TY  - JOUR
A1  - Weithmann, Greta
A1  - Link, Roman M.
A1  - Banzragch, Bat-Enerel
A1  - Würzberg, Laura
A1  - Leuschner, Christoph
A1  - Schuldt, Bernhard
T1  - Soil water availability and branch age explain variability in xylem safety of European beech in Central Europe
JF  - Oecologia
N2  - Xylem embolism resistance has been identified as a key trait with a causal relation to drought-induced tree mortality, but not much is known about its intra-specific trait variability (ITV) in dependence on environmental variation. We measured xylem safety and efficiency in 300 European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees across 30 sites in Central Europe, covering a precipitation reduction from 886 to 522 mm year−1. A broad range of variables that might affect embolism resistance in mature trees, including climatic and soil water availability, competition, and branch age, were examined. The average P50 value varied by up to 1 MPa between sites. Neither climatic aridity nor structural variables had a significant influence on P50. However, P50 was less negative for trees with a higher soil water storage capacity, and positively related to branch age, while specific conductivity (Ks) was not significantly associated with either of these variables. The greatest part of the ITV for xylem safety and efficiency was attributed to random variability within populations. We conclude that the influence of site water availability on P50 and Ks is low in European beech, and that the high degree of within-population variability for P50, partly due to variation in branch age, hampers the identification of a clear environmental signal.
KW  - Bodenwasser
KW  - Buche
KW  - Mitteleuropa
KW  - Xylem
KW  - Available soil water capacity
KW  - Climatic water balance
KW  - Embolism resistance
KW  - Hegyi competition index
KW  - Hydraulic conductivity
KW  - Hydraulic plasticity
KW  - Precipitation gradient
KW  - Xylem vulnerability curve
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324228
VL  - 198
IS  - 3
ER  -