Sex matters: understanding wood-leaf hydraulic coordination in dioecious species in a drying world.

ABSTRACT: Sexual dimorphism in dioecious species can shape divergent hydraulic strategies in response to environmental stress, yet integrative studies linking anatomical and physiological traits across different plant organs remain scarce. We investigated sex-specific water-use strategies in two Mediterranean shrubs, Pistacia lentiscus L. and Rhamnus alaternus L., by analyzing leaf and wood anatomy, leaf functional traits, gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence. Male plants of both species exhibited conservative morpho-anatomical traits, including smaller, thicker leaves, lower specific leaf area (SLA), higher dry matter content and reduced intercellular spaces, traits typically associated with drought resistance strategies. In P. lentiscus, these traits correlated with higher photosynthetic rate

SUBMITTER: Amitrano C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12684968 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature