Water-Use Efficiency of Co-occurring Sky-Island Pine Species in the North American Great Basin

Water-use efficiency (WUE), weighing the balance between plant transpiration and growth, is a key characteristic of ecosystem functioning and a component of tree drought resistance. Seasonal dynamics of tree-level WUE and its connections with drought variability have not been previously explored in...

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Autores principales:	Xinsheng Liu, Emanuele Ziaco, Franco Biondi
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Frontiers Media S.A. 2021
Materias:	whole-tree transpiration bristlecone pine Pinus longaeva limber pine Pinus flexilis subalpine forests Plant culture SB1-1110
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/58c0453db4b14d74883d2dec6df20159
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id	oai:doaj.org-article:58c0453db4b14d74883d2dec6df20159
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:58c0453db4b14d74883d2dec6df201592021-12-03T07:19:35ZWater-Use Efficiency of Co-occurring Sky-Island Pine Species in the North American Great Basin1664-462X10.3389/fpls.2021.787297https://doaj.org/article/58c0453db4b14d74883d2dec6df201592021-12-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.787297/fullhttps://doaj.org/toc/1664-462XWater-use efficiency (WUE), weighing the balance between plant transpiration and growth, is a key characteristic of ecosystem functioning and a component of tree drought resistance. Seasonal dynamics of tree-level WUE and its connections with drought variability have not been previously explored in sky-island montane forests. We investigated whole-tree transpiration and stem growth of bristlecone (Pinus longaeva) and limber pine (Pinus flexilis) within a high-elevation stand in central-eastern Nevada, United States, using sub-hourly measurements over 5 years (2013–2017). A moderate drought was generally observed early in the growing season, whereas interannual variability of summer rains determined drought levels between years, i.e., reducing drought stress in 2013–2014 while enhancing it in 2015–2017. Transpiration and basal area increment (BAI) of both pines were coupled throughout June–July, resulting in a high but relatively constant early season WUE. In contrast, both pines showed high interannual plasticity in late-season WUE, with a predominant role of stem growth in driving WUE. Overall, bristlecone pine was characterized by a lower WUE compared to limber pine. Dry or wet episodes in the late growing season overrode species differences. Our results suggested thresholds of vapor pressure deficit and soil moisture that would lead to opposite responses of WUE to late-season dry or wet conditions. These findings provide novel insights and clarify potential mechanisms modulating tree-level WUE in sky-island ecosystems of semi-arid regions, thereby helping land managers to design appropriate science-based strategies and reduce uncertainties associated with the impact of future climatic changes.Xinsheng LiuXinsheng LiuXinsheng LiuEmanuele ZiacoFranco BiondiFrontiers Media S.A.articlewhole-tree transpirationbristlecone pinePinus longaevalimber pinePinus flexilissubalpine forestsPlant cultureSB1-1110ENFrontiers in Plant Science, Vol 12 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	whole-tree transpiration bristlecone pine Pinus longaeva limber pine Pinus flexilis subalpine forests Plant culture SB1-1110
spellingShingle	whole-tree transpiration bristlecone pine Pinus longaeva limber pine Pinus flexilis subalpine forests Plant culture SB1-1110 Xinsheng Liu Xinsheng Liu Xinsheng Liu Emanuele Ziaco Franco Biondi Water-Use Efficiency of Co-occurring Sky-Island Pine Species in the North American Great Basin
description	Water-use efficiency (WUE), weighing the balance between plant transpiration and growth, is a key characteristic of ecosystem functioning and a component of tree drought resistance. Seasonal dynamics of tree-level WUE and its connections with drought variability have not been previously explored in sky-island montane forests. We investigated whole-tree transpiration and stem growth of bristlecone (Pinus longaeva) and limber pine (Pinus flexilis) within a high-elevation stand in central-eastern Nevada, United States, using sub-hourly measurements over 5 years (2013–2017). A moderate drought was generally observed early in the growing season, whereas interannual variability of summer rains determined drought levels between years, i.e., reducing drought stress in 2013–2014 while enhancing it in 2015–2017. Transpiration and basal area increment (BAI) of both pines were coupled throughout June–July, resulting in a high but relatively constant early season WUE. In contrast, both pines showed high interannual plasticity in late-season WUE, with a predominant role of stem growth in driving WUE. Overall, bristlecone pine was characterized by a lower WUE compared to limber pine. Dry or wet episodes in the late growing season overrode species differences. Our results suggested thresholds of vapor pressure deficit and soil moisture that would lead to opposite responses of WUE to late-season dry or wet conditions. These findings provide novel insights and clarify potential mechanisms modulating tree-level WUE in sky-island ecosystems of semi-arid regions, thereby helping land managers to design appropriate science-based strategies and reduce uncertainties associated with the impact of future climatic changes.
format	article
author	Xinsheng Liu Xinsheng Liu Xinsheng Liu Emanuele Ziaco Franco Biondi
author_facet	Xinsheng Liu Xinsheng Liu Xinsheng Liu Emanuele Ziaco Franco Biondi
author_sort	Xinsheng Liu
title	Water-Use Efficiency of Co-occurring Sky-Island Pine Species in the North American Great Basin
title_short	Water-Use Efficiency of Co-occurring Sky-Island Pine Species in the North American Great Basin
title_full	Water-Use Efficiency of Co-occurring Sky-Island Pine Species in the North American Great Basin
title_fullStr	Water-Use Efficiency of Co-occurring Sky-Island Pine Species in the North American Great Basin
title_full_unstemmed	Water-Use Efficiency of Co-occurring Sky-Island Pine Species in the North American Great Basin
title_sort	water-use efficiency of co-occurring sky-island pine species in the north american great basin
publisher	Frontiers Media S.A.
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/58c0453db4b14d74883d2dec6df20159
work_keys_str_mv	AT xinshengliu wateruseefficiencyofcooccurringskyislandpinespeciesinthenorthamericangreatbasin AT xinshengliu wateruseefficiencyofcooccurringskyislandpinespeciesinthenorthamericangreatbasin AT xinshengliu wateruseefficiencyofcooccurringskyislandpinespeciesinthenorthamericangreatbasin AT emanueleziaco wateruseefficiencyofcooccurringskyislandpinespeciesinthenorthamericangreatbasin AT francobiondi wateruseefficiencyofcooccurringskyislandpinespeciesinthenorthamericangreatbasin
_version_	1718373812104331264

Water-Use Efficiency of Co-occurring Sky-Island Pine Species in the North American Great Basin

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