TY - JOUR
T1 - No carbon storage in growth-limited trees in a semi-arid woodland
AU - Thompson, R. Alexander
AU - Adams, Henry D.
AU - Breshears, David D.
AU - Collins, Adam D.
AU - Dickman, L. Turin
AU - Grossiord, Charlotte
AU - Manrique‐Alba, Àngela
AU - Peltier, Drew M.
AU - Ryan, Michael G.
AU - Trowbridge, Amy M.
AU - McDowell, Nate G.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Plant survival depends on a balance between carbon supply and demand. When carbon supply becomes limited, plants buffer demand by using stored carbohydrates (sugar and starch). During drought, NSCs (non-structural carbohydrates) may accumulate if growth stops before photosynthesis. This expectation is pervasive, yet few studies have combined simultaneous measurements of drought, photosynthesis, growth, and carbon storage to test this. Using a field experiment with mature trees in a semi-arid woodland, we show that growth and photosynthesis slow in parallel as ψpd declines, preventing carbon storage in two species of conifer (J. monosperma and P. edulis). During experimental drought, growth and photosynthesis were frequently co-limited. Our results point to an alternative perspective on how plants use carbon that views growth and photosynthesis as independent processes both regulated by water availability.
AB - Plant survival depends on a balance between carbon supply and demand. When carbon supply becomes limited, plants buffer demand by using stored carbohydrates (sugar and starch). During drought, NSCs (non-structural carbohydrates) may accumulate if growth stops before photosynthesis. This expectation is pervasive, yet few studies have combined simultaneous measurements of drought, photosynthesis, growth, and carbon storage to test this. Using a field experiment with mature trees in a semi-arid woodland, we show that growth and photosynthesis slow in parallel as ψpd declines, preventing carbon storage in two species of conifer (J. monosperma and P. edulis). During experimental drought, growth and photosynthesis were frequently co-limited. Our results point to an alternative perspective on how plants use carbon that views growth and photosynthesis as independent processes both regulated by water availability.
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U2 - 10.1038/s41467-023-37577-8
DO - 10.1038/s41467-023-37577-8
M3 - Article
C2 - 37029120
AN - SCOPUS:85152027958
SN - 2041-1723
VL - 14
JO - Nature communications
JF - Nature communications
IS - 1
M1 - 1959
ER -