Local adaptation to aridity in a widely distributed angiosperm tree species is mediated by seasonal increase of sugars and reduced growth.

ABSTRACT: Trees in dry climates often have higher concentrations of total non-structural carbohydrates (NSC = starch + soluble sugars [SS]) and grow less than conspecifics in more humid climates. This pattern might result from the growth being more constrained by aridity than the carbon (C) gain, or reflect local adaptation to aridity, since NSC fuel metabolism and ensure adequate osmoregulation through the supply of SS, while low growth reduces water and C demands. It has been further proposed that C allocation to storage could come at the expense of growth (i.e., a growth-storage trade-off). We examined whether NSC and growth reflect the local adaptation to aridity in Embothrium coccineum J. R. Forst & G. Forst. (Proteaceae), a species with an exceptionally wide niche. To control for any influence

SUBMITTER: Piper FI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11898622 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature