Mistletoes play important roles in biogeochemical cycles. Although many studies have compared nutrient concentrations between mistletoes and their hosts, no general patterns have been found and the nutrient uptake mechanisms in mistletoes have not been fully resolved. To address the water and...

The increase in nitrogen (N) deposition is expected to have strong influences on forest ecosystems through its direct and indirect effects on tree performance. One way that N deposition can greatly affect tree performance is by altering plant hydraulic architecture and water relations especially in ...

Introduction: Drought stress is the most influential factors affecting crop yield particularly in irrigated agriculture in arid and semiarid regions. Drought, being the most important environmental stress, severely impairs plant growth and development, limits plant production and the performance of ...

Three-year-old (plug + 2) containerized Fraser fir (Abies fraseri [Pursh] Poir.) seedlings were treated to various irrigation and fertilization regimes in a greenhouse factorial experiment. We assessed physiological and growth responses to these two factors' single and combined effects. Irrigation...

Tree fine roots (<2 mm in diameter) are the primary organs for water acquisition from soil, yet how root traits contribute to water uptake under field conditions is not well established. In this study, we quantified the relationship between root water uptake and root functional traits in natural ...

The least-cost economic theory of photosynthesis shows that water and nitrogen are mutually substitutable resources to achieve a given carbon gain. However, vegetation in the Sahel has to cope with the dual challenge imposed by drought and nutrient-poor soils. We addressed how variation in leaf...

Nitrogen (N) partitioning within a leaf affects leaf photosynthesis and adaptation to environmental fluctuations. However, how plant sex influences leaf N allocation and its tradeoffs in acclimation to drought, excess salt and their combination remains unknown. Here, leaf N allocation between the...

Although the effects of nitrogen deposition on tree water relations are studied extensively, its impact on the relative sensitivities of stomatal and xylem hydraulic conductance to vapor pressure deficit and water potential is still poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of a 7-year ...

With global climate change, atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and drought have been well documented to cause substantial challenges for tropical and subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests. Here, we conducted an experiment that measured the physiological responses of the seedlings of three...

Temperate fruit trees replanted into old orchard sites often grow poorly. A complex assemblage of soil-borne fungal plant pathogens and plant-parasitic nematodes is considered to be the primary cause of replant stress, but on coarse-textured soils restricted availability of water and key nutrients...