Seedling growth of Acacia tortilis and Faidherbia albida in response to simulated groundwater tables

Stave, Jørn; Oba, Gufu; Eriksen, Aud Berglen; Nordal, Inger; Stenseth, Nils Chr.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2005.03.023

Cited by 25 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…The notion that the roots of phreatophytic plants are able to extend at such a rate is supported in the literature. Stave et al (2005) found that Faidherbia albida seedlings survived a water table declining at a rate of 5 cm day -1 . Similarly, Kranjcec et al (1998) reported that Populus balsamifera maintains contact with a water table declining at 4 cm day -1 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the relationship between rates of root elongation and habitat preference is not clearly defined. Slow root elongation has been shown for mesic species that occupy habitats with high water availability across a range of semi-arid ecosystems (Booth et al 1990;Richards et al 1995;Stave et al 2005). Conversely, faster root elongation rates have been associated with high rainfall environments when compared across rainfall gradients (Nicotra et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the roots of phreatophytic Banksia trees maintained contact with the water table despite a seasonal water table decline of 0.38 cm day -1 in sandy soils of south-western Australia (Canham 2011;Canham et al 2012). Phreatophytes have also been shown to survive artificially rapid rates of water table decline in glasshouse experiments, with plants surviving water table declines of between 1 and 5 cm day -1 (Mahoney and Rood 1991;Kranjcec et al 1998;Horton and Clark 2001;Stave et al 2005;Imada et al 2010;Gonzalez et al 2010). Conversely, if the rate of water table decline exceeds the capacity for plants to adjust physiologically, water stress symptoms including reduced photosynthesis and transpiration, branch dieback and eventually plant death become evident Groom et al 2000;Sperry and Hacke 2002;Cooper et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rapid root elongation by phreatophyte seedlings does not imply tolerance of water table decline

Canham

Froend

Stock

2015

Trees

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Key message Despite high rates of root elongation during phreatophyte establishment, once connection to groundwater has occurred and leaf area develops, seedlings demonstrate limited capacity for root elongation in response to groundwater decline. Abstract In a water-limited environment, rapid root elongation immediately after germination can be critical for a plant to reach deeper water sources such as a water table to avoid water deficit stress. However, once plants have accessed a water table, their continued survival may depend on their ability to adapt their root distribution to changes in the depth to a water table. In glasshouse experiments using two Banksia species with contrasting water requirements, we investigated (1) the rate of root elongation by young seedlings in the presence of a shallow water table, and (2) whole plant response to rapid water table decline using older seedlings that had established root contact with a water table. The results of the first experiment agree with the hypothesis that the facultative phreatophyte, B. attenuata, has a faster rate of root elongation than the obligate phreatophyte, B. littoralis. These differences are likely related to the contrasting habitat preferences of the two species. Older seedlings in the second experiment demonstrated a water-saving response to a declining water table, rapidly closing stomata to limit water loss. Additionally, roots did not elongate to follow the water table and plants were quickly disconnected from the saturated zone. For the two phreatophytic Banksia species, the capacity for rapid root growth by young seedlings did not translate to an ability for established seedlings to adapt their root distribution to survive rapid water table decline.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Rapid root elongation by phreatophyte seedlings does not imply tolerance of water table decline

Canham

Froend

Stock

2015

Trees

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“…This shows the comparatively large role of infiltration. The dynamics of flood water infiltration were investigated by Dahan (Curtis and Mannheimer, 2005), b (Canadell et al, 1996), c (Dalpe et al, 2000), d (Stave et al, 2005), e (Moser, 2006), f (Schachtschneider and February, 2007), g (Coates Palgrave, 1983), e (Timberlake et al, 1999), h (Wickens et al, 1995). et al (2008).…”

Section: Hydrosystemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Uncertainty in parameterisation and model structure affect simulation results in coupled ecohydrological models

Arnold

Attinger

Frank

et al. 2009

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. In this paper we develop and apply a conceptual ecohydrological model to investigate the effects of model structure and parameter uncertainty on the simulation of vegetation structure and hydrological dynamics. The model is applied for a typical water limited riparian ecosystem along an ephemeral river: the middle section of the Kuiseb River in Namibia. We modelled this system by coupling an ecological model with a conceptual hydrological model. The hydrological model is storage based with stochastical forcing from the flood. The ecosystem is modelled with a population model, and represents three dominating riparian plant populations. In appreciation of uncertainty about population dynamics, we applied three model versions with increasing complexity. Population parameters were found by Latin hypercube sampling of the parameter space and with the constraint that three species should coexist as observed. Two of the three models were able to reproduce the observed coexistence. However, both models relied on different coexistence mechanisms, and reacted differently to change of long term memory in the flood forcing. The coexistence requirement strongly constrained the parameter space for both successful models. Only very few parameter sets (0.5% of 150 000 samples) allowed for coexistence in a representative number of repeated simulations (at least 10 out of 100) and the success of the coexistence mechanism was controlled by the combination of population parameters. The ensemble statistics of average values of hydrologic variables like transpiration and depth to ground water were similar for both models, sugCorrespondence to: S. Arnold (sven.arnold@ufz.de) gesting that they were mainly controlled by the applied hydrological model. The ensemble statistics of the fluctuations of depth to groundwater and transpiration, however, differed significantly, suggesting that they were controlled by the applied ecological model and coexistence mechanisms. Our study emphasizes that uncertainty about ecosystem structure and intra-specific interactions influence the prediction of the hydrosystem.

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“…If water is supplied from below rather than from above to simulate different amounts of precipitation, the topsoil might dry out and the downward growth of roots through the dry top layers might be impaired. This approach can be used to simulate vadose water supply by different depths of water tables (Stave et al 2005;Vonlanthen et al 2010), but also to simulate the amount of plant-available water under moderate tension, as was the case in our study. Such situations occur when soils have dried out superficially by capillary ascent or depletion by plant roots, but water is still available for plants at greater depths.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The response of three Fagus sylvatica L. provenances to water availability at different soil depths

Baudis

Premper

Welk

et al. 2015

Ecological Research

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Current climate change scenarios predict changes in precipitation patterns resulting in a longer and more intensive droughts. These changes pose a challenge for Fagus sylvatica as the most common European deciduous tree species. We asked how different genotypes respond to drought conditions and paid particular attention to how soil moisture availability can be manipulated. We established a tube technique that allowed to add water horizontally at different rooting depths, which allowed to measure water contents and to observe root growth along the full length of 1-m deep tubes. Three F. sylvatica provenances were compared in their response to different depth of water supply with respect to growth, leaf stomatal conductance as well as root and leaf traits. There were short-lasting differences between the watering regimes in soil water content and depth of soil moisture maxima. Adding water to depths of 30-60 cm resulted in reduced leaf stomatal conductance and lower survival but increased root tip growth rates compared to watering the tubes at 10-20 cm. There were differences between the three provenances for specific leaf area and stem dry mass, which however, were independent of the watering regime and did not support the idea of local adaptation to drought of populations from dry or moist origins. The findings indicate that differences between provenances might have been caused by environmental factors other than drought. Technically, we demonstrated the high potential of using the tube technique for a fine-tuned manipulation of soil moisture in the rooting space.

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Seedling growth of Acacia tortilis and Faidherbia albida in response to simulated groundwater tables

Cited by 25 publications

References 27 publications

Rapid root elongation by phreatophyte seedlings does not imply tolerance of water table decline

Rapid root elongation by phreatophyte seedlings does not imply tolerance of water table decline

Uncertainty in parameterisation and model structure affect simulation results in coupled ecohydrological models

The response of three Fagus sylvatica L. provenances to water availability at different soil depths

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