Academic literature on the topic 'Tree hydric functioning'

Abstract Key message A new process-based model,SurEau, is described. It predicts the risk of xylem hydraulic failure under drought. Context The increase in drought intensity due to climate change will accentuate the risk of tree mortality. But very few process-based models are currently able to predict this mortality risk. Aims We describe the operating principle of a new mechanistic model SurEau that computes the water balance, water relations, and hydraulics of a plant under extreme drought. Methods SurEau is based on the formalization of key physiological processes of plant response to water stress. The hydraulic and hydric functioning of the plant is at the core of this model, which focuses on both water flows (i.e., hydraulic) and water pools (i.e., hydric) using variable hydraulic conductances. The model considers the elementary flow of water from the soil to the atmosphere through different plant organs that are described by their symplasmic and apoplasmic compartments. For each organ, the symplasm is described by a pressure-volume curve and the apoplasm by its vulnerability curve to cavitation. The model is evaluated on mature oak trees exposed to water stress. Results On the tested oak trees, the model captures well the observed soil water balance, water relations, and level of embolism. A sensitivity analysis reveals that the level of embolism is strongly determined by air VPD and key physiological traits such as cuticular transpiration, resistance to cavitation, and leaf area. Conclusion The process-based SurEau model offers new opportunities to evaluate how different species or genotypes will respond to future climatic conditions.

In community ecology, the knowledge of abiotic factors, that determine intraspecific variability in ecophysiological and functional traits, is important for addressing major questions, such as plant community assembly and ecosystem functioning. Mangroves have several mechanisms of resistance to salinity and most species exhibit some xeromorphic features in order to conserve water. Leaf area and stomatal density play an important role in maintaining water balance, and gas exchange is regulated by their aperture and density, two traits that vary intraspecifically in response to environmental conditions, such as water stress and salinity. In this study, we evaluated the effects of salinity on stomatal density, leaf area and plant size in R. mangle and we tested for associations among the three variables, across three sites along a natural salinity gradient in the Xel-Há Park, Quintana Roo, Mexico. We hypothesized that high salinity sites would produce smaller plants, with smaller leaves, and fewer stomata. Three sampling sites with different environmental conditions were chosen and salinities were monitored monthly. A total of 542 plants were tagged and tree heights and diameters were measured for each individual within each of the three sampling sites. Three leaves from 20 trees from each site were measured to determine leaf area. Stomatal densities were determined in each leaf using nail polish casts, examining ten 1 mm squares per leaf under an optical microscope. A principal component analysis was used to assess association between tree height, leaf area, and stomatal density for each plot. The salinity gradient was reflected in plant size, producing smaller plants at the higher salinity site. The largest leaves were found at the low salinity site (51.2 ± 24.99 cm2). Leaf length was not correlated to plant size (LL vs. tree height: r= 0.02, P= 0.8205; LL vs. trunk diameter: r= 0.03, P= 0.7336), so we concluded that leaf length is an environmentally plastic trait of red mangroves that may vary as a function of environmental conditions, such as hydric stress caused by elevated salinity. The larger leaves from the low salinity site had lower densities of stomata (65.0 stomata.mm2 SD= 12.3), and increasing salinities did not decrease stomatal density (intermediate salinity site: 73.4 stomata.mm2 SD= 13.5; high salinity site: 74.8 stomata.mm2 SD= 17.3). Our results confirm that stomatal density is inversely related to leaf area (r= -0.29, P < 0.001), especially leaf width (r= -0.31, P < 0.001), and that salinity may increase stomatal density by causing reduction of leaf size.

There is a growing body of evidence that mesic tree species are increasing in importance across much of the eastern US. This increase is often observed in tandem with a decrease in the abundance and importance of species considered to be better adapted to disturbance and drier conditions (e.g., Quercus species). Concern over this transition is related to several factors, including the potential that this transition is self-reinforcing (termed “mesophication”), will result in decreased resiliency of forests to a variety of disturbances, and may negatively impact ecosystem functioning, timber value, and wildlife habitat. Evidence for shifts in composition provide broad-scale support for mesophication, but we lack information on the fine-scale factors that drive the associated functional changes. Understanding this variability is particularly important as managers work to develop site-and condition-specific management practices to target stands or portions of the landscape where this transition is occurring or is likely to occur in the future. To address this knowledge gap and identify forests that are most susceptible to mesophication (which we evaluate as a functional shift to less drought or fire tolerant, or more shade tolerant, forests), we used data from the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis program to determine what fine-scale factors impact the rate (change through time) and degree (difference between the overstory and midstory) of change in eastern US forests. We found that mesophication varies along stand and environmental gradients, but this relationship depended on the functional trait examined. For example, shade and drought tolerance suggest mesophication is greatest at sites with more acidic soils, while fire tolerance suggests mesophication increases with soil pH. Mesophication was also generally more pronounced in older stands, stands with more variable diameters, and in wetter sites, but plots categorized as “hydric” were often highly variable. Our results provide evidence that stand-scale conditions impact current and potential future changes in trait conditions and composition across eastern US forests. We provide a starting point for managers looking to prioritize portions of the landscape most at risk and developing treatments to address the compositional and functional changes associated with mesophication.

Trees acquire hydric and mineral soil resources through root mutualistic associations. In most boreal, temperate and Mediterranean forests, these functions are realized by a chimeric structure called ectomycorrhizae. Ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi are highly diversified and vary widely in their specificity toward plant hosts. Reciprocally, association patterns of ECM plants range from highly specialist to generalist. As a consequence, ECM symbiosis creates interaction networks, which also mediate plant–plant nutrient interactions among different individuals and drive plant community dynamics. Our knowledge of ECM networks essentially relies on a corpus acquired in temperate ecosystems, whereas the below-ground facets of both anthropogenic ECM forests and inter-tropical forests remain poorly investigated. Here, we successively (1) review the current knowledge of ECM networks, (2) examine the content of early literature produced in ECM cultivated forests, (3) analyze the recent progress that has been made in understanding the place of ECM networks in urban soils, and (4) provide directions for future research based on the identification of knowledge gaps. From the examined corpus of knowledge, we reach three main conclusions. First, the emergence of metabarcoding tools has propelled a resurgence of interest in applying network theory to ECM symbiosis. These methods revealed an unexpected interconnection between mutualistic plants with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) herbaceous plants, embedding ECM mycelia through root-endophytic interactions. This affinity of ECM fungi to bind VA and ECM plants, raises questions on the nature of the associated functions. Second, despite the central place of ECM trees in cultivated forests, little attention has been paid to these man-made landscapes and in-depth research on this topic is lacking. Third, we report a lag in applying the ECM network theory to urban soils, despite management initiatives striving to interconnect motile organisms through ecological corridors, and the highly challenging task of interconnecting fixed organisms in urban greenspaces is discussed. In particular, we observe a pauperized nature of resident ECM inoculum and a spatial conflict between belowground human pipelines and ECM networks. Finally, we identify the main directions of future research to make the needed link between the current picture of plant functioning and the understanding of belowground ECM networks.

Les arbres apportent de nombreux services écosystémiques en ville, ils permettent de diminuer certaines conséquences de l’urbanisation comme l’îlot de chaleur urbain et le ruissellement de l’eau. Leur effet thermo-radiatif améliore le confort thermique. Les arbres peuvent également impacter la qualité de l’air en ville via différents processus. Le dépôt de polluants gazeux et particulaires sur les feuilles des arbres peut contribuer à la diminution des concentrations. Cependant, l’effet aérodynamique des arbres modifie l’écoulement dans les rues canyons et limite la dispersion des polluants émis dans la rue. Par ailleurs, les arbres émettent des composés organiques volatils biogéniques (COVb) qui peuvent participer à la formation d’O3 et d’aérosols organiques secondaires. Les émissions de COVb varient selon l’espèce d’arbre, et sont influencées par des facteurs climatiques (température, rayonnement) mais aussi par le statut hydrique des arbres. Cette thèse a pour objectif de quantifier les impacts de ces différents processus sur la qualité de l’air en ville. Des simulations numériques sont réalisées sur la ville de Paris pendant l’été 2022 avec la chaîne de modèles CHIMERE/MUNICH afin de quantifier l’impact des arbres sur les concentrations atmosphériques de polluants à l’échelle locale et régionale. Les concentrations simulées sont comparées à des mesures. Les arbres urbains ne sont généralement pas pris en compte dans les modèles de qualité l’air, aussi bien à l’échelle régionale qu’à l’échelle de la rue. Pour intégrer les émissions de COVb dans le modèle régional CHIMERE, un inventaire est réalisé à partir de la base de données des arbres de la ville de Paris. Une méthode est développée afin d’estimer les caractéristiques des arbres qui sont utilisées en données d’entrée des différents modèles (surface de feuille, biomasse sèche, taille de la couronne, etc.). En moyenne sur les mois de juin et juillet 2022 à Paris, les émissions biogéniques locales des arbres induisent une augmentation de 1,0% d’O3, 4,6% de PM1 organiques et 0,6% de PM2.5. Les émissions biogéniques des arbres urbains augmentent très fortement les concentrations d’isoprène et de monoterpènes. Par comparaison aux mesures, les concentrations de terpènes ont tendance à être sous-estimées, compte tenu des incertitudes liées aux facteurs d’émissions et à la part de végétation manquante dans l’inventaire. Les émissions de terpène de la végétation urbaine et suburbaine influencent fortement la formation de particules organiques, il est donc important de bien les caractériser dans les modèles de qualité de l’air. Les différents effets des arbres urbains sur la qualité de l’air à l’échelle de la rue sont ensuite ajoutés dans le modèle de réseau de rue MUNICH. L’effet aérodynamique des arbres dans les rues est paramétré à partir de simulations de mécanique des fluides. Il induit une augmentation des concentrations des composés émis dans la rue. Cette augmentation peut atteindre +37% pour le NO2 dans les rues avec une surface de feuilles importante et un trafic élevé. Le dépôt sur les feuilles des arbres est calculé à partir d’une approche résistive adaptée à l’échelle de l’arbre urbain dans la rue. Cependant, son impact sur les concentrations reste limité sur les gaz et particules étudiés (< -3%).Pour finir, un couplage entre les modèles TEB (modèle de surface urbaine), SPAC (modèle de continuum sol-plante-atmosphère) et MUNICH a été mis en place. Ce couplage permet de mieux représenter les impacts des hétérogénéités du micro-climat urbain et de l’effet thermo-radiatif des arbres sur les concentrations de gaz et de particules. L’effet de ce micro-climat et du stress hydrique des arbres sur les émissions de COVb est aussi pris en compte afin d’affiner le calcul des émissions
Trees provide numerous ecosystem services in cities, helping to reduce some of the consequences of urbanization, such as the urban heat island and water run-off. Their thermo-radiative effect improves thermal comfort.Trees can also have an impact on urban air quality through various processes. The deposition of gaseous and particulate pollutants on tree leaves can help to reduce concentrations. However, the aerodynamic effect of trees modifies the airflow in street canyons and limits the dispersion of pollutants emitted in the street. Trees also emit biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs), which can contribute to the formation of O3 and secondary organic aerosols. BVOC emissions vary depending on the tree species, and are influenced by climatic factors (temperature, radiation) and by the tree water status.The objective of this thesis is to quantify the impacts of these different processes on urban air quality. Numerical simulations are performed over the city of Paris during summer 2022 using the CHIMERE/MUNICH model chain in order to quantify the impact of trees on atmospheric concentrations of pollutants at the local and regional scales. The simulated concentrations are compared to measurements.Urban trees are not generally taken into account in air quality models, either at regional or street level. In order to integrate BVOC emissions into the CHIMERE regional model, an inventory is developed using the tree database of the city of Paris. A method is set up to estimate the characteristics of the trees, which are used as input data for the various models (leaf area, dry biomass, crown size, etc.). On average over the months of June and July 2022 in Paris, local biogenic emissions from trees lead to an increase of 1.0% in O3, 4.6% in organic PM1 and 0.6% in PM2.5. Biogenic emissions from urban trees strongly increase concentrations of isoprene and monoterpenes. Compared with measurements, terpene concentrations tend to be underestimated, given the uncertainties associated with emission factors and the missing part of the vegetation in the inventory. Terpene emissions from urban and suburban vegetation greatly influence the formation of organic particles, it is therefore important to characterize them properly in air quality models.The various effects of urban trees on air quality at street level are then added into the MUNICH street network model. The aerodynamic effect of street trees is parameterized using computational fluid dynamics simulations. It leads to an increase in the concentrations of compounds emitted into the street. This increase can reach +37% for NO2 in streets with a large leaf surface and high traffic. Deposition on tree leaves is computed using a resistive approach adapted to the scale of the tree in the street. However, its impact on concentrations remains limited for the gases and particles studied (< -3%).Finally, a coupling between the TEB (urban surface model), SPAC (soil-plant-atmosphere continuum model) and MUNICH models is developed. This coupling provides a better representation of the impacts of the urban micro-climate heterogeneities and of the thermo-radiative effect of trees on gas and particle concentrations. The effects of the micro-climate and of the tree water stress on BVOC emissions are also taken into account in order to refine the calculation of emissions