Partitioning evapotranspiration of desert plants under different water regimes in the inland Heihe River Basin, Northwestern China

Su, Pengcheng; Li, Shanjia; Zhou, Zijuan; Shi, Rui; Xie, Ting

doi:10.1080/15324982.2015.1061616

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 28 publications

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“…Comparisons within Sedum populations (these include water retention in the substrate as well a canopy) were Sedum spectabile (91% retention), Sedum lineare (91%), mixed Sedum community (88%), Sedum aizoon (83%) and Sedum spurium 'Coccineum' (84%), when rainfall event were light or moderate in intensity (≤ 25 mm rain) (Gong et al 2021). Xerophytes that depend on their survival by capturing what limited rainfall is available in arid climates may have higher interception and retention capabilities as well as better water use compared to urban vegetation (Su et al 2016). A study by Yuan et al (2017) looked at retention by rain gardens and found forb perennials and mown grasses to retain between 14.6 and 16.8 mm (66-76% of rain).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional urban ground-cover plants: identifying traits that promote rainwater retention and dissipation

2023

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Urban vegetation can influence urban hydrology and reduce the risk of flooding. Urban forestry studies have suggested that tree type and species choice affect the amount of rainwater intercepted and retained. Little information exists, however, for other landscape typologies, and the sorts of ground-cover plants that are best used to retain/detain rainwater during storm events. This is important as many urban spaces are too small to facilitate trees, but can accommodate roadside vegetation, buffer strips, rain gardens, green roofs and stormwater planters. Thus, this research aimed to determine how choice of ground-cover taxa affected rainwater interception and retention. Six model species with contrasting leaf morphologies were used to determine how well rainwater was intercepted, but also dissipated through evapotranspiration (ET). A pot-based system was used to determine how plant water balance changed during late summer in the UK, with the aim to understand how leaf traits affected hydrological processes. Plant choice was important, with fine-leaved taxa, Festuca glauca and Dianthus ‘Haytor White’ showing best rainwater interception and Festuca demonstrating highest rates of dissipation from the substrate. Overall, compared to non-planted pots, those with plants present were more effective at capturing water (by 2.3–3.0x), and evapo-transpiring water (by 2.5-4.0x). Results indicate that ground cover vegetation has potential to aid urban water management in those localities where space is limited for trees. Plant choice and community-structure should be considered, especially when there is a desire to dry out soil/substrate quickly and restore maximum soil moisture holding capacity.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%