Cavitation resistance (stem P50) related to
biome and life histories
There was no significant difference in P50 between life
history types (resprouters vs non-sprouters, P = 0.688; broadleaved vs
terete leaves, P = 0.888; Table 2). However, there was a significant
interaction between biome and leaf form for stem P50 (P
= 0.013; Table 2). Broadleaved species in the arid biome were
significantly more drought tolerant than broad and terete leaved species
in the humid biome, whilst broadleaved species in the humid biome were
significantly less drought tolerant than both leaf forms in the arid
biome (Fig 2). Such that drought tolerance increased from the humid
biome broad to terete leaved species then to the arid biome terete to
broad leaved species. No significant interaction between resprouting
ability and biome was detected (Table 2), however non-sprouting and
resprouting species in the arid biome were more drought tolerant than
resprouters in the humid biome (Fig 2).