This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A new study published in the journal Nature reveals that conifers planted outside their native range in the Southern Hemisphere not only grow up to four times faster than those in the Northern Hemisphere but also show greater resistance and resilience to drought. The finding challenges one of the most deeply rooted ideas in plant ecology: that plants that grow rapidly generally have a lower capacity to tolerate water stress.
The research was led by Dr. Alex Fajardo, a researcher at the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) and a professor at the University of Talca, together with Dr. Piper (IEB, University of Talca) and Dr.
Claudia Reyes-Bahamonde (LiLi Millennium Nucleus, University of Talca), with the collaboration of a network of researchers from 10 countries. To study how these exotic species respond to environmental conditions outside their natural range, the team analyzed the growth rings of nine conifer species from the Pinaceae family, all native to the Northern Hemisphere. These included radiata pine, ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine and Scots pine.
The researchers analyzed 192 sites distributed across the Americas, Europe, Africa and Oceania, including Chile. In Chile, the researchers conducted sampling in the central part of the country, particularly in the Maule and Ñuble regions, and in the southern part of the country, around Coyhaique. Meanwhile, collaborators in the United States, Canada and Europe conducted sampling in natural populations of the same pine species.
At these sites, increment cores were extracted from the trees to determine annual growth-ring widths, which are closely related to climate. In the Southern Hemisphere, particularly in Chile, Argentina and New Zealand, increment cores were also extracted from trees of Nothofagus species growing adjacent to pine plantations. The overall results showed a marked difference.
Exotic conifers reached growth rates up to four times higher than those of populations in the Northern Hemisphere. But the most striking finding was that this accelerated growth was not accompanied by lower drought tolerance, as would be expected. On the contrary, populations in the Southern Hemisphere showed greater resistance and resilience during dry periods.
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