Contrasting patterns of water use efficiency and annual radial growth among European beech forests along the Italian peninsula.

ABSTRACT: Tree mortality and forest dieback episodes are increasing due to drought and heat stress. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of mechanisms enabling trees to withstand and survive droughts remains lacking. Our study investigated basal area increment (BAI), and δ¹³C-derived intrinsic water-use-efficiency (_iWUE), to elucidate beech resilience across four healthy stands in Italy with varying climates and soil water availability. Additionally, fist-order autocorrelation (AR1) analysis was performed to detect early warning signals for potential tree dieback risks during extreme drought events. Results reveal a negative link between BAI and vapour pressure deficit (VPD), especially in southern latitudes. After the 2003 drought, BAI decreased at the northern site, wi

SUBMITTER: Puchi PF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11350120 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature