Death from drought in tropical forests is triggered by hydraulics not carbon starvation

L. Rowland (), A. C. L. da Costa, D. R. Galbraith, R. S. Oliveira, O. J. Binks, A. A. R. Oliveira, A. M. Pullen, C. E. Doughty, D. B. Metcalfe, S. S. Vasconcelos, L. V. Ferreira, Y. Malhi, J. Grace, M. Mencuccini and P. Meir
Additional contact information
L. Rowland: School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh
A. C. L. da Costa: Centro de Geosciências, Universidade Federal do Pará
D. R. Galbraith: School of Geography, University of Leeds
R. S. Oliveira: Instituto de Biologia, UNICAMP
O. J. Binks: School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh
A. A. R. Oliveira: Centro de Geosciências, Universidade Federal do Pará
A. M. Pullen: The University of Cambridge
C. E. Doughty: Environmental Change Institute, The University of Oxford
D. B. Metcalfe: Lund University
S. S. Vasconcelos: EMBRAPA Amazônia Oriental
L. V. Ferreira: Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi
Y. Malhi: Environmental Change Institute, The University of Oxford
J. Grace: School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh
M. Mencuccini: School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh
P. Meir: School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh

Nature, 2015, vol. 528, issue 7580, 119-122

Abstract: It has been suggested that carbon starvation, owing to reduced availability of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs), is an important contributor to tree mortality during drought in tropical rainforests; however, data from the world’s longest-running experimental drought study presented here show no evidence of carbon starvation, and instead the researchers conclude that impaired water hydraulic processes (involving the transport of water from soil to leaf) have a more important role in triggering tree death from long-term drought.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/nature15539

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