Abstract
ABSTRACT Predicted climate changes due to greenhouse gas emissions will alter site and ecological conditions, increase instability in many ecosystems and expand the value of forest carbon and wood energy. Woody plants most often are faced with drought stresses, not only because of erratic rainfall, but also the result of climatic changes. Natural variability among wood species in terms of chances in induced water stress in stem moisture content is large. Under severe water deficit, plants have to face the dilemma of dying by drying or being starved of carbon. Changes in the water content of extensible tissues of the stem are readily reversible, causing diurnal variation driven by changing water potential in the xylem. This review intends: 1. to address how stems in woody species play an important role in water storage relevant to plant hydraulics, and 2. to present methodologies to estimate water content in stems of wood species.
Highlights
Future trends of global climate indicate a worldwide increase in the risk of acute droughts and heat waves (ALLEN et al, 2010)
Under the scenario of drought induced by climate change, an important concern in forestry is if intraspecific genetic resources available to tree species hold enough variability to cope with future climate change (ALBERTO et al, 2013)
It is commonplace to infer that an important imbalance between uptake and loss of either carbon or water would be responsible for plant death (ALLEN et al, 2010; McDOWELL, 2011; COCHARD; DELZON, 2013)
Summary
Future trends of global climate indicate a worldwide increase in the risk of acute droughts and heat waves (ALLEN et al, 2010). Under the scenario of drought induced by climate change, an important concern in forestry is if intraspecific genetic resources available to tree species hold enough variability to cope with future climate change (ALBERTO et al, 2013). Environmental biotic stresses have adverse effects on plant growth and productivity and it can become more widespread in future decades. It is commonplace to infer that an important imbalance between uptake and loss of either carbon or water would be responsible for plant death (ALLEN et al, 2010; McDOWELL, 2011; COCHARD; DELZON, 2013). Accurate measurements of plant water status are essential for a better understanding of productivity and management practices of wood species under various present and future environmental conditions. Variations in wood stem water content are generally related to seasonal rainfall. Size fluctuations of stem diameter are associated with variation in the water content of the bark and sapwood swelling and contraction
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