Affiliation:
1. Jixian National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, CNERN, School of Soil and Water Conservation Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
2. Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Combating, State Forestry and Grassland Administration Beijing Forestry University Beijing China
3. Nicholas School of the Environment and Pratt School of Engineering Duke University North Carolina Durham USA
4. Department of Forest Science University of Helsinki Helsinki Finland
Abstract
AbstractIncreased meteorological drought intensity with rising atmospheric demand for water (hereafter vapor pressure deficit [VPD]) increases the risk of tree mortality and ecosystem dysfunction worldwide. Ecosystem‐scale water‐use strategy is increasingly recognized as a key factor in regulating drought‐related ecosystem responses. However, the link between water‐use strategy and ecosystem vulnerability to meteorological droughts is poorly established. Using the global flux observations, historic hydroclimatic data, remote‐sensing products, and plant functional‐trait archive, we identified potentially vulnerable ecosystems, examining how ecosystem water‐use strategy, quantified by the percentage bias (δ) of the empirical canopy conductance sensitivity to VPD relative to the theoretical value, mediated ecosystem responses to droughts. We found that prevailing soil water availability substantially impacted δ in dryland regions where ecosystems with insufficient soil moisture usually showed conservative water‐use strategy, while ecosystems in humid regions exhibited more pronounced climatic adaptability. Hyposensitive and hypersensitive ecosystems, classified based on δ falling below or above the theoretical sensitivity, respectively, achieved similar net ecosystem productivity during droughts, employing different structural and functional strategies. However, hyposensitive ecosystems, risking their hydraulic system with a permissive water‐use strategy, were unable to recover from droughts as quickly as hypersensitive ones. Our findings highlight that processed‐based models predicting current functions and future performance of vegetation should account for the greater vulnerability of hyposensitive ecosystems to intensifying atmospheric and soil droughts.
Funder
Academy of Finland
China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
National Key Research and Development Program of China
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Subject
General Environmental Science,Ecology,Environmental Chemistry,Global and Planetary Change
Cited by
5 articles.
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