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

Tavers, Julia Valentim, Gloor, Emanuel, Silva, Thiago S. F., Oliveira, Rafael S., de Souza, Fernanda Coelho, Signori-Muller, Caroline, Diniz, Fransisco Carvalho, Pereira, Luciano, Acosta, Martin, Gilpin, Martin, Marca Zevallos, Manuel J., Perez-Mullisaca, Flor M., Salas Yupayccana, Carlos A., Jancoski, Halina, Scalon, Marina Correa, Marimon, Beatrix Schwantes, Marimon Junior, Beh Hur, Malhi, Yadvinder, Menor, Imma Oliveras, Rowland, Lucy and Bittencourt, Paulo ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1618-9077 2026. Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance. Nature Communications 17 (1) , 2073. 10.1038/s41467-026-69892-1

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Abstract

Amazon rainforests face intensifying water stress due to increases in vapour pressure deficit and changing hydrological regimes. Embolism resistance (Ψ50) 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 Ψ50 are only available for a limited number of Amazon locations and species. Conversely, data on forest taxonomic composition are abundant across Amazonia, and if Ψ50 is conserved phylogenetically, these data could provide a way to scale-up drought resistance patterns. Here we evaluate Ψ50 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.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Earth and Environmental Sciences
Additional Information:	Full author list can be seen at License information from https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69892-1. Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Type: open-access
Publisher:	Nature Research
ISSN:	2041-1723
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	5 March 2026
Date of Acceptance:	10 February 2026
Last Modified:	05 Mar 2026 10:47
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/185476

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