TY - JOUR
T1 - Wood day capacitance is related to water content, wood density, and anatomy across 30 temperate tree species
AU - Ziemińska, Kasia
AU - Rosa, Emily
AU - Gleason, Sean M.
AU - Holbrook, N. Michele
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Water released from wood during transpiration (capacitance) can meaningfully affect daily water use and drought response. To provide context for better understanding of capacitance mechanisms, we investigated links between capacitance and wood anatomy. On twigs of 30 temperate angiosperm tree species, we measured day capacitance (between predawn and midday), water content, wood density, and anatomical traits, that is, vessel dimensions, tissue fractions, and vessel–tissue contact fractions (fraction of vessel circumference in contact with other tissues). Across all species, wood density (WD) and predawn lumen volumetric water content (VWCL-pd) together were the strongest predictors of day capacitance (r2adj =.44). Vessel–tissue contact fractions explained an additional ~10% of the variation in day capacitance. Regression models were not improved by including tissue lumen fractions. Among diffuse-porous species, VWCL-pd and vessel–ray contact fraction together were the best predictors of day capacitance, whereas among semi/ring-porous species, VWCL-pd, WD and vessel–fibre contact fraction were the best predictors. At predawn, wood was less than fully saturated for all species (lumen relative water content = 0.52 ± 0.17). Our findings imply that day capacitance depends on the amount of stored water, tissue connectivity and the bulk wood properties arising from WD (e.g., elasticity), rather than the fraction of any particular tissue.
AB - Water released from wood during transpiration (capacitance) can meaningfully affect daily water use and drought response. To provide context for better understanding of capacitance mechanisms, we investigated links between capacitance and wood anatomy. On twigs of 30 temperate angiosperm tree species, we measured day capacitance (between predawn and midday), water content, wood density, and anatomical traits, that is, vessel dimensions, tissue fractions, and vessel–tissue contact fractions (fraction of vessel circumference in contact with other tissues). Across all species, wood density (WD) and predawn lumen volumetric water content (VWCL-pd) together were the strongest predictors of day capacitance (r2adj =.44). Vessel–tissue contact fractions explained an additional ~10% of the variation in day capacitance. Regression models were not improved by including tissue lumen fractions. Among diffuse-porous species, VWCL-pd and vessel–ray contact fraction together were the best predictors of day capacitance, whereas among semi/ring-porous species, VWCL-pd, WD and vessel–fibre contact fraction were the best predictors. At predawn, wood was less than fully saturated for all species (lumen relative water content = 0.52 ± 0.17). Our findings imply that day capacitance depends on the amount of stored water, tissue connectivity and the bulk wood properties arising from WD (e.g., elasticity), rather than the fraction of any particular tissue.
UR - https://hdl.handle.net/1959.7/uws:72628
U2 - 10.1111/pce.13891
DO - 10.1111/pce.13891
M3 - Article
SN - 0140-7791
VL - 43
SP - 3048
EP - 3067
JO - Plant Cell and Environment
JF - Plant Cell and Environment
IS - 12
ER -