Determining deep root water uptake patterns with tree age in the Chinese loess area

Tao, Ze; Neil, Eric; Cheng, Bing

doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106810

Cited by 41 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…rhamnoides , Beech ), which reduces the fraction of water uptake by regulating stomates under drought conditions (Brinkmann et al., 2019; Gessler et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2019). Our results about water use strategy can be further confirmed by previous studies about root systems of apple trees, which found that old apple trees had the maximum roots depth of 23 m and 80% of fine root length density were distributed in deep soils below 2 m (Li, Si, Wu, & McDonnell, 2018; Tao, Neil, & Si, 2021). This further indicated that old apple trees with deep roots extracted more water from deep soils related to young trees with shallow roots.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…The water use strategies of apple trees may be related to both phonologies and precipitation. Specifically, apple trees require little water to meet the growth at the beginning of growing season (May to July) because of the small leaf area index (Tao, Neil, & Si, 2021), but they need more water to meet high water‐consumption for transpiration and photosynthesis in August to October because of increasing leaf area, vapor pressure deficit and photosynthesis (Anderson‐Teixeira et al., 2022; Flo et al., 2021; Lanning et al., 2020). In addition, the magnitude of water absorbed from shallow (0–2 m) or deep soil layers below 2 m may be related to precipitation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Partitioned Soil Water Balance and Its Link With Water Uptake Strategy Under Apple Trees in the Loess‐Covered Region

Shi

Gai

2022

Water Resources Research

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It is important, but challenging, to partition soil water balance (SWB) to understand the impacts of afforestation on soil hydrological processes. This study will investigate the partitioning of SWB by combining stable and radioactive water isotopes to quantify the effects of afforestation, and analyze the mechanism by which SWB changes through identifying the water uptake strategies of apple trees of 18 and 26 years old (A18 and A26). Compared to the reference farmland, apple orchards significantly increased evapotranspiration (ET) by 5%–10%, which in turn decreased soil water storage and deep drainage by 5%–14% and 50%–95%, respectively. Further, the partitioning of ET showed that apple tree planting increased transpiration by 15%–28% but decreased evaporation by 17%–30%. The above change in SWB appeared to be closely related to plant water uptake strategies. The apple trees shifted their water source from shallow (0–2 m) to deep soils (below 2 m), utilizing approximately 62% of deep soil water in the late growing season. In particular, 23% of source water may come from soil water older than 50 years. The older apple trees tended to extract more water from deeper soils (45% for A26 vs. 38% for A18). Therefore, the soil water deficit was the cumulative effects of root water uptake. The methods for SWB partitioning provides technical support for similar studies, and the findings are helpful to better understand the hydrological processes in the thick loess deposition.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Partitioned Soil Water Balance and Its Link With Water Uptake Strategy Under Apple Trees in the Loess‐Covered Region

Shi

Gai

2022

Water Resources Research

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“…Prior rooting studies using water isotopic evidence focus heavily on individuals of a single species in controlled settings (Nehemy et al, 2021;Seeger & Weiler, 2021;Vargas et al, 2017) or the responses of multiple individuals of a species in mixed-species plots across environmental gradients (Brinkmann et al, 2018;Evaristo et al, 2019;Knighton, Souter-Kline, et al, 2019;Link et al, 2014;Volkmann et al, 2016). Studies of age-varied rooting strategies suggest that the depth of water uptake increases with tree age, possibly related to increasing maximum rooting depths with tree growth (Song et al, 2018;Tao et al, 2021;Wu et al, 2019). Within-species variations in age, size, and topographic position are likely critical considerations given the close relationship with plant rooting depth and physiological function (Gaines et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Water Use Strategy of Riparian Conifers Varies with Tree Size and Depends on Coordination of Water Uptake Depth and Internal Tree Water Storage

Knighton

2022

Preprint

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Abstract. Trees employ mechanisms to maintain safe xylem water transport including variations in trunk water storage and the depth of root water uptake. We tested the hypotheses that 1) trunk water storage is correlated with root water uptake in Eastern hemlock, 2) and that water use strategy varies with tree size. High spatiotemporal sampling of soil and hemlock xylem (30 trees) water isotopic ratios (2H, 18O) and tree tissue Relative Water Content (RWC) was conducted across seven months. Hemlock accessing more evaporatively enriched water from shallow soils stored less water within their trunks during dry periods, and more during wet periods. Soil and xylem water isotopic compositions revealed older and lower elevation hemlock primarily sourced water uptake from the upper 10 cm of soils, whereas younger and higher elevation trees sourced some water uptake from deeper soil layers. Larger diameter hemlock showed significant temporal changes in trunk RWC. In contrast, smaller diameter trees exhibited more temporally stable RWC. Observed species-level heterogeneity in xylem water isotope composition suggests the need for reporting of tree ages and a standardization of field sampling protocols to support our understanding of tree water use strategies. Our results inform the development of plant hydraulic strategies in ecohydrological- and terrestrial biosphere-models to understand forest responses to external stressors.

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“…These strategies depend on the upper (i.e., climate) and lower (i.e., soil and geological) boundary conditions (Fan et al, 2017). If geological conditions allow for the formation of deep soils (e.g., Amazon basin, Loess Plateau), the roots access deep groundwater, which is very important for surviving extended dry periods (Chitra-Tarak et al, 2021;Tao et al, 2021). On the other hand, when soils are shallow and less developed, the trees must thrive by accessing additional water pockets in the weathered bedrock.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the role of bedrock representation on plant transpiration response during dry periods at four forested sites in Europe

2022

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Abstract. Forest transpiration is controlled by the atmospheric water demand, potentially constrained by soil moisture availability, and regulated by plant physiological properties. During summer periods, soil moisture availability at sites with thin soils can be limited, forcing the plants to access moisture stored in the weathered bedrock. Land surface models (LSMs) have considerably evolved in the description of the physical processes related to vegetation water use, but the effects of bedrock position and water uptake from fractured bedrock have not received much attention. In this study, the Community Land Model version 5.0 (CLM 5) is implemented at four forested sites with relatively shallow bedrock and located across an environmental gradient in Europe. Three different bedrock configurations (i.e., default, deeper, and fractured) are applied to evaluate if the omission of water uptake from weathered bedrock could explain some model deficiencies with respect to the simulation of seasonal transpiration patterns. Sap flow measurements are used to benchmark the response of these three bedrock configurations. It was found that the simulated transpiration response of the default model configuration is strongly limited by soil moisture availability at sites with extended dry seasons. Under these climate conditions, the implementation of an alternative (i.e., deeper and fractured) bedrock configuration resulted in a better agreement between modeled and measured transpiration. At the site with a continental climate, the default model configuration accurately reproduced the magnitude and temporal patterns of the measured transpiration. The implementation of the alternative bedrock configurations at this site provided more realistic water potentials in plant tissues but negatively affected the modeled transpiration during the summer period. Finally, all three bedrock configurations did not show differences in terms of water potentials, fluxes, and performances on the more northern and colder site exhibiting a transition between oceanic and continental climate. Model performances at this site are low, with a clear overestimation of transpiration compared to sap flow data. The results of this study call for increased efforts into better representing lithological controls on plant water uptake in LSMs.

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Determining deep root water uptake patterns with tree age in the Chinese loess area

Cited by 41 publications

References 63 publications

Partitioned Soil Water Balance and Its Link With Water Uptake Strategy Under Apple Trees in the Loess‐Covered Region

Partitioned Soil Water Balance and Its Link With Water Uptake Strategy Under Apple Trees in the Loess‐Covered Region

Water Use Strategy of Riparian Conifers Varies with Tree Size and Depends on Coordination of Water Uptake Depth and Internal Tree Water Storage

Exploring the role of bedrock representation on plant transpiration response during dry periods at four forested sites in Europe

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