Leaf anatomical properties in relation to differences in mesophyll conductance to CO(2) and photosynthesis in two related Mediterranean Abies species.

Abies alba and Abies pinsapo are closely related species with the same ribulose 1·5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) large subunit (rbcL) but contrasting hydraulic traits and mesophyll structure occurring in the Iberian Peninsula under contrasting conditions. As photosynthesis and hydraulic capacities often co-scale, we hypothesize that these species differ in mesophyll conductance to CO(2) (g(m) ). g(m) and key anatomical traits were measured in both species. Drought-adapted population of A. pinsapo has higher photosynthesis than the more mesic population of A. alba, in agreement with its higher hydraulic capacity. However, A. alba exhibits the largest stomatal conductance (g(s) ), and so water use efficiency (WUE) is much higher in A. pinsapo. The differences in photosynthesis were explained by differences in g(m) , indicating a correlation between hydraulic capacity and g(m) . We report a case where g(m) is the main factor limiting photosynthesis in one species (A. alba) when compared with the other one (A. pinsapo). The results also highlight the discrepancy between g(m) estimates based on anatomical measurements and those based on gas exchange methods, probably due to the very large resistance exerted by cell walls and the stroma in both species. Thus, the cell wall and chloroplast properties in relation to CO(2) diffusion constitute a near-future research priority.

Hydraulic traits are associated with the distribution range of two closely related Mediterranean firs, Abies alba Mill. and Abies pinsapo Boiss.

Abies alba and Abies pinsapo are two closely related fir species that occur in the Iberian Peninsula under very different environmental conditions. Abies alba proliferates in the humid European mountains, including the Spanish Pyrenees. In contrast, A. pinsapo is a relict species that occurs in some restricted areas of the Mediterranean mountain ranges in Spain and Morocco, which experience intense summer drought periods. To cope with the high atmospheric evaporative demand during summer, A. pinsapo may either have a high resistance to xylem cavitation or develop a very efficient conducting system to reduce the soil-to-leaf water potential gradient. To investigate such hypotheses, we measured (i) the xylem vulnerability to cavitation for different populations, and (ii) several anatomical and hydraulic parameters indicating xylem sufficiency for -supplying water to the shoot in two contrasting populations of both species. Our results show that the resistance to cavitation was not different between species or populations. However, hydraulic conductivity (K(h)), specific hydraulic conductivity (K(s)), leaf-specific conductivity (LSC) and whole-shoot hydraulic conductance (K(shoot)) were higher in A. pinsapo, indicating a higher efficiency of water transport, which should contribute to maintaining its xylem tension below the threshold for rapidly increasing cavitation. The higher K(s) in A. pinsapo was largely a result of its wider tracheids, suggesting that this species may be much more vulnerable to freeze-thaw-induced cavitation than A. alba. This is consistent with the absence of A. pinsapo in northern mountain ranges with cooler winters. These physiological differences could partly explain the niche segregation and the geographical separation of these two firs.