Leaf isotopes reveal tree diversity effects on the functional responses to the pan-European 2018 summer drought.
New Phytol
; 243(4): 1312-1328, 2024 Aug.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38934095
ABSTRACT
Recent droughts have strongly impacted forest ecosystems and are projected to increase in frequency, intensity, and duration in the future together with continued warming. While evidence suggests that tree diversity can regulate drought impacts in natural forests, few studies examine whether mixed tree plantations are more resistant to the impacts of severe droughts. Using natural variations in leaf carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) isotopic ratios, that is δ13C and δ15N, as proxies for drought response, we analyzed the effects of tree species richness on the functional responses of tree plantations to the pan-European 2018 summer drought in seven European tree diversity experiments. We found that leaf δ13C decreased with increasing tree species richness, indicating less drought stress. This effect was not related to drought intensity, nor desiccation tolerance of the tree species. Leaf δ15N increased with drought intensity, indicating a shift toward more open N cycling as water availability diminishes. Additionally, drought intensity was observed to alter the influence of tree species richness on leaf δ15N from weakly negative under low drought intensity to weakly positive under high drought intensity. Overall, our findings suggest that dual leaf isotope analysis helps understand the interaction between drought, nutrients, and species richness.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Bases de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Estaciones del Año
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Árboles
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Isótopos de Carbono
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Hojas de la Planta
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Biodiversidad
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Sequías
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Isótopos de Nitrógeno
País/Región como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
New Phytol
Asunto de la revista:
BOTANICA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
China