Drought and cold spells trigger dieback of temperate oak and beech forests in northern Spain

Camarero, J. Julio; Colangelo, Michele; Gazol, Antonio; Azorín-Molina, César

doi:10.1016/j.dendro.2021.125812

Cited by 29 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…In contrast, D trees showed higher iWUE (Figure 2a) and higher responsiveness to summer temperatures (Figure 4b) and steeper increases over the last decades, suggesting more severe drought stress in this tree class [82]. These results are consistent with previous studies of drought-induced dieback on broadleaf [83,84] and conifer species [85]. However, the opposite pattern has been also found [86,87], evidencing the insufficient information provided by tree-ring carbon isotopes alone to elucidate the mechanisms prompting dieback.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Chronically Low Nutrient Concentrations in Tree Rings Are Linked to Greater Tree Vulnerability to Drought in Nothofagus dombeyi

Andrés

Suárez

Querejeta

et al. 2021

Forests

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Forest dieback and mortality episodes triggered by droughts are receiving increasing attention due to the projected increases in these extreme climate events. However, the role played by nutrient impairment in dieback is understudied, despite interactions among carbon-water balances and nutrition. Here, we followed a comparative analysis of long-term growth, intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), oxygen isotopes (δ18O) and wood-nutrient composition patterns between living (L) and dead (D) trees of a Nothofagus dombeyi population, showing dieback in Argentina. The onset of the growth decline of D trees occurred ca. 40 years before death. These trees showed higher iWUE, pointing to higher drought stress. Their lower δ18O values, together with the uncoupling between δ18O and leaf-level processes, suggested a deeper source of water uptake for this vigor class. D trees showed a poorer nutritional status than L trees that likely amplified the dieback. This was supported by numerous positive associations of P- and K-concentrations in wood and related ratios with iWUE, δ18O and tree growth. Therefore, drought-related nutrient deterioration can significantly contribute to dieback and be an early warning signal of impending tree death.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Chronically Low Nutrient Concentrations in Tree Rings Are Linked to Greater Tree Vulnerability to Drought in Nothofagus dombeyi

Andrés

Suárez

Querejeta

et al. 2021

Forests

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“…Nevertheless, there are still few study cases testing the models' assumptions and predictions (e.g., hydraulic failure would correspond to rapid drops in both stomatal conductance and growth rates prior to death). For instance, in temperate hardwood forests in northern Spain, declining Fagus sylvatica trees showed higher water-use efficiency in contrast to declining Quercus pubescens trees which showed lower growth rates and were less efficient in their water use (Camarero et al 2020), Q. pubescens being in agreement with the conceptual model proposed by Gessler et al (2018). There is still a large research gap regarding the testing of predictions derived from the isotope model of dieback across tree species, drought types (differing in duration, severity and seasonality) and dieback episodes as has been done with tree-ring width data (Cailleret et al 2017(Cailleret et al , 2018.…”

Section: Reconciling Process-based and Empirical Approachessupporting

confidence: 81%

The drought‒dieback‒death conundrum in trees and forests

Camarero

2021

Plant Ecology & Diversity

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Background: Climate warming is amplifying and exacerbating drought stress worldwide. Long-term trends of increasing evaporative demand and decreasing soil moisture availability occur superimposed on severe spells of drought. These rare, extreme droughts have triggered episodes of forest dieback that have led to reduced productivity and rising mortality rates, usually at small scales (dieback hotspots), but affecting biomes worldwide. Aims: This review summarizes and discusses the drivers, patterns and mechanisms of forest dieback caused by drought. Methods: I review studies on forest dieback and tree death linked to dry spells with a focus on tools to forecast dieback. Results: Several mechanisms have been described as physiological drivers of dieback, including hydraulic failure and carbon starvation, however hydraulics-based models have shown little predictive power of dieback and mortality. Field proxies of tree vigour, including changes in canopy defoliation and water content, combined with surrogates of tree functioning (tree-ring growth, wood anatomy, tree-ring δ 13 C or δ 18 O composition) may improve predictions of forest dieback or at least render early-warning signals of impending tree death. Conclusions: Drought-induced dieback and mortality are concerning phenomena which lack forecasting tools with sufficient predictive power. Surrogates of tree vigour, growth and functioning should be used to build more accurate models of tree death in response to extreme climate events linked to drought. Here, I argue for combining and comparing those surrogates to better forecast forest dieback.

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“…As a result, plants have to form some physiological adaptation mechanisms in response to climate change. The change in WUE by adjusting plant stomatal conductance (g s ) and CO 2 assimilation rate (A) [ 5 ] is one of the adaptation mechanisms by which plants can better cope with climate change [ 6 ]. Therefore, investigating the variations in plant WUE under climate change will serve to deepen the understanding of the response of vegetation to global climate change.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The carbon isotope discrimination (Δ 13 C) in plant leaves depends on the ratio of intercellular and environmental CO 2 concentrations (c i /c a ), and this ratio is regulated by g s and A [ 4 , 12 ]. The intrinsic WUE of plants is defined by the ratio of A to g s , which is also associated with c i /c a [ 6 ]. Therefore, foliar Δ 13 C is a useful proxy of plant intrinsic WUE, and there is a negative correlation between leaf Δ 13 C and intrinsic WUE [ 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Geographical and Climatic Factors on the Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency of Tropical Plants: Evidence from Leaf 13C

Lin

Wang

et al. 2023

Plants

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Understanding the water use efficiency (WUE) and adaptation strategies of plants in high-temperature and rainy areas is essential under global climate change. The leaf carbon content (LCC) and intrinsic WUE of 424 plant samples (from 312 plant species) on Hainan Island were measured to examine their relationship with geographical and climatic factors in herbs, trees, vines and ferns. The LCC ranged from 306.30 to 559.20 mg g−1, with an average of 418.85 mg g−1, and decreased with increasing mean annual temperature (MAT). The range of intrinsic WUE was 8.61 to 123.39 μmol mol−1 with an average value of 60.66 μmol mol−1. The intrinsic WUE decreased with increasing altitude and relative humidity (RH) and wind speed (WS), but increased with increasing latitude, MAT and rainy season temperature (RST), indicating that geographical and climatic factors affect the intrinsic WUE. Stepwise regression suggested that in tropical regions with high temperature and humidity, the change in plant intrinsic WUE was mainly driven by WS. In addition, the main factors affecting the intrinsic WUE of different plant functional types of plants are unique, implying that plants of different plant functional types have distinctive adaptive strategies to environmental change. The present study may provide an insight in water management in tropical rainforest.

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Drought and cold spells trigger dieback of temperate oak and beech forests in northern Spain

Cited by 29 publications

References 92 publications

Chronically Low Nutrient Concentrations in Tree Rings Are Linked to Greater Tree Vulnerability to Drought in Nothofagus dombeyi

Chronically Low Nutrient Concentrations in Tree Rings Are Linked to Greater Tree Vulnerability to Drought in Nothofagus dombeyi

The drought‒dieback‒death conundrum in trees and forests

Effects of Geographical and Climatic Factors on the Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency of Tropical Plants: Evidence from Leaf 13C

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