Soil and atmospheric water deficits and the distribution of New Zealand's indigenous tree species

Summary 1. An extensive data set describing the composition of New Zealand’s remaining indigenous forests was used to estimate the degree of correlation between measures of both soil and atmospheric water deficit and the distribution of common tree species. 2. For most species, regression models incorporating measures of air saturation deficit in early autumn, as well as an annual integral of root zone water deficit, provided the best explanation of spatial distribution. This accords strongly with the mechanistic effects of air saturation deficits on transpiration from trees, and the hydraulic risks experienced by trees under high evaporative demand. 3. Adjustment of root zone water deficits to account for reductions in rainfall in dry years substantially improved model predictions. This suggests that extreme climatic events, such as the El Nino phase of the Southern Oscillation, are likely to have strongly influenced the historic composition of forests in New Zealand’s drier eastern lowlands.

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