Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics

Trees regulate Earth's climate by absorbing carbon dioxide and moving water from soil to atmosphere, but rising temperatures and intensifying droughts are pushing forests toward physiological limits they may not survive. Researchers study how plants control water loss through tiny pores called stomata, how water moves through woody tissue, and at what point these systems fail—leading to tree death and the release of stored carbon back into the atmosphere. Because forests currently absorb roughly a quarter of human carbon emissions, widespread die-offs could fundamentally alter the pace of climate change itself. Open questions center on which forest types are most vulnerable, whether trees can acclimate fast enough to keep pace with changing conditions, and how to incorporate the risk of abrupt mortality events into global climate projections.

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108,447

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3,239,293

Keywords

DroughtTree MortalityClimate ChangeEcosystem ResilienceEvapotranspirationCarbon Balance