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- Title
Environmental effects on stem water deficit in co-occurring conifers exposed to soil dryness.
- Authors
Oberhuber, Walter; Kofler, Werner; Schuster, Roman; Wieser, Gerhard
- Abstract
We monitored dynamics of stem water deficit (Δ W) and needle water potential ( Ψ) during two consecutive growing seasons (2011 and 2012) in a dry inner Alpine environment (750 m above sea level, Tyrol, Austria), where Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Larix decidua form mixed stands. Δ W was extracted from stem circumference variations, which were continuously recorded by electronic band dendrometers (six trees per species) and correlations with environmental variables were performed. Results revealed that (i) Δ W reached highest and lowest values in P. abies and L. decidua, respectively, while mean minimum water potential ( Ψ) amounted to −3.0 MPa in L. decidua and −1.8 MPa in P. abies and P. sylvestris. (ii) Δ W and Ψ were significantly correlated in P. abies ( r = 0.630; P = 0.038) and L. decidua ( r = 0.646; P = 0.032). (iii) In all species, Δ W reached highest values in late summer and was most closely related to temperature ( P < 0.001). Results indicate that all species were undergoing water limitations as measured by increasing Δ W throughout the growing season, whereby P. abies most strongly drew upon water reserves in the living tissues of the bark. Quite similar Δ W developed in drought-sensitive L. decidua and drought-tolerant P. sylvestris indicate that various water storage locations are depleted in species showing different strategies of water status regulation, i.e. anisohydric vs. isohydric behavior, respectively, and/or water uptake efficiency differs among these species. Close coupling of Δ W to temperature suggests that climate warming affects plant water status through its effect on atmospheric demand for moisture.
- Subjects
WATER &; the environment; CONIFERS; SOIL drying; SEA level; CLIMATE change; PLANT-water relationships; MOISTURE
- Publication
International Journal of Biometeorology, 2015, Vol 59, Issue 4, p417
- ISSN
0020-7128
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s00484-014-0853-1