Indirect evidence for genetic differentiation in vulnerability to embolism in pinus halepensis

David-Schwartz, R., Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon LeZion, Israel
Paudel, I., Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Volcani Center Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon LeZion, Israel
Mizrachi, M., Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon LeZion, Israel
Delzon, S., BIOGECO, INRA, Université de Bordeaux, Cestas, France
Cochard, H., PIAF, INRA, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
Lukyanov, V., Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Volcani Center Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon LeZion, Israel
Badel, E., PIAF, INRA, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
Capdeville, G., BIOGECO, INRA, Université de Bordeaux, Cestas, France
Shklar, G., Institute of Plant Sciences, Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon LeZion, Israel
Cohen, S., Institute of Soil, Water and Environmental Sciences, Volcani Center Agricultural Research Organization, Rishon LeZion, Israel

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Abstract: 

Climate change is increasing mean temperatures and in the eastern Mediterranean is expected to decrease annual precipitation. The resulting increase in aridity may be too rapid for adaptation of tree species unless their gene pool already possesses variation in drought resistance. Vulnerability to embolism, estimated by the pressure inducing 50% loss of xylem hydraulic conductivity (P50), is strongly associated with drought stress resistance in trees. Yet, previous studies on various tree species reported low intraspecific genetic variation for this trait, and therefore limited adaptive capacities to increasing aridity. Here we quantified differences in hydraulic efficiency (xylem hydraulic conductance) and safety (resistance to embolism) in four contrasting provenances of Pinus halepensis (Aleppo pine) in a provenance trial, which is indirect evidence for genetic differences. Results obtained with three techniques (bench dehydration, centrifugation and X-ray micro-CT) evidenced significant differentiation with similar ranking between provenances. Inter-provenance variation in P50 correlated with pit anatomical properties (torus overlap and pit aperture size). These results suggest that adaptation of P. halepensis to xeric habitats has been accompanied by modifications of bordered pit function driven by variation in pit aperture. This study thus provides evidence that appropriate exploitation of provenance differences will allow continued forestry with P. halepensis in future climates of the Eastern Mediterranean. © 2016 David-Schwartz, Paudel, Mizrachi, Delzon, Cochard, Lukyanov, Badel, Capdeville, Shklar and Cohen.