Contrasting pathways to tree longevity in gymnosperms and angiosperms
Abstract
Abstract Tree longevity is thought to increase in growth-limiting, adverse environments, but a quantitative assessment of drivers of global variation in tree longevity is lacking. We assemble a global database of maximum longevity for 739 tree species and analyse associations between longevity and climate, soil, and species’ functional traits. Our results show two primary pathways towards long lifespans. The first is slow growth in resource-limited environments, consistent with the “adversity begets longevity” paradigm. The second pathway is through relief from abiotic constraints in productive environments. Despite notable exceptions, long-lived gymnosperms tend to follow the first path through slow growth in cold environments, whereas long-lived angiosperms tend to follow the second (“productivity”) path reaching maximum longevity generally in humid environments. For angiosperms, we identify two mechanisms for increased longevity under humid conditions. First, higher water availability increases species’ maximum tree height which is associated with greater longevities. Secondly, greater water availability increases stand density and inter-tree competition, limiting growth which may increase tree lifespan. The documented differences between gymnosperm and angiosperm longevity are likely rooted in intrinsic differences in hydraulic architecture that provide fitness advantages for gymnosperms under high abiotic stress, and for angiosperms under increased productivity or competition.
Article Details
Authors (45)
Roel J. W. Brienen
Giuliano Maselli Locosselli
Stefan Krottenthaler
Emanuel Gloor
Robyn Wrigley
Steven L. Voelker
Jan Altman
Nela Altmanova
Leander D. L. Anderegg
Michele Baliva
Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia
Deepak Barua
Vaclav Bazant
Bryan Black
Peter M. Brown
Gregorio Ceccantini
R. Justin DeRose
Jose Villanueva Diaz
Alfredo Di Filippo
Jiri Dolezal
Louis Duchesne
Christopher Earle
Pavel Fibich
Hardy Griesbauer
Samuli Helama
Stefan Klesse
Kirill Korznikov
David Lindenmayer
Shuhui Liu
Lidio Lopez
Maurizio Mencuccini
Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Barcelona, Spain.
Thomas A. Nagel
Jakob Pavlin
Neil Pederson
Gianluca Piovesan
Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences, University of Tuscia
Christina Restaino
Peter B. Reich
David Sauchyn
Jochen Schöngart
Ecology, Monitoring and Sustainable Use of Wetlands, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
John D. Shaw
Dan Smith
Ron Sunny
Miroslav Svoboda
Ricardo Villalba
Lisa J. Wood
Chunyu Zhang