XYLOMORPH

Image: Xylem anatomical traits and relationship to physiology. A scan of a tree core (bottom), tracheids within one tree ring (middle), and lumen (pink) and cell wall (yellow) of a single tracheid (top). The lumen area relates to the hydraulic traits while the wall thickness relates to the structural traits of the xylem. Magnified photo courtesy of M. Carrer.

Spatial quantitative wood anatomy and climate

Wood anatomical traits dictate the drought resilience, productivity, and mortality risks of trees. With increased droughts and heatwaves, it is critical to understand how vulnerable trees will be to future climates and which trees are most susceptible to these changes. 

The funded project, XYLOMORPH, aims to understand the sensitivity and plasticity of wood anatomical traits to climate across spatial scales and throughout time. This project will answer 2 questions: 1) How do wood anatomical traits change with climate within a year? 2) How does the climate sensitivity of anatomical traits vary across the climatic gradient of a species range and across years?

 XYLOMORPH will utilize novel imaging techniques and analytical tools which will give unpresented insights into how climate affects wood structure and will be an essential component of future models of forest responses to climate change. 

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