FIGURE 3.

The interacting factors, drivers, mechanisms, and processes that cause coastal forest mortality under increasing seawater exposure. In this schematic, predisposing factors and drivers that occur before inundation (outer spiral) set the stage for subsequent mortality during and after inundation event(s). Pre‐disposing factors include site characteristics such as freshwater access, with drivers such as rising VPD, and mechanisms such as salt toxicity, all contributing to the processes of hydraulic failure and carbon starvation. The order of presentation of factors represents a hypothesis regarding the chronology of mechanisms and impacts. The osmotic phase (Munns & Termaat, 1986) and associated increasing risk of hydraulic failure begins as soon as saline and hypoxic conditions start upon inundation, with the ionic phase requiring more time to manifest as salts accumulate in the crown. Carbon starvation starts initially upon stomatal closure due to the associated reduction in photosynthesis. We note that increasing embolism and stomatal closure typically coincide (Rodriguez‐Dominguez & Brodribb, 2020) but are shown separately for clarity.