That means:
• There is no single hydro-functional strategy that always leads to more growth — in drought and non-drought years ⚖️
• Planting tree mixtures with distinct hydro-functional strategies can potentially help forests withstand future droughts 🌳💧

We analysed tree growth in the #MyDiv experiment (Germany) from 2016-2021 and measured 14 hydro-functional #traits of 10 #tree species to see how drought, a tree’s hydro-functional traits, and trait differences with neighbours affect growth.

Busy making needle imprints and diving into stomatal worlds under the microscope 🔬🌲
Measuring stomatal size and density — still amazed by the incredible variation, even among conifers!
#ARBOfun #stomata #conifer #drought #forest

Into the canopy for tiny pores 🌲🔎
We sampled needles from 12 #conifer species at the arboretum #ARBOfun to study stomatal density and size. Looking forward to the lab work & to uncovering what these traits can reveal about tree drought responses in a changing climate. #stomata #drought #forest