As the world warms, a new study is helping scientists understand how cone-bearing trees like pines and junipers may respond to drought.
As the world warms, a new study is helping scientists understand how cone-bearing trees like pines and junipers may respond to drought.
The research addresses a classic question in the field: When conditions are dry for long periods of time, do trees survive by growing new roots to tap water sources, or by relying on established roots that already go deep?
The answer, at least for some cone-bearing trees, known as conifers, may be the latter, says Scott Mackay, PhD, professor of geography in the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences. Mackay is an expert in ecohydrology and how trees take up water.
In the new study, he led a team that used computational modeling to investigate how pines and junipers access water sources during prolonged dry spells.
Read more at University at Buffalo
Image: Scientists employed computer modeling to study how conifers tap into water sources during drought. As part of the research, the team compared the behavior of modeled trees to that of real trees at the Los Alamos Survival-Mortality experiment site (pictured), where trees underwent drought and heat treatments. Credit: Charlotte Grossiord
