Basin-wide variation in tree hydraulic safety margins predicts the carbon balance of Amazon forests

Julia Valentim Tavares; Rafael Oliveira; Maurizio Mencuccini; Caroline Signori-Müller; Luciano Pereira; Francisco Carvalho Diniz; Martin Gilpin; Manuel Marca Zevallos; Carlos Salas Yupayccana; Martin Acosta; Flor Pérez Mullisaca; Fernanda de V. Barros; Paulo Bittencourt; Halina Jancoski; Marina Corrêa Scalon; Beatriz Marimon; Imma Oliveras Menor; Ben Hur Marimon; Max Fancourt; Alexander Chambers-Ostler; Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert; Lucy Rowland; Patrick Meir; Antonio Carlos Lola da Costa; Alex Nina; Jesus Sanchez; Jose Tintaya; Rudi Chino; Jean Baca; Leticia Fernandes; Edwin Cumapa; João Antônio R. Santos; Renata Teixeira; Ligia Tello; Maira Ugarteche; Gina Cuellar; Franklin Martinez; Alejandro Araujo-Murakami; Everton Almeida; Wesley Jonatar Alves da Cruz; Jhon del Aguila Pasquel; Luís Aragāo; Timothy Baker; Plinio Barbosa de Camargo; Roel Brienen; Wendeson Castro; Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro; Fernanda Coelho de Souza; Eric Cosio; Nallaret Davila Cardozo; Richarlly da Costa Silva; Mathias Disney; Javier Silva Espejo; Ted Feldpausch; Leandro Ferreira; Leandro Giacomin; Niro Higuchi; Marina Hirota; Euridice Honorio; Walter Huaraca Huasco; Simon Lewis; Gerardo Flores Llampazo; Yadvinder Malhi; Abel Monteagudo Mendoza; Paulo Morandi; Victor Chama Moscoso; Robert Muscarella; Deliane Penha; Mayda Cecília Rocha; Gleicy Rodrigues; Ademir Ruschel; Norma Salinas; Monique Schlickmann; Marcos Silveira; Joey Talbot; Rodolfo Vásquez; Laura Vedovato; Simone Aparecida Vieira; Oliver Phillips; Emanuel Gloor; David Galbraith

doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05971-3

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Basin-wide variation in tree hydraulic safety margins predicts the carbon balance of Amazon forests

Journal article

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Basin-wide variation in tree hydraulic safety margins predicts the carbon balance of Amazon forests

Julia Valentim Tavares, Rafael Oliveira, Maurizio Mencuccini, Caroline Signori-Müller, Luciano Pereira, Francisco Carvalho Diniz, Martin Gilpin, Manuel Marca Zevallos, Carlos Salas Yupayccana, Martin Acosta, …

Nature, Vol.617(7959), pp.111-117

04/05/2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-05971-3

Abstract

Biodiversity

Ecophysiology

Forest ecology

Tropical ecology

Tropical forests face increasing climate risk1,2, yet our ability to predict their response to climate change is limited by poor understanding of their resistance to water stress. Although xylem embolism resistance thresholds (for example, Ψ50) and hydraulic safety margins (for example, HSM50) are important predictors of drought-induced mortality risk3,4,5, little is known about how these vary across Earth’s largest tropical forest. Here, we present a pan-Amazon, fully standardized hydraulic traits dataset and use it to assess regional variation in drought sensitivity and hydraulic trait ability to predict species distributions and long-term forest biomass accumulation. Parameters Ψ50 and HSM50 vary markedly across the Amazon and are related to average long-term rainfall characteristics. Both Ψ50 and HSM50 influence the biogeographical distribution of Amazon tree species. However, HSM50 was the only significant predictor of observed decadal-scale changes in forest biomass. Old-growth forests with wide HSM50 are gaining more biomass than are low HSM50 forests. We propose that this may be associated with a growth–mortality trade-off whereby trees in forests consisting of fast-growing species take greater hydraulic risks and face greater mortality risk. Moreover, in regions of more pronounced climatic change, we find evidence that forests are losing biomass, suggesting that species in these regions may be operating beyond their hydraulic limits. Continued climate change is likely to further reduce HSM50 in the Amazon6,7, with strong implications for the Amazon carbon sink.

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Title: Basin-wide variation in tree hydraulic safety margins predicts the carbon balance of Amazon forests
Creators - without role: Julia Valentim Tavares - University of Leeds
Rafael Oliveira - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Maurizio Mencuccini - Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications
Caroline Signori-Müller - University of Leeds
Luciano Pereira - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Francisco Carvalho Diniz - University of Leeds
Martin Gilpin - University of Leeds
Manuel Marca Zevallos
Carlos Salas Yupayccana - Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco
Martin Acosta - Universidade Federal do Acre
Flor Pérez Mullisaca
Fernanda de V. Barros
Paulo Bittencourt - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Halina Jancoski - Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso
Marina Corrêa Scalon - Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso
Beatriz Marimon - Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso
Imma Oliveras Menor - Université de Montpellier, BotAnique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des végétations - AMAP
Ben Hur Marimon - Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso
Max Fancourt - University of Leeds
Alexander Chambers-Ostler - University of Leeds
Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert - University of Birmingham
Lucy Rowland - University of Exeter
Patrick Meir - University of Edinburgh
Antonio Carlos Lola da Costa
Alex Nina - Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
Jesus Sanchez
Jose Tintaya - National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco
Rudi Chino
Jean Baca - Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana
Leticia Fernandes - National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco
Edwin Cumapa
João Antônio R. Santos - National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco
Renata Teixeira - National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco
Ligia Tello - Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana
Maira Ugarteche
Gina Cuellar - Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado
Franklin Martinez - Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado
Alejandro Araujo-Murakami - Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado
Everton Almeida
Wesley Jonatar Alves da Cruz - Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso
Jhon del Aguila Pasquel - Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana
Luís Aragāo
Timothy Baker - University of Leeds
Plinio Barbosa de Camargo - Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo
Roel Brienen - University of Leeds
Wendeson Castro - Universidade Federal do Acre
Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro - Universidade Federal do Acre
Fernanda Coelho de Souza
Eric Cosio - Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
Nallaret Davila Cardozo
Richarlly da Costa Silva - Universidade Federal do Acre
Mathias Disney - University College London
Javier Silva Espejo - National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco
Ted Feldpausch - University of Exeter
Leandro Ferreira - Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi
Leandro Giacomin - Universidade Federal da Paraíba
Niro Higuchi - National Institute of Amazonian Research
Marina Hirota - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
Euridice Honorio
Walter Huaraca Huasco
Simon Lewis - University College London
Gerardo Flores Llampazo
Yadvinder Malhi - University of Oxford
Abel Monteagudo Mendoza
Paulo Morandi - Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso
Victor Chama Moscoso
Robert Muscarella - Uppsala University
Deliane Penha - Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará
Mayda Cecília Rocha - Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará
Gleicy Rodrigues - National Institute of Amazonian Research
Ademir Ruschel - Amazon Research Foundation
Norma Salinas - Pontifical Catholic University of Peru
Monique Schlickmann - Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará
Marcos Silveira - Universidade Federal do Acre
Joey Talbot - University of Leeds
Rodolfo Vásquez
Laura Vedovato - University of Exeter
Simone Aparecida Vieira - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Oliver Phillips - University of Leeds
Emanuel Gloor - University of Leeds
David Galbraith - University of Leeds
Publication Details: Nature, Vol.617(7959), pp.111-117
Identifiers: 9940364509311
Academic Unit: BotAnique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des végétations - AMAP
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article
Local Fields: hal-04107976