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\begin{document}

\title{Grow Wider or Thicker: Variable Response ofWoody Plants to Increasing
Dryness}



\author[1]{Jingyi Ding}%
\author[1]{David Eldridge}%
\author[2]{Samantha Travers}%
\affil[1]{University of New South Wales}%
\affil[2]{University of New South Wales - Randwick Campus}%


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  \date{June 17, 2024}


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\begin{abstract}
Woody plants vary greatly from tall trees to branching shrubs with
increasing dryness. Variations in plant allometry are driven by both
biotic and abiotic factors, reflecting different plant adaption
strategies in different environments. While much is known about the
response of plant functional traits to declining rainfall, less is known
about how aboveground allometry (e.g. canopy size, height, stems,
branching) of woody plants might respond to increasing dryness, limiting
our ability to predict changes in woody plants and associated ecosystem
functions under future climate change scenarios. Here, we explore how
aboveground allometry of different woody genera responds to increasing
dryness at 150 sites long an extensive aridity gradient from humid to
arid areas. We used regression analyses and Structural Equation
Modelling to explore the variation in woody allometry with increasing
aridity, and the abiotic (resource availability) and biotic
(competition) mechanisms driving such changes. Our results showed that
plant height declined, but branching, and canopy width and depth
increased with increasing aridity. Woody responses to dryness varied
among genera, with increasing aridity associated with wider canopies in
Eucalyptus and Callitris, thicker stems in Acacia, but no clear
differences in Allocasuarina. Biotic and abiotic factors exerted
different effects on the allometry of different genera, with Eucalyptus
and Callitris spp. constrained by resource availability, while Acacia
and Allocasuarina spp. were regulated mainly by competition. Our results
highlight the genus-specific responses in allometric changes and driving
mechanisms (resource availability cf. competition) with increasing
dryness. Rather than merely shrinking, plants would allocate resources
to either canopies or stems to cope with increasing dryness. Under
predicted hotter and drier climates, increasing stem or canopy size, and
altering branching might be a useful strategy for woody plants to
compensate for biomass reduction and maintain ecosystem functions while
growing shorter as dryness increases.%
\end{abstract}%



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