In:
Environmental Research Letters, IOP Publishing
Abstract:
Droughts are predicted to increase in both frequency and intensity by the end of the 21st century, but ecosystem response is not expected to be uniform across landscapes. Here we assess the importance of the hill-to-valley hydrologic gradient in shaping vegetation drought resistance under different rainfall regimes using hydraulic functional traits. We demonstrate that rainfall and hydrology modulate together the drought resistance of species in different sites and topographic postions. Valleys are more vulnerable to drought due to stable groundwater access, regardless of rainfall. In all study sites, the variability in drought resistance is higher on hills than on valleys, suggesting that the diversity of strategies to cope with drought is more important for tree communities on hills. When comparing our results with previously published data across the tropics, we show greater variability at the local scale than previously reported. Our results reinforce the urgent need to extend sampling efforts across rainfall regimes and topographic positions to improve the characterization of ecosystem resistance to drought.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1748-9326
DOI:
10.1088/1748-9326/ad0064
Language:
Unknown
Publisher:
IOP Publishing
Publication Date:
2023
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2255379-4
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