Exploring the Influence of Biological Traits and Environmental Drivers on Water Use Variations across Contrasting Forests

Understanding species-specific water use patterns across contrasting sites and how sensitivity of responses to environmental variables changes for different species is critical for evaluating potential forest dynamics and land use changes under global change. To quantify water use patterns and the sensitivity of tree transpiration to environmental drivers among sites and species, sap flow and meteorological data sets from three contrasting climatic zones were combined and compared in this analysis. Agathis australis from NZHP site, Schima wallichii Choisy (native) and Acacia mangium Willd (exotic) from CHS site, Liquidamber formosana Hance, Quercus variabilis Blume and Quercus acutissima Carruth from CJGS site were the dominant trees chosen as our study species. Biological traits were collected to explain the underlying physiological mechanisms for water use variation. Results showed that the strongest environmental drivers of sap flow were photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and temperature across sites, indicating that the response of water use to abiotic drivers converged across sites. Water use magnitude was site specific, which was controlled by site characteristics, species composition and local weather conditions. The species with higher sap flow density (Fd) generally had greater stomatal conductance. Native deciduous broadleaved species had a higher Fd and faster response to stomatal regulation than that of native evergreen broadleaved species (S. wallichii) and conifer species A. australis. The analysis also showed that exotic species (A. mangium) consumed more water than native species (S. wallichii). Trees with diffuse porous and lower wood density had relatively higher Fd for angiosperms, suggesting that water use was regulated by physiological differences. Water use characteristics across sites are controlled by both external factors such as site-specific characteristics (local environmental conditions and species composition) and internal factors such as biological traits (xylem anatomy, root biomass and leaf area), which highlights the complexity of quantifying land water budgets for areas covered by different species.

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Sap velocity as an indicator of diurnal and long-term hydraulic resistance changes in mature ‘Walker’ hybrid poplar treesThis article is one of a selection of papers published in the Special Issue on Poplar Research in Canada.

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b07-030 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 85 (11) ◽

pp. 1033-1041 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. Kort ◽

T.J. Blake

Keyword(s):

Water Potential ◽

Hydraulic Resistance ◽

Water Use ◽

Sap Flow ◽

Hybrid Poplar ◽

Thermal Dissipation ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Poplar Trees ◽

Water Use Patterns

Hydraulic resistance directly limits sap flow in trees so that understanding water-use patterns in poplar trees requires knowledge about diurnal and long-term changes in resistances in the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum. Granier thermal dissipation probes were used for continuous measurements of sap velocity (V) changes over time and whole-tree water-use patterns in the main stems of ‘Walker’ hybrid poplar trees. When atmospheric demand was low, V depended only on solar radiation (Rg) and vapour pressure difference (VPD). However, on warm, sunny days, midday V decreased, despite a constant leaf water potential (Ψl) of –1.5 MPa. Because bulk soil water potential (Ψs) did not change significantly, the constant Ψl implied that the water potential difference (ΔΨ) remained diurnally constant. Although stomatal control would explain changes in V when VPD was low, an increase in hydraulic resistance was required to explain the decrease in V when VPD was high. Xylem cavitation was ruled out as a cause because the apparent increase in resistance reversed in late afternoon, while VPD was still high. Mid-August irrigation immediately increased daily V, which was attributed to a change in ΔΨ because of less negative Ψs. A gradual increase in sap flow over two weeks following irrigation implied a decrease in plant hydraulic resistance, most likely attributable to new root growth. It was concluded that hydraulic resistance changes, both diurnal and in the longer term, occurred primarily at the rhizosphere or root level.

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Dry season water use patterns underGuiera senegalensisL. shrubs in a tropical savanna

Journal of Arid Environments ◽

10.1006/jare.1998.0435 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 40 (1) ◽

pp. 53-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Stephen R Gaze ◽

Joost Brouwer ◽

Lester P Simmonds ◽

John Bromley

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Dry Season ◽

Tropical Savanna ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Water Use Patterns

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Water-use patterns of tall fescue and hybrid bluegrass cultivars subjected to ET-based irrigation scheduling

Irrigation Science ◽

10.1007/s00271-009-0153-4 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 27 (5) ◽

pp. 377-391 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Leonard J. M. Githinji ◽

Jacob H. Dane ◽

Robert H. Walker

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Tall Fescue ◽

Irrigation Scheduling ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Water Use Patterns

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Water Use Patterns of Sympatric Przewalski’s Horse and Khulan: Interspecific Comparison Reveals Niche Differences

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0132094 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. e0132094 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Yongjun Zhang ◽

Qing S. Cao ◽

Daniel I. Rubenstein ◽

Sen Zang ◽

Melissa Songer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Interspecific Comparison ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Niche Differences ◽

Water Use Patterns ◽

Przewalski's Horse ◽

Przewalski’S Horse

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Water use patterns for a typical afforested shrub among topographic positions in an alpine desert of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau using stable isotopes tracers

Acta Ecologica Sinica ◽

10.5846/stxb202007131821 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 41 (15) ◽

Author(s):

田丽慧，汪海娇，张登山，王俏雨，刘蕊娜 TIAN Lihui

Keyword(s):

Stable Isotopes ◽

Water Use ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Topographic Positions ◽

Water Use Patterns ◽

Qinghai Tibet Plateau

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Root System and Water Use Patterns of Different Height Sunflower Cultivars

Agronomy Journal ◽

10.2134/agronj2002.0136 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 94 (1) ◽

pp. 136 ◽

Cited By ~ 43

Author(s):

Sangamesh V. Angadi ◽

Martin H. Entz

Keyword(s):

Root System ◽

Water Use ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Water Use Patterns

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Functional Differences in Water-Use Patterns of Contrasting Life Forms in Great Basin Steppelands

Vadose Zone Journal ◽

10.2136/vzj2010.0022 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 548-560 ◽

Cited By ~ 56

Author(s):

Ronald J. Ryel ◽

A. Joshua Leffler ◽

Carolyn Ivans ◽

Michael S. Peek ◽

Martyn M. Caldwell

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Great Basin ◽

Life Forms ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Functional Differences ◽

Water Use Patterns

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Stand-Level Transpiration Increases after Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) Encroachment into the Midstory of Oak Forests

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11090901 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 901 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Patricia R. Torquato ◽

Rodney E. Will ◽

Bo Zhang ◽

Chris B. Zou

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Sap Flow ◽

Structural Equation ◽

Mixed Forest ◽

Flow Density ◽

Juniperus Virginiana ◽

Cross Timbers ◽

Eastern Redcedar ◽

Mixed Species ◽

Mixed Stands

Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L., redcedar) encroachment is transitioning the oak-dominated Cross-Timbers of the southern Great Plain of the USA into mixed-species forests. However, it remains unknown how the re-assemblage of tree species in a semiarid to sub-humid climate affects species-specific water use and competition, and ultimately the ecosystem-level water budget. We selected three sites representative of oak, redcedar, and oak and redcedar mixed stands with a similar total basal area (BA) in a Cross-Timbers forest near Stillwater, Oklahoma. Sap flow sensors were installed in a subset of trees in each stand representing the distribution of diameter at breast height (DBH). Sap flow of each selected tree was continuously monitored over a period of 20 months, encompassing two growing seasons between May 2017 and December 2018. Results showed that the mean sap flow density (Sd) of redcedar was usually higher than post oaks (Quercus stellata Wangenh.). A structural equation model showed a significant correlation between Sd and shallow soil moisture for redcedar but not for post oak. At the stand level, the annual water use of the mixed species stand was greater than the redcedar or oak stand of similar total BA. The transition of oak-dominated Cross-Timbers to redcedar and oak mixed forest will increase stand-level transpiration, potentially reducing the water available for runoff or recharge to groundwater.

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Seasonal water use patterns of semi-arid plants in China

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc2013-034 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 89 (02) ◽

pp. 169-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Guodong Jia ◽

Xinxiao Yu ◽

Wenping Deng

Keyword(s):

Water Use ◽

Seasonal Changes ◽

Water Sources ◽

Plant Water ◽

Seasonally Dry ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Water Use Patterns ◽

Plant Water Sources ◽

Semi Arid

Water sources of woody plants in semi-arid or seasonally dry areas of China are little known. This study investigated the differences in water sources for plants due to seasonal changes (wet/transitional and dry seasons) in semi-arid areas. Stable isotope techniques were applied to determine plant water sources in different seasons. The results show that there is generally a switch of water sources from shallow depths in the rainy season to lower depths in the dry season. This study highlights how seasonal changes in climate in semi-arid China affect plant water uptake and suggests that further study with replicated systematic experiments are needed to better understand the responses in water use patterns to changes in environmental conditions in drought-prone areas.

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