Summary:
Published in Nature Communications 17(1): 898
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.
File:
Permanent identifier (DOI):
Sector(s):
Forests
Catégorie(s):
Scientific Article
Theme(s):
Ecosystems and Environment, Forestry Research, Forests
Departmental author(s):
Author(s):
BRIENEN, Roel J. W. Giuliano Maselli LOCOSSELLI, Stefan KROTTENTHALER, Emanuel GLOOR, Robyn WRIGLEY, Steven L. VOELKER, Jan ALTMAN, Nela ALTMANOVA, Leander D. L. ANDEREGG, Michele BALIVA, Deepak BARUA, Vaclav BAZANT, Bryan BLACK, (...)
Year of publication:
2025
Format:
ISSN:
2041-1723
Keyword(s):
article scientifique, scientific article, écosystèmes et environnement, ecosystems and environment, longévité des arbres, gymnospermes vs angiospermes, traits fonctionnels des espèces, croissance et croissance radial, effets du climat sur la longévité, adaptations écologiques des forêts, tree longevity, gymnosperm and angiosperm pathways, functional traits, growth-longevity trade-offs, climate drivers of longevity, forest macroecology