Turgor loss point predicts survival responses to experimental and natural drought in tropical tree seedlings

• Published in: Ecology (Durham) 2022-06, Vol.103 (6), p.e3700-n/a
• Main Authors: Álvarez‐Cansino, Leonor, Comita, Liza S., Jones, F. Andrew, Manzané‐Pinzón, Eric, Browne, Luke, Engelbrecht, Bettina M. J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Barro Colorado Island; Climate change; Climate effects; dehydration tolerance; Drought; Drought resistance; drought strategy; El Nino; El Niño; functional traits; leaf turgor loss point; Panama; Plant communities; Plant populations; Plant species; plant–water relations; Seedlings; Species; Survival; tree mortality; Turgor; Water availability
• ISSN: 0012-9658; 1939-9170
• DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3700

Identifying key traits that can serve as proxies for species drought resistance is crucial for predicting and mitigating the effects of climate change in diverse plant communities. Turgor loss point (πtlp) is a recently emerged trait that has been linked to species distributions across gradients of water availability. However, a direct relationship between πtlp and species ability to survive drought has yet to be established for woody species. Using a manipulative field experiment to quantify species drought resistance (i.e., their survival response to drought), combined with measurements of πtlp for 16 tree species, we show a negative relationship between πtlp and seedling drought resistance. Using long‐term forest plot data, we also show that πtlp predicts seedling survival responses to a severe El Niño‐related drought, although additional factors are clearly also important. Our study demonstrates that species with lower πtlp exhibit higher survival under both experimental and natural drought. These results provide a missing cornerstone in the assessment of the traits underlying drought resistance in woody species and strengthen πtlp as a proxy for evaluating which species will lose or win under projections of exacerbating drought regimes.