The coordination of dehydration tolerance and avoidance in oaks is mediated by leaf habit across a precipitation gradient

Forests worldwide are increasingly impacted by drought due to climate change, prompting plants to adapt through dehydration tolerance (DT) and avoidance (DA), two distinct physiological strategies. However, how these strategies are coordinated in response to varying precipitation remains unclear. To address this gap, we investigated key hydraulic traits associated with DT and DA in eleven oaks (Quercus spp.) across a broad precipitation gradient (498-1793 mm yr-1) in China. Specifically, we measured three DT traits: water potential at 50% loss of hydraulic conductivity (ΨP50), leaf turgor loss point water potential (ΨTLP), and wood density (WD), as well as four DA traits: water potential at stomatal closure (Ψclose), minimum leaf conductance, branch capacitance, and leaf-to-sapwood area ratio (AL:AS). When analyzed collectively, most traits showed no significant relationship with precipitation or aridity. However, distinct patterns emerged when data were analyzed by leaf habit. In everg..., , # Data from: The coordination of dehydration tolerance and avoidance in oaks is mediated by leaf habit across a precipitation gradient

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.gtht76j1s](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76j1s)

## Description of the data and file structure

### Files and variables

#### File: Oak_DADT.csv

**Description:** This is the hydraulic trait data derived from Liang et al. (2025, Functional Ecology).

##### Variables

* Site: Study sites
* Species: Tree species
* Leaf habit: Leaf habit of tree species
* Latitude: Latitude (°)
* Longitude: Longitude (°)
* DBH: Diameter at breast height (cm)
* Height: Tree height (m)
* Psi_P50: Water potential at 50% loss of xylem conductivity (MPa)
* Psi_close: Water potential at stomatal closure  (MPa)
* Psi_TLP: Water potential at leaf turgor loss point (MPa)
* WD: Wood density (g cm^-3^)
* Cbranch: Branch capacitance (RWC MPa^-1^)
* gmin: Minimum leaf conductance (mmol m^-2^ s^-1^)
* Al:As: Leaf-to-sapwood area ratio (m^2^ cm^-2^)
* MAT:...,