Relationships between Growth and Water Relations of Trees

Dear Colleagues,

Tree growth and tree water relationships are intricately linked in many ways. Stomatal regulation is a key process at the crown periphery, where CO₂ uptake is downregulated by an insufficient water supply and thus determines the carbon balance of the tree and, therefore, the availability of resources for growth. Another key process is cell growth, e.g., in the cambium of the trunk, which is directly linked to tree water relations. The theory dates back to the 1960s, when Lockhart¹ described how the turgor threshold of the cambium must be crossed before cell expansion and cell division are promoted. Lockhart’s theory implicitly considers growth not only as a function of the sugar source, but also of the water conditions of the tree, as different environmental conditions can independently determine turgor and C uptake. There is no doubt that there are more relationships between tree growth and water relations. The importance of the underlying mechanisms is of crucial importance to understand when and under what conditions trees grow and when they begin to starve in a changing environment. We therefore call for papers to be submitted as research or review articles that contribute to this topic.

Dr. Roman Zweifel
Dr. Günter Hoch
Dr. Alessio Giovannelli
Guest Editors

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