Functional traits predict drought performance and distribution of Mediterranean woody species |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Area de Ecología, Campus de Rabanales, Universidad de Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain;2. Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, NL-6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands;1. CNRS, UMR 6553 Ecobio, Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France;2. INRA, UR 980, SAD-Paysage, 65 Rue de Saint Brieuc, CS 84215, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France;1. URFM, INRA, Avignon, France;2. Forest Ecology, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Department of Environmental Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH, Universitätsstrasse 22, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland;1. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Mail Stop 186, 1000 Valley Road, Reno, NV 89557, USA;2. Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center, University of California, 8279 Scott Forbes Road, Browns Valley, CA 95918, USA;1. College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, 310036, China;2. Key Laboratory of Mountain Surface Processes and Ecological Regulation, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, China;3. Department of Agricultural Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Centre, P.O. Box 27, FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Finland;4. Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, 51006, Tartu, Estonia;5. Estonian Academy of Sciences, Kohtu 6, 10130, Tallinn, Estonia;1. Faculty of Life Sciences, Michael Smith Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK;2. Nature Conservation and Plant Ecology Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Water availability is one of the key environmental factors that affect plant establishment and distribution. In many regions water availability will decline with climate change, exposing small seedlings to a greater likelihood of drought. In this study, 17 leaves, stem, root, and whole-plant traits of ten woody Mediterranean species were measured under favourable growing conditions and seedling drought survival was evaluated during a simulated dry-down episode. The aims of this study were: i) to assess drought survival of different species, ii) to analyse which functional traits predict drought survival time, and iii) to explain species distribution in the field, based on species drought survival and drought strategies. Drought survival time varied ten-fold across species, from 19 to 192 days. Across species, drought survival was positively related to the rooting depth per leaf area, i.e., the ability to acquire water from deeper soil layers while reducing transpiring leaf area. Drought survival time was negatively related to species ability to grow quickly, as indicated by high relative growth and net assimilation rates. Drought survival also explained species distribution in the field. It was found that species were sorted along a continuum, ranging between two contrasting species functional extremes based on functional traits and drought performance. One extreme consisted of acquisitive fast-growing deciduous species, with thin, soft metabolically active leaves, with high resource use and vulnerability to drought. The opposite extreme consisted of conservative slow-growing evergreen species with sclerophyllous leaves, deep roots, a low transpiring area, and low water use, resulting in high drought survival and drought tolerance. The results show that these drought strategies shape species distribution in this Mediterranean area. |
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| Keywords: | Drought Functional groups Functional traits Mediterranean species RGR Rooting depth |
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