperatures, and consequent increases in terrestrial C sink strength, may be incorrect for regions where plants will face increased drought stress with climate change.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [3];  [1];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. UR Ecosystemes Mediterraneens et Risques, Le Tholonet Aix-en-Provence (France)
  3. Univ.t Autonoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Valles (Spain)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1257861
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-15-22759
Journal ID: ISSN 1354-1013
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC52-06NA25396
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Global Change Biology
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 21; Journal Issue: 11; Journal ID: ISSN 1354-1013
Publisher:
Wiley
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; phenology; climate change; Juniperus monosperma; Juniper; Pinus edulis; pinon pine; non-structural carbohydrate; water potential; drought experiment

Citation Formats

Adams, Henry D., Collins, Adam D., Briggs, Samuel P., Vennetier, Michel, Dickman, L. Turin, Sevanto, Sanna A., Garcia-Forner, Núria, Powers, Heath H., and McDowell, Nate G. Experimental drought and heat can delay phenological development and reduce foliar and shoot growth in semiarid trees. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1111/gcb.13030.
Adams, Henry D., Collins, Adam D., Briggs, Samuel P., Vennetier, Michel, Dickman, L. Turin, Sevanto, Sanna A., Garcia-Forner, Núria, Powers, Heath H., & McDowell, Nate G. Experimental drought and heat can delay phenological development and reduce foliar and shoot growth in semiarid trees. United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13030
Adams, Henry D., Collins, Adam D., Briggs, Samuel P., Vennetier, Michel, Dickman, L. Turin, Sevanto, Sanna A., Garcia-Forner, Núria, Powers, Heath H., and McDowell, Nate G. 2015. "Experimental drought and heat can delay phenological development and reduce foliar and shoot growth in semiarid trees". United States. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13030. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1257861.
@article{osti_1257861,
title = {Experimental drought and heat can delay phenological development and reduce foliar and shoot growth in semiarid trees},
author = {Adams, Henry D. and Collins, Adam D. and Briggs, Samuel P. and Vennetier, Michel and Dickman, L. Turin and Sevanto, Sanna A. and Garcia-Forner, Núria and Powers, Heath H. and McDowell, Nate G.},
abstractNote = {Higher temperatures associated with climate change are anticipated to trigger an earlier start to the growing season, which could increase the terrestrial C sink strength. Greater variability in the amount and timing of precipitation is also expected with higher temperatures, bringing increased drought stress to many ecosystems. We experimentally assessed the effects of higher temperature and drought on the foliar phenology and shoot growth of mature trees of two semiarid conifer species. We exposed field-grown trees to a ~45% reduction in precipitation with a rain-out structure (‘drought’), a ~4.8 °C temperature increase with open-top chambers (‘heat’), and a combination of both simultaneously (‘drought + heat’). Over the 2013 growing season, drought, heat, and drought + heat treatments reduced shoot and needle growth in piñon pine (Pinus edulis) by ≥39%, while juniper (Juniperus monosperma) had low growth and little response to these treatments. Needle emergence on primary axis branches of piñon pine was delayed in heat, drought, and drought + heat treatments by 19–57 days, while secondary axis branches were less likely to produce needles in the heat treatment, and produced no needles at all in the drought + heat treatment. Growth of shoots and needles, and the timing of needle emergence correlated inversely with xylem water tension and positively with nonstructural carbohydrate concentrations. Our findings demonstrate the potential for delayed phenological development and reduced growth with higher temperatures and drought in tree species that are vulnerable to drought and reveal potential mechanistic links to physiological stress responses. Furthermore, climate change projections of an earlier and longer growing season with higher temperatures, and consequent increases in terrestrial C sink strength, may be incorrect for regions where plants will face increased drought stress with climate change.},
doi = {10.1111/gcb.13030},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1257861}, journal = {Global Change Biology},
issn = {1354-1013},
number = 11,
volume = 21,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Sep 22 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Tue Sep 22 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}

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Cited by: 79 works
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Works referenced in this record:

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Works referencing / citing this record:

Interannual variations in needle and sapwood traits of Pinus edulis branches under an experimental drought
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Plant phenological sensitivity to climate change on the Tibetan Plateau and relative to other areas of the world
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Unsaturation of vapour pressure inside leaves of two conifer species
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Complex responses of spring vegetation growth to climate in a moisture-limited alpine meadow
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Temperature response surfaces for mortality risk of tree species with future drought
journal, November 2017


Are Scots pine forest edges particularly prone to drought-induced mortality?
journal, January 2018


Mechanisms of a coniferous woodland persistence under drought and heat
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Carbohydrate dynamics of three dominant species in a Chinese savanna under precipitation exclusion
journal, February 2018


Lack of acclimation of leaf area:sapwood area ratios in piñon pine and juniper in response to precipitation reduction and warming
journal, September 2018


Precipitation, not air temperature, drives functional responses of trees in semi-arid ecosystems
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Poor plant performance under simulated climate change is linked to mycorrhizal responses in a semi-arid shrubland
journal, November 2017


Warming combined with more extreme precipitation regimes modifies the water sources used by trees
journal, September 2016


Tree water dynamics in a drying and warming world: Future tree water dynamics
journal, June 2017


Reductions in tree performance during hotter droughts are mitigated by shifts in nitrogen cycling: Mitigation of hotter droughts
journal, August 2018


Quantifying Drought Sensitivity of Mediterranean Climate Vegetation to Recent Warming: A Case Study in Southern California
journal, December 2019


Interannual variations in needle and sapwood traits of Pinus edulis branches under an experimental drought
journal, January 2018


Unsaturation of vapour pressure inside leaves of two conifer species
journal, May 2018


Xylem and Leaf Functional Adjustments to Drought in Pinus sylvestris and Quercus pyrenaica at Their Elevational Boundary
journal, July 2017


Long-Term Studies Reveal Differential Responses to Climate Change for Trees Under Soil- or Herbivore-Related Stress
journal, February 2019