Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance

Amazon rainforests face intensifying water stress due to increases in vapour pressure deficit and changing hydrological regimes. Embolism resistance (Ψ<sub>50</sub>) is a critical metric of tree survival under drought conditions, it is defined as a plant's capacity to resist disruption of xylem water flow due to air bubble formation from water stress. However, measurements of Ψ<sub>50</sub> are only available for a limited number of Amazon locations and species. Conversely, data on forest taxonomic composition are abundant across Amazonia, and if Ψ<sub>50</sub> is conserved phylogenetically, these data could provide a way to scale-up drought resistance patterns. Here we evaluate Ψ<sub>50</sub> measurements across non-flooded Amazonian tree taxa and reveal a moderate phylogenetic signal, with phylogenetic conservatism evident at the family-level. Notably, Fabaceae is amongst the most embolism-resistant tree families in Amazonia. Leveraging the phylogenetic signal we use species composition and tree size data from 448 forest plots across Amazonia to produce a macroecological assessment of Amazonian vulnerability to embolism. The resulting estimate spatial pattern reveals that forests in the Brazilian and Guiana Shield regions, where Fabaceae abundance is high, show strong resistance to embolism. In contrast, tree communities in Western Amazonia appear more vulnerable to embolism, suggesting a reduced capacity to withstand future drought conditions.

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Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-02-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69892-1
Primary Topic
Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
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article
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article

Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance

Julio Serrano, Renata Teixeira de Oliveira, Rafael Paiva Salomão, Adriane Esquivel‐Muelbert et al.
Nature Communications
Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
article

Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance

Julio Serrano, Renata Teixeira de Oliveira, Rafael Paiva Salomão, Adriane Esquivel‐Muelbert, Jorcely Barroso, Abel Monteagudo‐Mendoza, James A. Comiskey, Vincent Antoine Vos, Beatriz Schwantes Marimon, T. R. Baker, Imma Oliveras Menor, Halina Soares Jancoski, Julia Valentim Tavares, Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira, Lionel Hernández, Michelle Kalamandeen, Miguel N. Alexiades, Antônio C. L. da Costa, Kenneth R. Young, Kalle Ruokolainen, Patrick Meir, João Antônio R. Santos, Carlos A. Salas Yupayccana, Martin L. Gilpin, Paulo S. Morandi, Douglas C. Daly, Guido Pardo-Molina, Eurídice N. Honorio Coronado, Robert Muscarella, Francisco Carvalho Diniz, A. R. Ruschel, Thiago S. F. Silva, Adriana Prieto, Luzmila Arroyo, Hirma Ramírez‐Angulo, Ophelia Wang, María Cristina Peñuela-Mora, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Sophie Fauset, Fernanda Coelho de Souza, S. M. Lewis, Eliana María Jiménez-Rojas, Aurélie Dourdain, Antonio S. Lima, Emilio Vilanova Torre, Ana Cristina Segalin Andrade, Damien Bonal, Luciano Pereira, T. R. Feldpausch, J. Chave, S. Ribeiro, J. L. Camargo, R. Brienen, W. F. Laurance, O. L. Phillips, R. S. A. Silva, N. Pitman, J. Terborgh, P. Bittencourt, Kyle G. Dexter, E. Gloor, W. A. Palacios, D. Neill, S. G. W. Laurance, G. Derroire, B. H. Marimon Junior, D. Galbraith, M. Silveira, Maxime Réjou-Méchain, Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Rodrigo Sierra, Luiz Aragão, Rafael S. Oliveira, Niro Higuchi, Wendeson Castro, Gerardo Aymard, Rocio Rojas, Flor M. Perez-Mullisaca, Manuel J. Marca Zevallos, Martin Acosta, Rodolfo Vásquez Martinez, Maurizio Mencuccini, Edmar Almeida de Oliveira, Esteban Álvarez-Dávila, Lucy Rowland, Carlos Céron, Marina Corrêa Scalon, Caroline Signori-Müller, Yadvinder Malhi, Percy NúñezVargas
article en

Abstract

Amazon rainforests face intensifying water stress due to increases in vapour pressure deficit and changing hydrological regimes. Embolism resistance (Ψ<sub>50</sub>) is a critical metric of tree survival under drought conditions, it is defined as a plant's capacity to resist disruption of xylem water flow due to air bubble formation from water stress. However, measurements of Ψ<sub>50</sub> are only available for a limited number of Amazon locations and species. Conversely, data on forest taxonomic composition are abundant across Amazonia, and if Ψ<sub>50</sub> is conserved phylogenetically, these data could provide a way to scale-up drought resistance patterns. Here we evaluate Ψ<sub>50</sub> measurements across non-flooded Amazonian tree taxa and reveal a moderate phylogenetic signal, with phylogenetic conservatism evident at the family-level. Notably, Fabaceae is amongst the most embolism-resistant tree families in Amazonia. Leveraging the phylogenetic signal we use species composition and tree size data from 448 forest plots across Amazonia to produce a macroecological assessment of Amazonian vulnerability to embolism. The resulting estimate spatial pattern reveals that forests in the Brazilian and Guiana Shield regions, where Fabaceae abundance is high, show strong resistance to embolism. In contrast, tree communities in Western Amazonia appear more vulnerable to embolism, suggesting a reduced capacity to withstand future drought conditions.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 17(1)
Smithsonian Institution (US), Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University (BO), Australian National University (AU), Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ES), University of Stirling (GB), Uppsala University (SE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL), National Park Service (US), University of Leeds (GB), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (FR), Florida Museum of Natural History (US), Universidade Federal do Acre (BR), Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (BR), Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (FR), Central University of Ecuador (EC), Universidade de Brasília (BR), University of Turku (FI), Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (GB), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (BR), National University of San Marcos (PE), Utrecht University (NL), Universität Ulm (DE), Université de Montpellier (FR), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (BR), Northern Arizona University (US), Universidad de Los Andes (VE), Aarhus University (DK), AgroParisTech (FR), University of Exeter (GB), University of Cambridge (GB), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (GB), University of French Guiana (GF), Field Museum of Natural History (US), New York Botanical Garden (US), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (BR), Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia (BR), National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco (PE), Universidad Nacional de Colombia (CO), University of Oxford (GB), Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado (BO), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Universidad Nacional Experimental de Guayana (VE), Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (PE), Silva (FR), Universidad Estatal Amazónica (EC), Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia (BR), Evolution et Diversité Biologique (FR), Forests and Societies (FR), Centre for Research on Ecology and Forestry Applications (ES), Universidad Técnica del Norte (EC), Bregau (Germany) (DE), Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (ES), Universidad Autónoma del Beni (BO), Institut Agro Montpelier (FR), Real Jardín Botánico (ES), Instituto Federal do Acre (BR), Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM (EC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), University College London (GB), Universidade Federal do Paraná (BR), Universidade Federal do Pará (BR), Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PE), Cardiff University (GB), University of Birmingham (GB), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (BR), James Cook University (AU), The University of Texas at Austin (US), University of Plymouth (GB), Université de Lorraine (FR), University of New England (AU), University of Edinburgh (GB)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, National Geographic Society, Aarhus Universitet, Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (COLCIENCIAS), Leverhulme Trust, Royal Society, University of Leeds, European Commission, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Aarhus Universitets Forskningsfond, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Vetenskapsrådet, Uppsala Universitet, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Tecnológica, Natural Environment Research Council
Clean water and sanitation
Openalex Percentile: Top 51%
Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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