Abstract
Forests worldwide face increasingly frequent, prolonged and severe droughts driven by climate change, causing widespread tree dieback and productivity losses. Yet predicting how trees recover their water-carbon balance and growth after non-lethal drought remains challenging. To address this, we subjected juvenile Pinus radiata D.Don-a drought-tolerant, strongly isohydric conifer-to moderate (14 weeks) and extended (20 weeks) dry-down periods. We continuously monitored stem radial growth and water reserves for over 6 months with high-resolution dendrometers, alongside weekly measurements of leaf gas exchange, capturing fine-scale dynamics of the water-carbon balance and growth during stress and recovery. We recorded a complete recovery of leaf function and stem growth in all plants after drought release, but the recovery rate depended on drought duration: plants under prolonged stress recovered more slowly. Stomatal conductance returned to control levels after $\sim$1.5 and 2.5 weeks following moderate and extended drought, respectively, whereas net $\mathrm{CO_{2}}$ assimilation recovered within $\sim$1.5 weeks regardless of drought duration. In contrast, cambial activity resumed rapidly, within a few days up to a week, as soon as stem water reserves were refilled. Growth recovery was rapid even in plants that experienced very low water potentials and nearly 2 months in a neutral or negative carbon balance state. Wood formation resumed ahead of photosynthesis recovery, reflecting a decoupling between carbon source and sink processes. Although drought reduced total radial growth, aboveground biomass gain in stressed plants remained comparable to that of well-watered controls, even for those with a growing period halved because of drought. This high degree of growth resilience arose through compensatory growth, with post-stress growth rates 1.4-2.4 times higher than pre-stress rates. These findings provide new insights into drought responses and recovery in a conifer with conservative water regulation and will improve model predictions of juvenile-tree resilience under future climates.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf function and stem growth fully recovered after drought release, with slower recovery after prolonged stress.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiata
Pinus radiatat0 - Treatment
- prolonged stresse0
- Outcome
- recovery of leaf function and stem growthe0
- Direction
- recovered more slowlye0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“We recorded a complete recovery of leaf function and stem growth in all plants after drought release, but the recovery rate depended on drought duration: plants under prolonged stress recovered more slowly”
t0“Pinus radiata”
Claim · model-written summary
Stomatal conductance returned to control levels after about 1.5 weeks following moderate drought.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiataPinus radiatat0
- Treatment
- moderatee0
- Outcome
- Stomatal conductancee0
- Direction
- returnede0
- Value
- $\sim$1.5e0
- Comparator
- control levelse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Stomatal conductance returned to control levels after $\sim$1.5 and 2.5 weeks following moderate and extended drought, respectively”
t0“Pinus radiata”
Claim · model-written summary
Stomatal conductance returned to control levels after about 2.5 weeks following extended drought.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiataPinus radiatat0
- Treatment
- extended droughte0
- Outcome
- Stomatal conductancee0
- Direction
- returnede0
- Value
- 2.5 weekse0
- Comparator
- control levelse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Stomatal conductance returned to control levels after $\sim$1.5 and 2.5 weeks following moderate and extended drought, respectively”
t0“Pinus radiata”
Claim · model-written summary
Net CO2 assimilation recovered within about 1.5 weeks irrespective of drought duration.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiataPinus radiatat0
- Outcome
- net $\mathrm{CO_{2}}$ assimilatione0
- Direction
- recoverede0
- Value
- $\sim$1.5 weekse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“net $\mathrm{CO_{2}}$ assimilation recovered within $\sim$1.5 weeks regardless of drought duration”
t0“Pinus radiata”
Claim · model-written summary
Cambial activity resumed within days to a week after stem water reserves refilled.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiataPinus radiatat0
- Outcome
- cambial activitye0
- Direction
- resumed rapidlye0
- Value
- within a few days up to a weeke0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“cambial activity resumed rapidly, within a few days up to a week, as soon as stem water reserves were refilled”
t0“Pinus radiata”
Claim · model-written summary
Growth recovered rapidly even after very low water potentials and nearly two months of neutral or negative carbon balance.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiataPinus radiatat0
- Outcome
- Growth recoverye0
- Direction
- rapide0
- Qualifier
- nearly 2 months in a neutral or negative carbon balance statee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Growth recovery was rapid even in plants that experienced very low water potentials and nearly 2 months in a neutral or negative carbon balance state”
t0“Pinus radiata”
Claim · model-written summary
Wood formation resumed ahead of photosynthetic recovery.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiataPinus radiatat0
- Outcome
- Wood formation resumed ahead of photosynthesis recoverye0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Wood formation resumed ahead of photosynthesis recovery”
t0“Pinus radiata”
Claim · model-written summary
Drought reduced total radial growth.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiataPinus radiatat0
- Treatment
- droughte0
- Outcome
- total radial growthe0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Comparator
- well-watered controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Although drought reduced total radial growth, aboveground biomass gain in stressed plants remained comparable to that of well-watered controls”
t0“Pinus radiata”
Claim · model-written summary
Aboveground biomass gain remained comparable to well watered controls despite drought.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiataPinus radiatat0
- Treatment
- stressed plantse0
- Outcome
- aboveground biomass gaine0
- Direction
- remained comparablee0
- Comparator
- well-watered controlse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“aboveground biomass gain in stressed plants remained comparable to that of well-watered controls”
t0“Pinus radiata”
Claim · model-written summary
Post stress growth rates were 1.4 to 2.4 times pre stress rates.
- Taxon
- Pinus radiataPinus radiatat0
- Outcome
- post-stress growth ratese0
- Direction
- highere0
- Value
- 1.4-2.4 timese0
- Comparator
- pre-stress ratese0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“post-stress growth rates 1.4-2.4 times higher than pre-stress rates”
t0“Pinus radiata”