Exploring the role of plant hydraulics in canopy fuel moisture content: insights from an experimental drought study on Pinus halepensis Mill. and Quercus ilex L.

IF 2.5 3区农林科学 Q1 FORESTRY

Annals of Forest Science Pub Date : 2024-07-18 DOI:10.1186/s13595-024-01244-9

Coffi Belmys Cakpo, Julien Ruffault, Jean-Luc Dupuy, François Pimont, Claude Doussan, Myriam Moreno, Nathan Jean, Frederic Jean, Regis Burlett, Sylvain Delzon, Santiago Trueba, José M. Torres-Ruiz, Hervé Cochard, Nicolas Martin-StPaul

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Key Message

Understanding the impact of extreme drought on the canopy fuel moisture content (CFMC) is crucial to anticipate the effects of climate change on wildfires. Our study demonstrates that foliage mortality, caused by leaf embolism, can substantially diminish CFMC during drought on Pinus halepensis Mill. and Quercus ilex L. It emphasizes the importance of considering plant hydraulics to improve wildfire predictions.

Context

Canopy fuel moisture content (CFMC), which represents the water-to-dry mass ratio in leaves and fine twigs within the canopy, is a major factor of fire danger across ecosystems worldwide. CFMC results from the fuel moisture content of living foliage (live fuel moisture content, LFMC) and dead foliage (dead fuel moisture content, DFMC) weighted by the proportion of foliage mortality in the canopy (α_Dead). Understanding how LFMC, α_Dead, and ultimately CFMC are affected during extreme drought is essential for effective wildfire planning.

Aims

We aimed to understand how plant hydraulics affect CFMC for different levels of soil water deficit, examining its influence on both LFMC and α_Dead.

Methods

We conducted a drought experiment on seedlings of two Mediterranean species: Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) and Holm oak (Quercus ilex L.). Throughout the drought experiment and after rewatering, we monitored CFMC, LFMC, and α_Dead along with other ecophysiological variables.

Results

LFMC exhibited a significant decrease during drought, and as leaf water potentials reached low levels, α_Dead increased in both species, thereby reducing CFMC. Distinct water use strategies resulted in species-specific variations in dehydration dynamics.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrate that as drought conditions intensify, foliage mortality might become a critical physiological factor driving the decline in CFMC.

Abstract Image

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探索植物水力学在冠层燃料含水量中的作用：对 Pinus halepensis Mill.

关键信息了解极端干旱对树冠燃料含水量（CFMC）的影响对于预测气候变化对野火的影响至关重要。我们的研究表明，在干旱期间，叶片栓塞造成的叶片死亡会大大降低Pinus halepensis Mill.和Quercus ilex L.的冠层燃料含水量（CFMC），这强调了考虑植物水力学对改善野火预测的重要性。树冠燃料含水量由活叶片（活燃料含水量，LFMC）和死叶片（死燃料含水量，DFMC）的燃料含水量与树冠中叶片死亡比例（αDead）加权得出。了解极端干旱时 LFMC、αDead 以及最终 CFMC 如何受到影响对于有效规划野火至关重要：我们对两种地中海树种：阿勒颇松（Pinus halepensis Mill.）和霍尔姆栎（Quercus ilex L.）的幼苗进行了干旱实验。在整个干旱实验期间和重新浇水后，我们监测了CFMC、LFMC和αDead以及其他生态生理变量。结果LFMC在干旱期间显著下降，当叶片水势达到低水平时，两个物种的αDead都增加了，从而降低了CFMC。结论我们的研究结果表明，随着干旱条件的加剧，叶片死亡可能会成为导致 CFMC 下降的关键生理因素。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Annals of Forest Science 农林科学-林学

CiteScore

6.70

自引率

3.30%

发文量

审稿时长

12-24 weeks

期刊介绍： Annals of Forest Science is an official publication of the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE) -Up-to-date coverage of current developments and trends in forest research and forestry Topics include ecology and ecophysiology, genetics and improvement, tree physiology, wood quality, and silviculture -Formerly known as Annales des Sciences Forestières -Biology of trees and associated organisms (symbionts, pathogens, pests) -Forest dynamics and ecosystem processes under environmental or management drivers (ecology, genetics) -Risks and disturbances affecting forest ecosystems (biology, ecology, economics) -Forestry wood chain (tree breeding, forest management and productivity, ecosystem services, silviculture and plantation management) -Wood sciences (relationships between wood structure and tree functions, and between forest management or environment and wood properties)