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Sebastian Fuchs
Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Goettingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Goettingen, Germany

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Journal article
Published: 13 May 2021 in Forest Ecology and Management
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Climate warming and a rise in evaporative demand expose forests to increasing stress, challenging silvicultural planning in many temperate forest regions. As some major timber species are drought susceptible, the choice of native broadleaf minor timbers with assumed higher drought tolerance is a promising alternative option. However, their growth performance and vitality in a warmer and drier climate are not well known. We studied tree-ring chronologies of the Central European minor timbers Acer platanoides L., Fraxinus excelsior L., and Tilia cordata Mill. in comparison to the widely planted Quercus petraea Matt. Liebl in different mixed stands along a precipitation gradient in Central Germany and analyzed the sensitivity of radial growth to climatic drivers and severe drought events with the aim to compare the species’ drought tolerance. While growth responded in all four species positively to summer (or spring) precipitation and negatively to higher summer temperature and climatic aridity, climate sensitivity of growth decreased in the period 1967–2016, proving non-stationarity. Superposed epoch analysis revealed larger growth reduction during severe drought in the diffuse-porous species (A. platanoides, T. cordata) than the ring-porous species (Q. petraea, F. excelsior), but resilience was high in all species. Moreover, none of the species showed negative growth trends with recent climate warming, and drought sensitivity was not higher at drier sites, suggesting a considerable acclimation and adaptation potential to increasing drought stress. As all four species proved to be fairly drought tolerant, they deserve broader consideration in silvicultural concepts targeted at adapting production forests to climate warming.

ACS Style

Sebastian Fuchs; Bernhard Schuldt; Christoph Leuschner. Identification of drought-tolerant tree species through climate sensitivity analysis of radial growth in Central European mixed broadleaf forests. Forest Ecology and Management 2021, 494, 119287 .

AMA Style

Sebastian Fuchs, Bernhard Schuldt, Christoph Leuschner. Identification of drought-tolerant tree species through climate sensitivity analysis of radial growth in Central European mixed broadleaf forests. Forest Ecology and Management. 2021; 494 ():119287.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sebastian Fuchs; Bernhard Schuldt; Christoph Leuschner. 2021. "Identification of drought-tolerant tree species through climate sensitivity analysis of radial growth in Central European mixed broadleaf forests." Forest Ecology and Management 494, no. : 119287.

Journal article
Published: 03 March 2020 in Forests
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While much research has addressed the aboveground response of trees to climate warming and related water shortage, not much is known about the drought sensitivity of the fine root system, in particular of mature trees. This study investigates the response of topsoil (0–10 cm) fine root biomass (FRB), necromass (FRN), and fine root morphology of five temperate broadleaf tree species (Acer platanoides L., Carpinus betulus L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Tilia cordata Mill.) to a reduction in water availability, combining a precipitation gradient study (nine study sites; mean annual precipitation (MAP): 920–530 mm year−1) with the comparison of a moist period (average spring conditions) and an exceptionally dry period in the summer of the subsequent year. The extent of the root necromass/biomass (N/B) ratio increase was used as a measure of the species’ belowground sensitivity to water deficits. We hypothesized that the N/B ratio increases with long-term (precipitation gradient) and short-term reductions (moist vs. dry period) of water availability, while FRB changes only a little. In four of the five species (exception: A. platanoides), FRB did not change with a reduction in MAP, whereas FRN and N/B ratio increased toward the dry sites under ample water supply (exception: Q. petraea). Q. petraea was also the only species not to reduce root tip frequency after summer drought. Different slopes of the N/B ratio-MAP relation similarly point at a lower belowground drought sensitivity of Q. petraea than of the other species. After summer drought, all species lost the MAP dependence of the N/B ratio. Thus, fine root mortality increased more at the moister than the drier sites, suggesting a generally lower belowground drought sensitivity of the drier stands. We conclude that the five species differ in their belowground drought response. Q. petraea follows the most conservative soil exploration strategy with a generally smaller FRB and more drought-tolerant fine roots, as it maintains relatively constant FRB, FRN, and morphology across spatial and temporal dimensions of soil water deficits.

ACS Style

Sebastian Fuchs; Dietrich Hertel; Bernhard Schuldt; Christoph Leuschner. Effects of Summer Drought on the Fine Root System of Five Broadleaf Tree Species along a Precipitation Gradient. Forests 2020, 11, 289 .

AMA Style

Sebastian Fuchs, Dietrich Hertel, Bernhard Schuldt, Christoph Leuschner. Effects of Summer Drought on the Fine Root System of Five Broadleaf Tree Species along a Precipitation Gradient. Forests. 2020; 11 (3):289.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sebastian Fuchs; Dietrich Hertel; Bernhard Schuldt; Christoph Leuschner. 2020. "Effects of Summer Drought on the Fine Root System of Five Broadleaf Tree Species along a Precipitation Gradient." Forests 11, no. 3: 289.