Daytime stomatal regulation in mature temperate trees prioritizes stem rehydration at night

Trees remain sufficiently hydrated during drought by closing stomata and reducing canopy conductance (G; c; ) in response to variations in atmospheric water demand and soil water availability. Thresholds that control the reduction of G; c; are proposed to optimize hydraulic safety against carbon assimilation efficiency. However, the link between G; c; and the ability of stem tissues to rehydrate at night remains unclear. We investigated whether species-specific G; c; responses aim to prevent branch embolisms, or enable night-time stem rehydration, which is critical for turgor-dependent growth. For this, we used a unique combination of concurrent dendrometer, sap flow and leaf water potential measurements and collected branch-vulnerability curves of six common European tree species. Species-specific G; c; reduction was weakly related to the water potentials at which 50% of branch xylem conductivity is lost (P; 50; ). Instead, we found a stronger relationship with stem rehydration. Species with a stronger G; c; control were less effective at refilling stem-water storage as the soil dries, which appeared related to their xylem architecture. Our findings highlight the importance of stem rehydration for water-use regulation in mature trees, which likely relates to the maintenance of adequate stem turgor. We thus conclude that stem rehydration must complement the widely accepted safety-efficiency stomatal control paradigm.