Xylem embolism induced by freeze-thaw and drought are influenced by different anatomical traits in subtropical montane evergreen angiosperm trees.

Abstract

Subtropical evergreen broadleaved forests distributed in montane zones of southern China experience seasonal droughts and winter frost. Previously, studies have recognized that xylem anatomy is a determinant of its vulnerability to embolism caused by drought and freezing events. We hypothesized that there is a coordination of xylem resistance to freeze-thaw and drought-induced embolism for the subtropical montane evergreen broadleaved tree species because they are influenced by common xylem structural traits (e.g., vessel diameter). We examined the branch xylem anatomy, resistance to drought-induced embolism (P₅₀), and the percent loss of branch hydraulic conductivity after a severe winter frost (PLC_winter) for 15 evergreen broadleaved tree species in a montane forest in South China. Our results showed that P₅₀ of the studied species ranged from -2.81 to -5.13 MPa, which was not associated with most xylem anatomical properties except for the axial parenchyma-to-vessel connectivity. These tree species differed substantially in PLC_winter, ranging from 0% to 76.41%. PLC_winter was positively related to vessel diameter and negatively related to vessel density, vessel group index, and vessel-to-vessel connectivity, but no coordination with P₅₀. This study suggests that hydraulic adaptation to frost is important to determine the distributional limit of subtropical montane evergreen woody angiosperms.