Capturing drought stress signals: the potential of dendrometers for monitoring tree water status.

ABSTRACT: The severity of droughts is expected to increase with climate change, leading to more frequent tree mortality and a decline in forest ecosystem services. Consequently, there is an urgent need for monitoring networks to provide early warnings of drought impacts on forests. Dendrometers capturing stem diameter variations may offer a simple and relatively low-cost opportunity. However, the links between stem shrinkage, a direct expression of tree water deficit (TWD), and hydraulic stress are not well understood thus far. In this study, we exposed two widespread conifers Pinus sylvestris L. and Larix decidua Mill. to lethal dehydration by withholding water and closely monitored TWD, midday water potential ($\psi $) and midday stomatal conductance (${\textit g}_{\textit s}$) under controlled gr

SUBMITTER: Ziegler Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11653011 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature