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Dryad

Ecological stress memory in wood architecture of two Neotropical hickory species from central-eastern Mexico

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Apr 29, 2024 version files 10.76 KB

Abstract

Drought periods are major evolutionary triggers of wood anatomical adaptive variation in Lower Tropical Montane Cloud Forests tree species. We tested the influence of historical drought events on the effects of ecological stress memory on latewood width and xylem vessel traits (vessel density, vessel grouping index, hydraulic diameter, and percent conductive area) in two relict hickory species (Carya palmeri and Carya myristiciformis) from central-eastern Mexico. We hypothesized that latewood width would decrease during historical drought years, developing correlations between growth and hydric stress conditions, and that during past tree growth, moisture stress would imprint on wood anatomical traits between successive drought events. We analyzed latewood anatomical traits that developed during historical drought and pre- and post-drought years in both hickory species. We found that repeated periods of hydric stress left climatic signatures for annual latewood growth and xylem vessel traits that are essential for hydric adaptation in tropical moist tree species. Our results demonstrate the existence of cause‒effect relationships in wood anatomical architecture and highlight the ecological stress memory linked with historical drought events. Thus, combined time-series analysis of latewood width and xylem vessel traits is a powerful tool for understanding the ecological behavior of hickory species.