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Andraczek, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Andraczek, K..

2 recordsLinked to original sources
bioRxiv2024

Functional traits explain growth resistance to successive hotter droughts across a wide set of common and future tree species in Europe

O_LIIn many regions worldwide, forests suffer from climate change-induced droughts. The hotter drought in Europe in 2018 with the consecutive drought years 2019 and 2020 caused large-scale growth declines and forest dieback. We investigated if tree growth responses to the 2018-2020 drought can be explained by tree functional traits related to drought tolerance, growth, and resource acquisition. C_LIO_LIWe assessed growth resistance, that is, growth during drought compared to pre-drought-conditions, in 71 planted tree species using branch shoot increments. We leveraged gap-filled trait data related to drought tolerance (P50, stomata density and conductivity), growth and resource acquisition (SLA, LNC, C:N, Amax) and wood density from the TRY database to explain growth resistance for gymnosperms and angiosperms. C_LIO_LIWe found significantly reduced growth during drought across all species. Legacy effects further decreased growth resistance in 2019 and 2020. Gymnosperms showed decreasing growth resistance with increasing P50 and acquisitiveness, such as high SLA, LNC, and Amax. Similar results were found for angiosperms, however, with less clear pattern. Four distinct response types emerged: Sufferer, Late sufferer, Recoverer and Resisters, with gymnosperms predominately falling into the Sufferer and Late sufferer categories. C_LIO_LIOur study provides evidence for significant growth reductions and legacy effects in response to consecutive hotter droughts, which can be explained by functional traits across a wide set of tree species. The a posteriori classification into response types revealed the diversity of temporal responses to a prolonged drought. We conclude that high drought tolerance bolsters growth resistance, while acquisitive species suffer stronger under drought. C_LI

ecology↗
bioRxiv2024

Body size is a better predictor of intra- than interspecific variation of animal stoichiometry across realms

Animal stoichiometry affects fundamental processes ranging from organismal physiology to global element cycles. However, it is unknown whether animal stoichiometry follows predictable scaling relationships with body mass and whether adaptation to life on land or water constrains patterns of elemental allocation. To test both interspecific and intraspecific body-size scaling relationships of the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and N:P content of animals, we used a subset of the StoichLife database encompassing 9,933 individual animals (vertebrates and invertebrates) belonging to 1,543 species spanning 10 orders of magnitude of body size from terrestrial, freshwater, and marine realms. Across species, body mass did not explain much variation in %N and %P composition, although the %P of invertebrates decreased with size. The effects of body size on species elemental content were small in comparison to the effects of taxonomy. Body size was a better predictor of intraspecific than interspecific elemental patterns. Between 42 to 45% in intraspecific stoichiometric variation was explained by body size for 27% of vertebrate species and 35% of invertebrate species. Further, differences between organisms inhabiting aquatic and terrestrial realms were observed only in invertebrate interspecific %N, suggesting that the realm does not play an important role in determining elemental allocation of animals. Based on our analysis of the most comprehensive animal stoichiometry database, we conclude that (i) both body size and realm are relatively weak predictors of animal stoichiometry across taxa, and (ii) body size is a good predictor of intraspecific variation in animal elemental content, which is consistent with tissue-scaling relationships that hold broadly across large groups of animals. This research reveals a lack of general scaling patterns in the elemental content across animals and instead points to a large variation in scaling relationships within and among lineages.

ecology↗