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Title: Warming combined with more extreme precipitation regimes modifies the water sources used by trees

Journal Article · · New Phytologist
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14192· OSTI ID:1325653
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. Univ. of California, Berkeley CA (United States)
  3. Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater OK (United States)

Summary The persistence of vegetation under climate change will depend on a plant's capacity to exploit water resources. We analyzed water source dynamics in piñon pine and juniper trees subjected to precipitation reduction, atmospheric warming, and to both simultaneously. Piñon and juniper exhibited different and opposite shifts in water uptake depth in response to experimental stress and background climate over 3 yr. During a dry summer, juniper responded to warming with a shift to shallow water sources, whereas piñon pine responded to precipitation reduction with a shift to deeper sources in autumn. In normal and wet summers, both species responded to precipitation reduction, but juniper increased deep water uptake and piñon increased shallow water uptake. Shifts in the utilization of water sources were associated with reduced stomatal conductance and photosynthesis, suggesting that belowground compensation in response to warming and water reduction did not alleviate stress impacts for gas exchange. We have demonstrated that predicted climate change could modify water sources of trees. Warming impairs juniper uptake of deep sources during extended dry periods. Precipitation reduction alters the uptake of shallow sources following extended droughts for piñon. Shifts in water sources may not compensate for climate change impacts on tree physiology.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
1325653
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1401017
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-16-24124
Journal Information:
New Phytologist, Journal Name: New Phytologist; ISSN 0028-646X
Publisher:
WileyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 132 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (21)

Altered leaf litter quality exacerbates the negative impact of climate change on decomposition journal April 2019
Using δ13C and δ18O to analyze loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) response to experimental drought and fertilization journal November 2019
Drought induced tree mortality - a tree-ring isotope based conceptual model to assess mechanisms and predispositions journal April 2018
Conifers depend on established roots during drought: results from a coupled model of carbon allocation and hydraulics journal August 2019
Mechanisms of a coniferous woodland persistence under drought and heat journal April 2019
Influence of current and future climate on the seed germination of Cenostigma microphyllum (Mart. ex G. Don) E. Gagnon & G. P. Lewis journal June 2019
Below-ground hydraulic constraints during drought-induced decline in Scots pine journal November 2018
Responses of two desert riparian species to fluctuating groundwater depths in hyperarid areas of Northwest China: Water uptake patterns and ecophysiological responses for two species journal February 2019
Having the right neighbors: how tree species diversity modulates drought impacts on forests journal January 2019
Groundwater drawdown drives ecophysiological adjustments of woody vegetation in a semi-arid coastal ecosystem journal August 2018
Stem radial growth and water storage responses to heat and drought vary between conifers with differing hydraulic strategies: Semiarid conifers responses to drought and heat journal June 2018
Reductions in tree performance during hotter droughts are mitigated by shifts in nitrogen cycling: Mitigation of hotter droughts journal August 2018
Complementary water uptake depth of Quercus petraea and Pinus sylvestris in mixed stands during an extreme drought journal February 2019
Contrasting plant water-use responses to groundwater depth in coastal dune ecosystems journal April 2018
Differential use of winter precipitation by upper and lower elevation Douglas fir in the Northern Rockies journal October 2018
Mapping the suitability of groundwater-dependent vegetation in a semi-arid Mediterranean area journal January 2019
Lack of acclimation of leaf area:sapwood area ratios in piñon pine and juniper in response to precipitation reduction and warming journal September 2018
Water source partitioning among plant functional types in a semi-arid dune ecosystem journal July 2018
Seasonal variation in the groundwater dependency of two dominant woody species in a desert region of Central Asia journal August 2019
Depth distribution of soil water sourced by plants at the global scale: A new direct inference approach journal January 2020
Long-Term Studies Reveal Differential Responses to Climate Change for Trees Under Soil- or Herbivore-Related Stress journal February 2019

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