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Abstract: Climate is a primary, but non-stationary, driver of tree growth. Climate change is altering the sensitivity of forest growth to water availability and temperature over time. It is considered that pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) will cope with the changing climatic conditions in Europe in the near future. However, while species distribution models project expansion zones, they also identify reductions in occurrence at the dry and warm distribution margins. Whereas species distribution models primarily rely on occurrence data, tree rings––given their long-term perspective and their use in empirical models––can provide a mechanistic view of forest growth dynamics, including temporally changing climate responses. Increased climate sensitivity and growth synchrony are key dendroecological indicators of tree stress. Here, we used an unprecedented network of 150 Q. robur sites (over 3,300 trees), covering the full projected range of contracting to persistent areas across Europe, to assess the dendroecological indicators over recent decades in relation to species distribution model predictions. We reveal that oaks in areas projected to experience range contraction exhibited greater sensitivity to current growing season climatic conditions, whereas those in persistence areas responded more strongly to previous season conditions. Growth synchrony among trees was higher in the contraction areas, but showed no significant increasing trend over the last 70 years, as expected from ecotone theory. Temporal shifts in climate sensitivity were stronger for temperature and vapor pressure deficit in the persistence areas, whereas the climatic water balance gained importance in the contraction zones. These findings suggest that Q. robur growth is not yet being severely affected by climate change, and that the species is currently coping well with the climate changes, even in regions with projected range contractions, thereby challenging statistically derived scenarios of range shift based on species distribution models.
Keywords: adaptation, allometry, phloemsieve element, xylem vessel
Published in DiRROS: 04.11.2025; Views: 304; Downloads: 144
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Abstract: Xylem trait studies have enhanced our understanding of how plants strategically adapt their morphological and anatomical features to diverse climates. Despite the importance of the phloem in plant functioning, similar studies of phloem traits are lacking. To tackle this knowledge gap, we analyzed phloem anatomical traits of woody angiosperm species in relation to climate and the distance of samples to the stem tip. We collected main stem or branch cross-sections of 188 angiosperm woody species, which represent a wide range of climates and diverse families. Measurements of xylem vessel and phloem sieve element diameter, density, and lumen fraction were used in phylogenetic structural equation models to disentangle internal and climatic constraints on their morphological and anatomical features. Our results showed that distance-to-tip mainly affects sieve element and vessel diameter and density, while climate more strongly influenced conduit lumen fraction. Vessel size was positively correlated with temperature after correcting for the distance-to-tip, while sieve element diameter was correlated with water availability. Our results highlight the need to account for distance-to-tip when accessing anatomical variations linked to the environment, and show that sieve element traits respond to other climatic drivers than vessel traits rather than simply mirroring them.
Keywords: adaptation, allometry, phloemsieve element, tip-to-base conduit widening, xylem vessel
Published in DiRROS: 25.09.2025; Views: 375; Downloads: 213
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Keywords: grapevine, water status, virus infection, GFLV, xylem vessel occlusion, gene expression
Published in DiRROS: 06.09.2022; Views: 1736; Downloads: 694
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