Allocation to leaf area and sapwood area affects water relations of co-occurring savanna and forest trees

Abstract

Water availability is a principal factor limiting the distribution of closed-canopy forest in the seasonal tropics, suggesting that forest tree species may not be well adapted to cope with seasonal drought. We studied 11 congeneric species pairs, each containing one forest and one savanna species, to test the hypothesis that forest trees have a lower capacity to maintain seasonal homeostasis in water relations relative to savanna species. To quantify this, we measured sap flow, leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, wood density, and Huber value (sapwood area:leaf area) of the 22 study species. We found significant differences in the water relations of these two species types.

Citation

Gotsch, Sybil G.; Geiger, Erika L.; Franco, Augusto C.; Goldstein, Guillermo; Meinzer, Frederick C.; Hoffmann, William A. 2010. Allocation to leaf area and sapwood area affects water relations of co-occurring savanna and forest trees. Oecologia. 163: 291-301.