Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance.

ABSTRACT: Amazon rainforests face intensifying water stress due to increases in vapour pressure deficit and changing hydrological regimes. Embolism resistance (Ψ₅₀) is a critical metric of tree survival under drought conditions, it is defined as a plant's capacity to resist disruption of xylem water flow due to air bubble formation from water stress. However, measurements of Ψ₅₀ are only available for a limited number of Amazon locations and species. Conversely, data on forest taxonomic composition are abundant across Amazonia, and if Ψ₅₀ is conserved phylogenetically, these data could provide a way to scale-up drought resistance patterns. Here we evaluate Ψ₅₀ measurements across non-flooded Amazonian tree taxa and reveal a moderate phylogenetic signal, wi

SUBMITTER: Tavares JV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12949053 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature