Drought-Influenced Mortality of Tree Species with Different Predawn Leaf Water Dynamics in a Decade-Long Study of a Central US forest

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dc.contributor.utaustinauthorSun, Y.en_US
dc.creatorGu, L.en_US
dc.creatorPallardy, S. G.en_US
dc.creatorHosman, K. P.en_US
dc.creatorSun, Y.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2016-10-28T19:50:48Z
dc.date.available2016-10-28T19:50:48Z
dc.date.issued2015en_US
dc.description.abstractUsing decade-long continuous observations of tree mortality and predawn leaf water potential (psi(pd)) at the Missouri Ozark AmeriFlux (MOFLUX) site, we studied how the mortality of important tree species varied and how such variations may be predicted. Water stress determined inter-annual variations in tree mortality with a time delay of 1 year or more, which was correlated fairly tightly with a number of quantitative predictors formulated based on psi(pd) and precipitation regimes. Predictors based on temperature and vapor pressure deficit anomalies worked reasonably well, particularly for moderate droughts. The exceptional drought of the year 2012 drastically increased the mortality of all species, including drought-tolerant oaks, in the subsequent year. The drought-influenced tree mortality was related to the species position along the spectrum of psi(pd) regulation capacity with those in either ends of the spectrum being associated with elevated risk of death. Regardless of species and drought intensity, the psi(pd) of all species recovered rapidly after sufficiently intense rain events in all droughts. This result, together with a lack of immediate leaf and branch desiccation, suggests an absence of catastrophic hydraulic disconnection in the xylem and that tree death was caused by significant but indirect effects. Species differences in the capacity of regulating psi(pd) and its temporal integral were magnified under moderate drought intensities but diminished towards wet and dry extremes. Severe droughts may overwhelm the capacity of even drought-tolerant species to maintain differential levels of water potential as the soil becomes exhausted of available water in the rooting zone, thus rendering them more susceptible to death if predisposed by other factors such as age.en_US
dc.description.departmentEarth and Planetary Sciencesen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipUS Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research Program, Climate and Environmental Sciences Divisionen_US
dc.description.sponsorshipUS Department of Energy DE-AC05-00OR22725, DE-FG02-03ER63683en_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.15781/T2CC0TW6R
dc.identifier.citationGu, Lianhong, Stephen G. Pallardy, Kevin P. Hosman, and Ying Sun. "Drought-influenced mortality of tree species with different predawn leaf water dynamics in a decade-long study of a central US forest." Biogeosciences, Vol. 12, No. 10 (2015): 2831-2845.en_US
dc.identifier.doi10.5194/bg-12-2831-2015en_US
dc.identifier.issn1726-4170en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2152/43212
dc.language.isoEnglishen_US
dc.relation.ispartofen_US
dc.relation.ispartofserialBiogeosciencesen_US
dc.rightsAdministrative deposit of works to Texas ScholarWorks: This works author(s) is or was a University faculty member, student or staff member; this article is already available through open access or the publisher allows a PDF version of the article to be freely posted online. The library makes the deposit as a matter of fair use (for scholarly, educational, and research purposes), and to preserve the work and further secure public access to the works of the University.en_US
dc.rights.restrictionOpenen_US
dc.subjectvegetation mortalityen_US
dc.subjectwoody angiospermsen_US
dc.subjectcentral missourien_US
dc.subjectxylemen_US
dc.subjectembolismen_US
dc.subjectdie-offen_US
dc.subjectdeciduous angiospermsen_US
dc.subjectsoutheastern ohioen_US
dc.subjectstomatalen_US
dc.subjectcontrolen_US
dc.subjectozark highlandsen_US
dc.subjectunited-statesen_US
dc.subjectecologyen_US
dc.subjectgeosciences, multidisciplinaryen_US
dc.titleDrought-Influenced Mortality of Tree Species with Different Predawn Leaf Water Dynamics in a Decade-Long Study of a Central US foresten_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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