Drought-Induced Dieback Emerges From Microsite-Driven Functional Divergence in European Beech.

Long-term drought-induced decline in rear-edge Fagus sylvatica is linked to microsite-driven functional divergence, with vulnerability differences detectable decades before growth trajectories diverged.

• Why it matters: Neighbouring trees can show contrasting dieback under the same climatic extremes, but the mechanisms behind these delayed, divergent decline paths remain unclear.
• What they did: The study integrated dendroecology, wood anatomy, stable isotopes, leaf physiology, fine-root traits, and soil fungal community analyses to compare trees on deeper versus shallower soils and under different local competition.
• The result: After a critical drought-frost event in 1995, declining trees failed to recover and entered a self-reinforcing cascade (crown dieback, reduced carbon assimilation, constrained growth, and weaker carbon allocation to ectomycorrhizal fungi).

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