title: Thirst beats hunger - declining hydration during drought prevents carbon starvation in Norway spruce saplings.
abstract: Drought-induced tree mortality results from an interaction of several mechanisms. Plant water and carbon relations are interdependent and assessments of their individual contributions are difficult. Because drought always affects both plant hydration and carbon assimilation, it is challenging to disentangle their concomitant effects on carbon balance and carbon translocation. Here, we report results of a manipulation experiment specifically designed to separate drought effects on carbon and water relations from those on carbon translocation. In a glasshouse experiment, we manipulated the carbon balance of Norway spruce saplings exposed to either drought or carbon starvation (CO2 withdrawal), or both treatments, and compared the dynamics of carbon exchange, allocation and storage in different tissues. Drought killed trees much faster than did carbon starvation. Storage C pools were not depleted at death for droughted trees as they were for starved, well-watered trees. Hence drought has a significant detrimental effect on a plant's ability to utilize stored carbon. Unless they can be transported to where they are needed, sufficient carbon reserves alone will not assure survival of a drought except under specific conditions, such as moderate drought, or in species that maintain plant water relations required for carbon re-mobilization.
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knoll Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hartmann
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knoll Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ziegler
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knoll Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kolle
authors.affiliation: Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Hans Knoll Str. 10, 07745, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Trumbore
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000032:analysis; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D055864:Droughts; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D028222:Picea / Q000502:physiology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000502:physiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000502:physiology; D018520:Plant Shoots / Q000502:physiology; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000502:physiology; D036226:Seedlings / Q000502:physiology; D014197:Trees; D014867:Water / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D014867:Water; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002244:Carbon; D010100:Oxygen
keywords: carbon remobilization; carbon starvation; carbon storage use; drought-induced tree mortality; plant hydration