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Impact of precipitation and temperature on structural and hydraulic traits of evergreen and deciduous plants: a global synthetic analysis
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  • Lidan Chen,
  • Congjuan Li,
  • Gui-Qing Xu,
  • Ran Liu
Lidan Chen
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography
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Congjuan Li
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography
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Gui-Qing Xu
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography
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Ran Liu
Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

Corresponding Author:liuran@ms.xjb.ac.cn

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Abstract

Elevated temperature often coincides with drought events, which is widely considered as a primary driver of hydraulic failure. Here, we analyze the associations among climatic factors, woody structural traits and hydraulic traits based on a data set comprising over 4,000 observations from 1990 to 2023. The structural equation model (SEM) revealed that both mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT) exhibited positive effects on specific hydraulic conductance (Ks, effects: 0.06 and 0.96) and negative effects on embolism resistance (-P50, effects: -0.30 and -0.26). Additionally, we compared structural and hydraulic traits across seven major biomes. The results indicated that tropical forests exhibited higher Ks and lower -P50, accompanied by significantly larger conduit diameter (D) and lower conduit densities (Dens) compared to other biomes. Furthermore, along the hydraulic efficiency and safety axis, evergreens tended to favor safety, while deciduous species leaned towards hydraulic efficiency, with 16.48% evergreen observations occupying a high hydraulic safety pattern (-P50>5MPa). Moreover, stronger relationships between the structural traits of evergreen plants and climatic factors were observed compared to deciduous species. In conclusion, we emphasize that elevated temperature may hinder structural adaptation to drought, ultimately leading to hydraulic failure and forest mortality.