The functional mechanism behind the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity: Freeze–thaw embolism reduces the ecological performance of liana species
Abstract There is a strong decrease in liana diversity along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients at a global scale, and there is a marked difference in liana diversity between tropical and temperate ecosystems. From these observations, it has been proposed that cold temperatures would restrict the...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10486 |
| _version_ | 1797542914776104960 |
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| author | Paulina Lobos‐Catalán Mylthon Jiménez‐Castillo |
| author_facet | Paulina Lobos‐Catalán Mylthon Jiménez‐Castillo |
| author_sort | Paulina Lobos‐Catalán |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract There is a strong decrease in liana diversity along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients at a global scale, and there is a marked difference in liana diversity between tropical and temperate ecosystems. From these observations, it has been proposed that cold temperatures would restrict the ecological patterns of liana because of their vascular system's vulnerability to freeze–thaw embolism. Our objective was to establish the functional mechanism that drives the loss of liana diversity along a latitudinal temperature gradient. We evaluate the ecological performance of liana in 10 different species based on the apical growth rate, as well as functional traits associated with efficiency (maximum hydraulic conductivity and percentage conductivity lost) and safety of water transport (vessel diameter, vessel density, wood density, and root pressure). We found that at the colder (more southern) site within the latitudinal gradient, liana species showed lower performance, with a fivefold decrease in their apical growth rate as compared to the warmer (more northern) sites. We postulate that this lower performance results from a much lower water transport efficiency (26.1‐fold decrease as compared to liana species that inhabit warmer sites) that results from higher freeze–thaw (37.5% of PLC) and reduction of vessel diameter (3 times narrower). These results are unmistakable evidence that cold temperature restricts liana performance: in a cold environment, liana species exhibit a strong decrease in performance, low efficiency, and higher safety of water transport. Conversely, at warmer sites, we found that liana species exhibit functional strategies associated with higher performance, higher efficiency, and lower safety of water transport capacity. This trade‐off between efficiency and safety of water transport and their effects on performance could explain the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:37:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eb1d858caeb9462c87c603505dab92d8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:37:17Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-eb1d858caeb9462c87c603505dab92d82023-11-21T07:26:25ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582023-09-01139n/an/a10.1002/ece3.10486The functional mechanism behind the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity: Freeze–thaw embolism reduces the ecological performance of liana speciesPaulina Lobos‐Catalán0Mylthon Jiménez‐Castillo1Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia ChileInstituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas Universidad Austral de Chile Valdivia ChileAbstract There is a strong decrease in liana diversity along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients at a global scale, and there is a marked difference in liana diversity between tropical and temperate ecosystems. From these observations, it has been proposed that cold temperatures would restrict the ecological patterns of liana because of their vascular system's vulnerability to freeze–thaw embolism. Our objective was to establish the functional mechanism that drives the loss of liana diversity along a latitudinal temperature gradient. We evaluate the ecological performance of liana in 10 different species based on the apical growth rate, as well as functional traits associated with efficiency (maximum hydraulic conductivity and percentage conductivity lost) and safety of water transport (vessel diameter, vessel density, wood density, and root pressure). We found that at the colder (more southern) site within the latitudinal gradient, liana species showed lower performance, with a fivefold decrease in their apical growth rate as compared to the warmer (more northern) sites. We postulate that this lower performance results from a much lower water transport efficiency (26.1‐fold decrease as compared to liana species that inhabit warmer sites) that results from higher freeze–thaw (37.5% of PLC) and reduction of vessel diameter (3 times narrower). These results are unmistakable evidence that cold temperature restricts liana performance: in a cold environment, liana species exhibit a strong decrease in performance, low efficiency, and higher safety of water transport. Conversely, at warmer sites, we found that liana species exhibit functional strategies associated with higher performance, higher efficiency, and lower safety of water transport capacity. This trade‐off between efficiency and safety of water transport and their effects on performance could explain the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10486embolismlianasperformanceroot pressurewood anatomy |
| spellingShingle | Paulina Lobos‐Catalán Mylthon Jiménez‐Castillo The functional mechanism behind the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity: Freeze–thaw embolism reduces the ecological performance of liana species Ecology and Evolution embolism lianas performance root pressure wood anatomy |
| title | The functional mechanism behind the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity: Freeze–thaw embolism reduces the ecological performance of liana species |
| title_full | The functional mechanism behind the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity: Freeze–thaw embolism reduces the ecological performance of liana species |
| title_fullStr | The functional mechanism behind the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity: Freeze–thaw embolism reduces the ecological performance of liana species |
| title_full_unstemmed | The functional mechanism behind the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity: Freeze–thaw embolism reduces the ecological performance of liana species |
| title_short | The functional mechanism behind the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity: Freeze–thaw embolism reduces the ecological performance of liana species |
| title_sort | functional mechanism behind the latitudinal pattern of liana diversity freeze thaw embolism reduces the ecological performance of liana species |
| topic | embolism lianas performance root pressure wood anatomy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10486 |
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