"Plastic" and "static" behavior of vessel-anatomical features in Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) in view of xylem hydraulic conductivity
Oladi R, Bräuning A, Pourtahmasi K (2014)
Publication Language: English
Publication Status: Published
Publication Type: Journal article, Original article
Publication year: 2014
Journal
Publisher: Springer Verlag (Germany)
Book Volume: 28
Pages Range: 493-502
Journal Issue: 2
URI: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00468-013-0966-x
DOI: 10.1007/s00468-013-0966-x
Abstract
Key message: Xylem anatomical traits can be categorized into two groups: plastic properties which show a high inter-annual variability, and static characteristics which vary in a more conservative range. Water conduction in broad-leaved trees depends mainly on the size, number, and arrangement of vessels, which vary from year to year in response to varying exogenous factors, thus contributing to a safe and/or efficient water transport. However, the nature of such compensation is not clear; in particular, it is not obvious which traits act independently and which ones coincidentally. To better understand these inter-relations, tree-ring width (TRW), vessel-related anatomical traits, and the theoretical hydraulic conductivity were measured or modeled in the last 50 growth rings of mature Oriental beech trees growing at different altitudes in northern Iran. The study trees followed similar strategies compensating the effects of external factors by modifying their vessel-anatomical features. TRW and the number of vessels per unit of area were highly but negatively correlated and both were affected by exogenous factors. However, a decrease in vessel frequency (VF) is not a mirror effect of wider tree rings, but trees actively control the number of vessels produced. Principal component analysis revealed that the features VF, TRW and relative total conductivity were more plastic, whereas average vessel-lumen area, tree-ring porosity, and relative specific conductivity behaved more static. Moreover, we suggest that in theoretical approaches, total hydraulic conductivity rather than the specific hydraulic conductivity is a better indicator of a tree's hydraulic behavior in a given growing season. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.
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Iran, Islamic Republic of (IR)How to cite
APA:
Oladi, R., Bräuning, A., & Pourtahmasi, K. (2014). "Plastic" and "static" behavior of vessel-anatomical features in Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) in view of xylem hydraulic conductivity. Trees-Structure and Function, 28(2), 493-502. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0966-x
MLA:
Oladi, Reza, Achim Bräuning, and Kambiz Pourtahmasi. ""Plastic" and "static" behavior of vessel-anatomical features in Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) in view of xylem hydraulic conductivity." Trees-Structure and Function 28.2 (2014): 493-502.
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