Hydraulic control on water use, growth and survival in tropical rainforest

该项目旨在测量澳大利亚热带雨林树木木质部组织中与干旱有关的水分运输限制，以了解这如何影响树木的水分利用、光合作用、健康和死亡风险。热带雨林对气候变化，特别是干旱很敏感，但是人们对这种敏感性知之甚少，尽管在区域和全球都有很大的影响。该项目将比较在季节性干旱压力下对比强烈的森林，并利用这些信息开发一个为物种多样化森林设计的模型，并随后可能在全球应用。所获得的了解将使广泛适用的进展能够迅速转化为区域和全球规模的模式，为土地利用、经济和社会决策提供信息。

This project aims to measure drought-related limits to water transport in the woody xylem tissue of trees in Australian tropical rainforests, to understand how this influences tree water use, photosynthesis, health and mortality risk. Tropical rainforests are sensitive to climate variability, especially drought, but this sensitivity is poorly understood, despite large effects regionally and globally. This project will compare forests that contrast strongly in seasonal drought stress, and use the information to develop a model designed for species-diverse forest, with subsequent potential global application. The understanding gained will enable widely applicable advances designed to feed through rapidly to regional- and global-scale models that inform land use, economic and social policy-making.