Influence of Drought on Foliar Water Uptake Capacity of Temperate Tree Species

Schreel, Jeroen D. M.; Crone, Jonas S. von der; Kangur, Ott; Steppe, Kathy

doi:10.3390/f10070562

Cited by 22 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…The ability of this mechanism to contribute to plant-water relationships has been highly species dependent, ranging from an inability to absorb water through leaves (Limm et al, 2009) to essential for turgor-driven stem diameter growth (Steppe et al, 2018;Schreel et al, 2019b), and is known to vary within the same species as a function of environmental drivers (Limm and Dawson, 2010). It is generally expected that the positive effects of FWU on tree hydraulics from sources such as morning dew would be more beneficial during drought compared to well-watered conditions Steppe, 2019, 2020), as recently been shown for temperate species by Schreel et al (2019a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…FWU can occur during leaf wetting events, such as fog, rain, snow and morning dew, and has been indicated as a global phenomenon, ranging from redwood forests (Burgess and Dawson, 2004) to dryland ecosystems (Breshears et al, 2008) and mangrove forests (Steppe et al, 2018). Even though FWU has been indicated as a global phenomenon, it has so far been understudied in European non-foggy temperate regions, resulting in only a handful of studies covering this area (Kangur et al, 2017;Dietrich and Kahmen, 2019;Schreel et al, 2019a). Recently, a first attempt has been undertaken to classify species from non-foggy temperate regions according to their potential to benefit from FWU during drought at leaf level (Schreel et al, 2019a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even though FWU has been indicated as a global phenomenon, it has so far been understudied in European non-foggy temperate regions, resulting in only a handful of studies covering this area (Kangur et al, 2017;Dietrich and Kahmen, 2019;Schreel et al, 2019a). Recently, a first attempt has been undertaken to classify species from non-foggy temperate regions according to their potential to benefit from FWU during drought at leaf level (Schreel et al, 2019a). Of the nine species studied by Schreel et al (2019a), beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) was identified as one of the species that would benefit most from FWU during drought.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, a first attempt has been undertaken to classify species from non-foggy temperate regions according to their potential to benefit from FWU during drought at leaf level (Schreel et al, 2019a). Of the nine species studied by Schreel et al (2019a), beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) was identified as one of the species that would benefit most from FWU during drought. Because droughts are projected to become more frequent and severe as a result of climate change in the upcoming century (IPCC, 2018), investigating the underlying mechanisms for FWU in beech will increase our understanding of tree functioning during these extreme events (Schreel and Steppe, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Identifying the pathways for foliar water uptake in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.): a major role for trichomes

et al. 2020

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SUMMARY Foliar water uptake (FWU), the direct uptake of water into leaves, is a global phenomenon, having been observed in an increasing number of plant species. Despite the growing recognition of its functional relevance, our understanding of how FWU occurs and which foliar surface structures are implicated, is limited. In the present study, fluorescent and ionic tracers, as well as microcomputed tomography, were used to assess potential pathways for water entry in leaves of beech, a widely distributed tree species from European temperate regions. Although none of the tracers entered the leaf through the stomatal pores, small amounts of silver precipitation were observed in some epidermal cells, indicating moderate cuticular uptake. Trichomes, however, were shown to absorb and redistribute considerable amounts of ionic and fluorescent tracers. Moreover, microcomputed tomography indicated that 72% of empty trichomes refilled during leaf surface wetting and microscopic investigations revealed that trichomes do not have a cuticle but are covered with a pectin‐rich cell wall layer. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that foliar trichomes, which exhibit strong hygroscopic properties as a result of their structural and chemical design, constitute a major FWU pathway in beech.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Identifying the pathways for foliar water uptake in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.): a major role for trichomes

et al. 2020

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“…Leaf water absorption has been widely studied in the major groups of angiosperms, including magnoliids (8 genera), monocots (7 genera), and eudicots (67 genera) (reviewed by Berry et al, 2019 and Dawson and Goldsmith, 2018), pointing to FWU as a key factor affecting plant function in most ecosystems (Weathers et al, 2019). However, this effect is stronger in dry or semi-dry environments (Schreel et al, 2019), such as the dryland tropical areas where C. odoratissima grows, where the water in the soil is a limiting resource, and aerial water becomes pivotal for plant growth and survival.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Idioblasts as pathways for distributing water absorbed by leaf surfaces to the mesophyll inCapparis odoratissima

Losada

Dı́az

Holbrook

2019

Preprint

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Capparis odoratissima is a tree species native to semi-arid environments of the northern coast of South America where low soil water availability coexists with frequent nighttime fog. Previous work with this species demonstrated that C. odoratissima is able to use water absorbed through its leaves at night to enhance leaf hydration, photosynthesis, and growth.Here, we combine detailed anatomical evaluations of the leaves of C. odoratissima, with water and dye uptake experiments in the laboratory. We used immunolocalization of pectin and arabinogalactan protein epitopes to characterize the chemistry of foliar water uptake pathways.The abaxial surfaces of C. odoratissima leaves are covered with overlapping, multicellular peltate hairs, while the adaxial surfaces are glabrous but with star-shaped “structures” at regular intervals. Despite these differences in anatomy, both surfaces are able to absorb condensed water, but this ability is most significant on the upper surface. Rates of evaporative water loss from the upper surface, however, are coincident with cuticle conductance. Numerous idioblasts connect the adaxial leaf surface and the adaxial peltate hairs, which contain hygroscopic substances such as arabinogalactan proteins and pectins.The highly specialized anatomy of the leaves of C odoratissima fulfills the dual function of avoiding excessive water loss due to evaporation, while maintaining the ability to absorb liquid water. Cell-wall related hygroscopic compounds present in the peltate hairs and idioblasts create a network of microchannels that maintain leaf hydration and promote the uptake of aerial water.

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Shoot dimorphism enables Sequoia sempervirens to separate requirements for foliar water uptake and photosynthesis

Chin

Guzmán‐Delgado

Sillett

et al. 2022

American J of Botany

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Premise: Trees in wet forests often have features that prevent water films from covering stomata and inhibiting gas exchange, while many trees in drier environments use foliar water uptake to reduce water stress. In forests with both wet and dry seasons, evergreen trees would benefit from producing leaves capable of balancing rainy-season photosynthesis with summertime water absorption. Methods: Using samples collected from across the vertical gradient in tall redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) crowns, we estimated tree-level foliar water uptake and employed physics-based causative modeling to identify key functional traits that determine uptake potential by setting hydraulic resistance. Results: We showed that Sequoia has two functionally distinct shoot morphotypes. While most shoots specialize in photosynthesis, the axial shoot type is capable of much greater foliar water uptake, and its within-crown distribution varies with latitude. A suite of leaf surface traits cause hydraulic resistance, leading to variation in uptake capacity among samples. Conclusions: Shoot dimorphism gives tall Sequoia trees the capacity to absorb up to 48 kg H 2 O h −1 during the first hour of leaf wetting, ameliorating water stress while presumably maintaining high photosynthetic capacity year round. Geographic variation in shoot dimorphism suggests that plasticity in shoot-type distribution and leaf surface traits helps Sequoia maintain a dominate presence in both wet and dry forests.

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Influence of Drought on Foliar Water Uptake Capacity of Temperate Tree Species

Cited by 22 publications

References 35 publications

Identifying the pathways for foliar water uptake in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.): a major role for trichomes

Identifying the pathways for foliar water uptake in beech (Fagus sylvatica L.): a major role for trichomes

Idioblasts as pathways for distributing water absorbed by leaf surfaces to the mesophyll inCapparis odoratissima

Shoot dimorphism enables Sequoia sempervirens to separate requirements for foliar water uptake and photosynthesis

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