ecophysiology

Evolutionary relationships between drought-related traits and climate shape large hydraulic safety margins in western North American oaks

[Access the paper here.](http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2008987118) Quantitative knowledge of xylem physical tolerance limits to dehydration is essential to understanding plant drought tolerance but is lacking in many long-vessel angiosperms. We …

Lack of vulnerability segmentation among woody species in a diverse dry sclerophyll woodland community

[Access the paper here.](http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13519) Recent findings suggest that tree mortality and post-drought recovery of gas exchange can be predicted from loss of function within the water transport system. Understanding the …

FLAIR

Developing robust mechanistic frameworks of plant response to the environment

Quantifying losses of plant hydraulic function: seeing the forest, the trees and the xylem

[Access the paper here.](http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpz141)

Leaf traits of African woody savanna species across climate and soil fertility gradients: evidence for conservative versus acquisitive resource-use strategies

[Access the paper here](https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12598) Establishing trade‐offs among traits and the degree to which they covary along environmental gradients has become a key focal point in the effort to develop community ecology into a …

Effects of root competition and soils on seedling establishment at the ecotone between an arid grassland and succulent shrubland in South Africa

[Access the paper here.](https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.12082) Questions: What are the effects of root competition from mature plants and soil type on the survival and growth of dominant grass and succulent shrub seedlings at an ecotonal site between …

Coexistence of a C4 grass and a leaf succulent shrub in an arid ecosystem. The relationship between rooting depth, water and nitrogen

[Access the paper here.](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11104-011-0867-y) Here we aim to demonstrate that in arid environments the competitive balance between species can be determined by niche separation with either nitrogen or water as …