The mobilization and transport of newly fixed carbon are driven by plant water use in an experimental rainforest under drought.

ABSTRACT: Non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) are building blocks for biomass and fuel metabolic processes. However, it remains unclear how tropical forests mobilize, export, and transport NSCs to cope with extreme droughts. We combined drought manipulation and ecosystem 13CO2 pulse-labeling in an enclosed rainforest at Biosphere 2, assessed changes in NSCs, and traced newly assimilated carbohydrates in plant species with diverse hydraulic traits and canopy positions. We show that drought caused a depletion of leaf starch reserves and slowed export and transport of newly assimilated carbohydrates below ground. Drought effects were more pronounced in conservative canopy trees with limited supply of new photosynthates and relatively constant water status than in those with continual photosynthetic sup

SUBMITTER: Huang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11358253 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature