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Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and...
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Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecophysiology and Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (2 April 2021) | Viewed by 28433

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eustaquio Gil-Pelegrín

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Guest Editor
Departamento de Sistemas Agrícolas, Forestales y Medio Ambiente, Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón (CITA), Avda. Montañana 930, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: drought; tree functioning; ecophysiology; environmental stresses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Giovanbattista De Dato

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA), Research Centre for Forestry and Wood, 52100 Arezzo, Italy
Interests: forest tree population genetics; ecophysiology; phenotyping; functional traits; adaptive traits; drought stress

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Arid lands of the Earth provide hard environments for the existence of plant species. Nevertheless, many trees and shrubs survive in areas under severe combinations of low precipitation and high temperatures, both throughout the year (as in many arid lands permanently under high atmospheric pressure) and in the form of a dry season (as in areas under a Mediterranean-type climate). The climatic change will exacerbate this situation, by increasing the severity of the drought, the length of the aridity period or the extension of the arid territories in the world.

Dry and hot atmospheres, with a high vapor pressure deficit, impose conditions of extreme gradients between the plant leaf and the surrounding air, while sunny days impose a high radiation load with a negative effect in the leaf functioning. Without water to be transpired through the plant, the mechanisms to cope with these environmental conditions are limited.

Woody plants, both trees and shrubs, from many plant families have been able to withstand this adverse circumstance. This Special Issue should serve to increase the knowledge of the mechanisms (physiological, morphoanatomical, phenological, etc.) that plants living in these arid and hot territories develop. Moreover, predictions about the incidence of climatic change on the synergetic effect of high temperature and aridity at a global scale will also be welcome.

The close link between both factors inducing a limitation for plants living in arid and hot territories should be of special interest for this issue.

Research papers reflecting the results of experimental designs, ecological surveys describing the response of plants in their natural areas, and review papers revisiting classical concepts or suggesting new ideas will be welcome in this issue.

Dr. Eustaquio Gil-Pelegrín
Dr. Giovanbattista De Dato
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Arid and hot areas
  • Climatic change
  • Water deficit

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

3 pages, 667 KiB  
Editorial
Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments
by Giovanbattista de Dato and Eustaquio Gil-Pelegrín
Forests 2021, 12(8), 1080; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12081080 - 13 Aug 2021
Viewed by 1525
Abstract
This Special Issue, focused on the study of different “Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments”, would be a humble tribute to A [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments)

Research

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17 pages, 3727 KiB  
Article
When Density Matters: The Spatial Balance between Early and Latewood
by Maria Royo-Navascues, Edurne Martinez del Castillo, Roberto Serrano-Notivoli, Ernesto Tejedor, Klemen Novak, Luis Alberto Longares, Miguel Angel Saz and Martin de Luis
Forests 2021, 12(7), 818; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f12070818 - 22 Jun 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2604
Abstract
Understanding the influence of the current climate on the distribution, composition, and carbon storage capacity of Mediterranean tree species is key to determining future pathways under a warmer and drier climate scenario. Here, we evaluated the influence of biotic and environmental factors on [...] Read more.
Understanding the influence of the current climate on the distribution, composition, and carbon storage capacity of Mediterranean tree species is key to determining future pathways under a warmer and drier climate scenario. Here, we evaluated the influence of biotic and environmental factors on earlywood (EW) and latewood (LW) growth in Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.). Our investigation was based on a dense dendrochronological network (71 sites), which covered the entire distribution area of the species in the Iberian Peninsula (around 119.652 km2), and a high-resolution climate dataset of the Western Mediterranean area. We used generalized linear-mixed models to determine the spatial and temporal variations of EW and LW across the species distribution. Our results showed an intense but differentiated climatic influence on both EW and LW growth components. The climatic influence explained significant variations across the environmental gradients in the study area, which suggested an important adaptation through phenotypic plasticity and local adaptation to varying climatic conditions. In addition, we detected a clear spatial trade-off between efficiency and safety strategy in the growth patterns across the species distribution. Additionally, in more productive areas, the trees presented a higher proportion of EW (more efficient to water transport), while, in more xeric conditions, the LW proportion increased (more safety to avoid embolisms), implying an adaptation to more frequent drought episodes and a higher capacity of carbon depletion. We therefore concluded that Mediterranean forests adapted to dryer conditions might be more efficient as carbon reservoirs than forests growing in wetter areas. Finally, we advocated for the need to consider wood density (EW/LW proportion) when modeling current and future forest carbon sequestrations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments)
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14 pages, 2357 KiB  
Article
Southeastern Rear Edge Populations of Quercus suber L. Showed Two Alternative Strategies to Cope with Water Stress
by Hana Ghouil, Domingo Sancho-Knapik, Amira Ben Mna, Nabil Amimi, Youssef Ammari, Rubén Escribano, David Alonso-Forn, Juan Pedro Ferrio, José Javier Peguero-Pina and Eustaquio Gil-Pelegrín
Forests 2020, 11(12), 1344; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11121344 - 17 Dec 2020
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1926
Abstract
Climate change models predict an increase in aridity, especially in the regions under Mediterranean-type climates such as the Mediterranean Basin. However, there is a lack of ecophysiological studies supporting the selection of the more drought-adapted ecotypes for reforestation programs. In this study, we [...] Read more.
Climate change models predict an increase in aridity, especially in the regions under Mediterranean-type climates such as the Mediterranean Basin. However, there is a lack of ecophysiological studies supporting the selection of the more drought-adapted ecotypes for reforestation programs. In this study, we analyzed the anatomical and functional adaptations of 18-month-old seedlings to drought on 16 Quercus suber L. populations from the southeastern rear edge of the species distribution in northern Tunisia growing in a common garden, in order to identify the most appropriate material to use in reforestations. The results evidenced that populations from more xeric habitats displayed the highest leaf dry mass per area (LMA) and lowest leaf area (LA) values, together with the largest increase in the bulk modulus of elasticity (Δε) in response to drought (i.e., elastic adjustment). On the other hand, some populations with intermediate values of aridity, LMA and LA displayed the sharpest increase in proline concentration (ΔPro), with a concomitant increase in osmotic potential at full turgor (Δπo) (i.e., osmotic adjustment). Therefore, two different strategies seem to drive the within-species variation of the studied Q. suber populations in response to water scarcity: (i) a water saver strategy for improving water stress tolerance through the maximization of the elastic adjustment; and (ii) a water spender strategy for maintaining water absorption and photosynthetic activity under moderate water stress through the maximization of the osmotic adjustment. We concluded that the higher elastic adjustment, together with reduced LA and increased LMA, implied a better performance under drought stress in the populations of Q. suber from more xeric habitats, which can be considered the most drought-adapted ecotypes and, consequently, the most appropriate for reforestation programs under an eventual increase in aridity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments)
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17 pages, 2782 KiB  
Article
Responses and Differences in Tolerance to Water Shortage under Climatic Dryness Conditions in Seedlings from Quercus spp. and Andalusian Q. ilex Populations
by Bonoso San-Eufrasio, Rosa Sánchez-Lucas, Cristina López-Hidalgo, Victor M. Guerrero-Sánchez, María Ángeles Castillejo, Ana María Maldonado-Alconada, Jesús V. Jorrín-Novo and María-Dolores Rey
Forests 2020, 11(6), 707; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11060707 - 24 Jun 2020
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2866
Abstract
Analyzing differences in tolerance to drought in Quercus spp., and the characterization of these responses at the species and individual population level, are imperative for the selection of resilient elite genotypes in reforestation programs. The main objective of this work was to evaluate [...] Read more.
Analyzing differences in tolerance to drought in Quercus spp., and the characterization of these responses at the species and individual population level, are imperative for the selection of resilient elite genotypes in reforestation programs. The main objective of this work was to evaluate differences in the response and tolerance to water shortage under in five Quercus spp. and five Andalusian Q. ilex populations at the inter- and intraspecies level. Six-month-old seedlings grown in perlite were subjected to drought treatments by withholding water for 28 days under mean 37 °C temperature, 28 W m−2 solar irradiance, and 41% humidity. The use of perlite as the substrate enabled the establishment of severe drought stress with reduction in water availability from 73% (field capacity) to 28% (dryness), corresponding to matric potentials of 0 and −30 kPa. Damage symptoms, mortality rate, leaf water content, photosynthetic, and biochemical parameters (amino acids, sugars, phenolics, and pigments) were determined. At the phenotypic level, based on damage symptoms and mortality, Q. ilex behaved as the most drought tolerant species. Drought caused a significant decrease in leaf fluorescence, photosynthesis rate, and stomatal conductance in all Quercus spp. analyzed, being less pronounced in Q. ilex. There were not differences between irrigated and non-irrigated Q. ilex seedlings in the content of sugar and photosynthetic pigments, while the total amino acid and phenolic content significantly increased under drought conditions. As a response to drought, living Q. ilex seedlings adjust stomata opening and gas exchange, and keep hydrated, photosynthetically active, and metabolically competent. At the population level, based on damage symptoms, mortality, and physiological parameters, the eastern Andalusian populations were more tolerant than the western ones. These observations inform the basis for the selection of resilient genotypes to be used in breeding and reforestation programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments)
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17 pages, 3165 KiB  
Article
Increased Drought Sensitivity Results in a Declining Tree Growth of Pinus latteri in Northeastern Thailand
by Sakkarin Rakthai, Pei-Li Fu, Ze-Xin Fan, Narayan Prasad Gaire, Nathsuda Pumijumnong, Wichan Eiadthong and Suwan Tangmitcharoen
Forests 2020, 11(3), 361; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11030361 - 24 Mar 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4941
Abstract
Climate change may lead to alterations in tree growth and carbon cycling. Interpreting the response of forest growth to climate change requires an understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of seasonal climatic influences on the growth of tree species. However, the effects [...] Read more.
Climate change may lead to alterations in tree growth and carbon cycling. Interpreting the response of forest growth to climate change requires an understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of seasonal climatic influences on the growth of tree species. However, the effects of climate change on pine forest dynamics in tropical region of Thailand remain poorly understood. This study develops three new tree ring-width chronologies of Pinus latteri (Tenasserim pine) in northern and northeastern Thailand and analyzes their climate-growth relationships and temporal stability. Ring-width chronologies of P. latteri at three sites showed significantly positive correlations with precipitation, relative humidity and self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) during the dry season (previous November to current April) and early rainy season (May–June). Conversely, significantly negative correlations were found between ring-width site chronologies and air temperatures (mean, maximum and minimum) from April to August. Therefore, our results revealed that radial growth of Tenasserim pines from northern and northeastern Thailand was mainly limited by moisture availability during the dry-to-wet transition season from April to June. Moving correlations revealed that Tenasserim pines in the lowland area of northeastern Thailand became more sensitive to moisture availability in recent 30 years (1985–2017) as compared with early period (1951–1984). Accompanying the shifted growth sensitivity to climate change, growth synchrony among trees was increasing and tree growth rates of Tenasserim pines have been declining during recent decades at two more moisture-limited sites in northeastern Thailand. Recent rapid warming and increasing drought during the transition season (April–June) together intensify climatic constrains on tree growth of Tenasserim pines in the lowland area of northeastern Thailand. Considering continued regional climate change, pine forests in tropical lowland areas may encounter intensified drought stresses, and thus, become more vulnerable to future climate change. Our results serve as an early indicator of potential effects of climate change on tropical pine species and raise concerns about sustainable managements of pine forests under a changing climate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments)
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15 pages, 1819 KiB  
Article
Functional Composition Changes of a Subtropical Monsoon Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forest Under Environmental Change
by Shun Zou, Qianmei Zhang, Guoyi Zhou, Shizhong Liu, Guowei Chu, Ronghua Li, Qing Ye, Deqiang Zhang, Xuli Tang, Juxiu Liu, Chumin Huang, Yuelin Li and Ze Meng
Forests 2020, 11(2), 191; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11020191 - 09 Feb 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1929
Abstract
Long-term studies have revealed that forest species composition was shifting under environment change and disturbance induced by loss of large trees. Yet, few studies explicitly analyzed their impacts on composition concurrently. To learn more about impacts of environment change and disturbance on driving [...] Read more.
Long-term studies have revealed that forest species composition was shifting under environment change and disturbance induced by loss of large trees. Yet, few studies explicitly analyzed their impacts on composition concurrently. To learn more about impacts of environment change and disturbance on driving forest community, we investigated shifts in functional composition over past 24 years in an old-growth subtropical forest in southern China. We analyzed nine traits that are mainly related to leaf nutrients, photosynthetic capacity, hydraulic conductivity, and drought tolerance of plants and examined hypotheses: (1) The functional composition change over time was directional instead of random fluctuation, (2) drought-tolerant species increased their abundance under soil dryness, (3) both environmental change and disturbance related to changes of functional composition significantly, and (4) initial trait values of quadrats strongly influenced their subsequent change rates in quadrat level (10 × 10 m). We found that species composition had shifted to favor species with high leaf nutrient content, high photosynthesis rate, high hydraulic conductivity, low water-use efficiency, and high drought tolerance traits, which was due to soil dryness and disturbance. These two factors explained 47–58% of quadrats’ trait value changes together. Considering rapidly increasing stem density, this pattern may indicate ecological processes of which disturbance provided numerous recruits of resource-acquisition strategy species and soil dryness conducted a selecting effect on shaping composition in the forest. Additionally, quadrats with initial trait values at the far end of change direction shifted faster in three traits, which also indicated that functional composition changes in quadrats were directional and homogenized. Our results implied that environment change and accompanied disturbance events possibly drove species composition change along a different trajectory in the subtropical forest that experienced high climatic variability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments)
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18 pages, 3505 KiB  
Article
Impact of Climate, Stand Growth Parameters, and Management on Isotopic Composition of Tree Rings in Chestnut Coppices
by Francesco Marini, Giovanna Battipaglia, Maria Chiara Manetti, Piermaria Corona and Manuela Romagnoli
Forests 2019, 10(12), 1148; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f10121148 - 16 Dec 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2335
Abstract
Research Highlights: Chestnut trees’ (Castanea sativa Mill.) growth and their responses to climate are influenced by stand-characteristics and managements. This study highlighted that chestnut tree-ring growth is not particularly influenced by climate, while minimum temperature showed a positive relation with both intrinsic [...] Read more.
Research Highlights: Chestnut trees’ (Castanea sativa Mill.) growth and their responses to climate are influenced by stand-characteristics and managements. This study highlighted that chestnut tree-ring growth is not particularly influenced by climate, while minimum temperature showed a positive relation with both intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) and δ¹8O. Background and Objectives: The aim is to check the responses of chestnut trees to climate conditions and the role of stand structure and management. Materials and Methods: Stands with 12–14-year-old shoots were studied using dendrochronological and isotopic (δ18O and δ13C) approaches. Correlations with climate parameters were investigated and principal component analysis was performed using site-characteristics and tree growth parameters as variables. Results: Correlations between tree-ring width (TRW), tree-ring δ18O, and δ13C-derived intrinsic water-use efficiency (WUEi) revealed stand-dependent effects. The highest Correlations were found between climate and tree-rings’ isotopic composition. Chestnut was sensitive to high-minimum temperature in March and April, with a negative relationship with TRW and a positive relationship with WUEi. δ18O signals were not significantly different among stands. Stand thinning had a positive effect on WUEi after 1–2 years. Stand competition (indicated by shoots/stump and stumps/ha) positively influenced both WUEi and δ¹8O. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments)
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19 pages, 2724 KiB  
Article
Impact of Severe Drought during the Strong 2015/2016 El Nino on the Phenology and Survival of Secondary Dry Dipterocarp Species in Western Thailand
by Rungnapa Kaewthongrach, Yann Vitasse, Taninnuch Lamjiak and Amnat Chidthaisong
Forests 2019, 10(11), 967; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f10110967 - 02 Nov 2019
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2897
Abstract
Secondary forest areas are increasing worldwide and understanding how these forests interact with climate change including frequent and extreme events becomes increasingly important. This study aims to investigate the effects of the strong 2015/2016 El Niño-induced drought on species-specific leaf phenology, dieback and [...] Read more.
Secondary forest areas are increasing worldwide and understanding how these forests interact with climate change including frequent and extreme events becomes increasingly important. This study aims to investigate the effects of the strong 2015/2016 El Niño-induced drought on species-specific leaf phenology, dieback and tree mortality in a secondary dry dipterocarp forest (DDF) in western Thailand. During the 2015/2016 El Niño event, rainfall and soil water content were lower than 25 mm and 5% during 5–6 consecutive months. The dry season was 3–4 months longer during the El Niño than during non-El Niño events. We found that this prolonged drought induced the earlier shedding and a delay in leaf emergence of the DDF. The deciduousness period was also longer during the El Niño event (5 months instead of 2–3 months during non-El Niño event). We found that the DDF species showed different phenological responses and sensitivities to the El Niño-induced drought. The leaf phenology of stem succulent species Lannea coromandelica (Houtt.) Merr. and a complete deciduous species with low wood density. Sindora siamensis Teijsm. ex Miq. was only slightly affected by the El Niño-induced drought. Conversely, a semi-deciduous species such as Dipterocarpus obtusifolius Teijsm. ex Miq. showed a higher degree of deciduousness during the El Niño compared to non-El Niño events. Our results also highlight that dieback and mortality during El Niño were increased by 45 and 50%, respectively, compared to non-El Niño events, pointing at the importance of such events to shape DDF ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments)
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Review

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23 pages, 3179 KiB  
Review
Living in Drylands: Functional Adaptations of Trees and Shrubs to Cope with High Temperatures and Water Scarcity
by José Javier Peguero-Pina, Alberto Vilagrosa, David Alonso-Forn, Juan Pedro Ferrio, Domingo Sancho-Knapik and Eustaquio Gil-Pelegrín
Forests 2020, 11(10), 1028; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/f11101028 - 23 Sep 2020
Cited by 54 | Viewed by 6621
Abstract
Plant functioning and survival in drylands are affected by the combination of high solar radiation, high temperatures, low relative humidity, and the scarcity of available water. Many ecophysiological studies have dealt with the adaptation of plants to cope with these stresses in hot [...] Read more.
Plant functioning and survival in drylands are affected by the combination of high solar radiation, high temperatures, low relative humidity, and the scarcity of available water. Many ecophysiological studies have dealt with the adaptation of plants to cope with these stresses in hot deserts, which are the territories that have better evoked the idea of a dryland. Nevertheless, drylands can also be found in some other areas of the Earth that are under the Mediterranean-type climates, which imposes a strong aridity during summer. In this review, plant species from hot deserts and Mediterranean-type climates serve as examples for describing and analyzing the different responses of trees and shrubs to aridity in drylands, with special emphasis on the structural and functional adaptations of plants to avoid the negative effects of high temperatures under drought conditions. First, we analyze the adaptations of plants to reduce the input of energy by diminishing the absorbed solar radiation through (i) modifications of leaf angle and (ii) changes in leaf optical properties. Afterwards, we analyze several strategies that enhance the ability for heat dissipation through (i) leaf size reduction and changes in leaf shape (e.g., through lobed leaves), and (ii) increased transpiration rates (i.e., water-spender strategy), with negative consequences in terms of photosynthetic capacity and water consumption, respectively. Finally, we also discuss the alternative strategy showed by water-saver plants, a common drought resistance strategy in hot and dry environments that reduces water consumption at the expense of diminishing the ability for leaf cooling. In conclusion, trees and shrubs living in drylands have developed effective functional adaptations to cope with the combination of high temperature and water scarcity, all of them with clear benefits for plant functioning and survival, but also with different costs concerning water use, carbon gain, and/or leaf cooling. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mechanisms of Adaptation of Trees and Shrubs to Dry and Hot Environments)
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