Conflicting functional effects of xylem pit structure relate to the growth-longevity trade-off in a conifer species.

ABSTRACT: Consistent with a ubiquitous life history trade-off, trees exhibit a negative relationship between growth and longevity both among and within species. However, the mechanistic basis of this life history trade-off is not well understood. In addition to resource allocation conflicts among multiple traits, functional conflicts arising from individual morphological traits may also contribute to life history trade-offs. We hypothesized that conflicting functional effects of xylem structural traits contribute to the growth-longevity trade-off in trees. We tested this hypothesis by examining the extent to which xylem morphological traits (i.e., wood density, tracheid diameters, and pit structure) relate to growth rates and longevity in two natural populations of the conifer species Pinus ponde

SUBMITTER: Roskilly B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6660759 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature