Temperate woody species across the angiosperm phylogeny acquire tolerance to water deficit stress during the growing season

Jake J Grossman; Henry B Coe; Olivia Fey; Natalie Fraser; Musa Salaam; Chelsea Semper; Ceci G Williamson

doi:10.1111/nph.19692

Temperate woody species across the angiosperm phylogeny acquire tolerance to water deficit stress during the growing season

New Phytol. 2024 Mar 21. doi: 10.1111/nph.19692. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jake J Grossman¹, Henry B Coe², Olivia Fey³, Natalie Fraser³, Musa Salaam⁴, Chelsea Semper⁵, Ceci G Williamson³

Affiliations

¹ Biology Department & Environmental Studies Department, St. Olaf College, 1520 St Olaf Ave, Northfield, MN, 55057, USA.
² Environmental Permitting and Planning Group, Hazen and Sawyer 498 Seventh Ave #11, New York, NY, 10018, USA.
³ Biology Department, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave, Swarthmore, PA, 19081, USA.
⁴ Wilmer Eye Institute, Bayview Medical Center, Johns Hopkins University, 4940 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA.
⁵ Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Ave N, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.

PMID: 38511237
DOI: 10.1111/nph.19692

Abstract

Understanding the capacity of temperate trees to acclimate to limited soil water has become essential in the face of increasing drought risk due to climate change. We documented seasonal - or phenological - patterns in acclimation to water deficit stress in stems and leaves of tree species spanning the angiosperm phylogeny. Over 3 yr of field observations carried out in two US arboreta, we measured stem vulnerability to embolism (36 individuals of 7 Species) and turgor loss point (119 individuals of 27 species) over the growing season. We also conducted a growth chamber experiment on 20 individuals of one species to assess the mechanistic relationship between soil water restriction and acclimation. In three-quarters of species measured, plants became less vulnerable to embolism and/or loss of turgor over the growing season. We were able to stimulate this acclimatory effect by withholding water in the growth chamber experiment. Temperate angiosperms are capable of acclimation to soil water deficit stress, showing maximum vulnerability to soil water deficits following budbreak and becoming more resilient to damage over the course of the growing season or in response to simulated drought. The species-specific tempo and extent of this acclimatory potential constitutes preadaptive climate change resilience.

Keywords: Acer; Ilex; Magnolia; climate change; drought; plasticity; water relations.

Abstract

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