Abstract
BackgroundPlant-water relations have been of significant concern in forestry and ecology studies in recent years, yet studies investigating the annual differences in the characteristics of inter-class water consumption in trees are scarce.MethodsWe classified 15 trees from a Schima superba plantation in subtropical South China into four ranks using diameter at breast height (DBH). The inter-class and whole-tree water use were compared based on three parameters: sap flux density, whole-tree transpiration and canopy transpiration over two years. Inter-class hydraulic parameters, such as leaf water potential, stomatal conductance, hydraulic conductance, and canopy conductance were also compared.Results(1) Mean water consumption of the plantation was 287.6 mm over a year, 165.9 mm in the wet season, and 121.7 mm in the dry season. Annual mean daily water use was 0.79 mm d−1, with a maximum of 1.39 mm d−1. (2) Isohydrodynamic behavior were found in S. superba. (3) Transpiration was regulated via both hydraulic conductance and stoma; however, there was an annual difference in which predominantly regulated transpiration.DiscussionThis study quantified annual and seasonal water use of a S. superba plantation and revealed the coordinated effect of stoma and hydraulic conductance on transpiration. These results provide information for large-scale afforestation and future water management.
Highlights
Plantation species that are artificially planted in rows in intensively managed stands have different ecological functions to that of natural forests; in particular their water use is significantly higher (Farley, Jobbagy & Jackson, 2005; Nosetto, Jobbágy & Paruelo, 2005; Licata et al, 2008)
(3) Transpiration was regulated via both hydraulic conductance and stoma; there was an annual difference in which predominantly regulated transpiration
Our objectives were to: (1) quantify water use for each tree rank and the plantation as a whole; (2) determine iso/anisohydry; (3) quantify inter-class canopy conductance and verify the possibility of a mean instantaneous conductance substitute for canopy conductance in the same canopy layer; and (4) determine if stomatal conductance determines water use more than hydraulic conductance
Summary
Plantation species that are artificially planted in rows in intensively managed stands have different ecological functions to that of natural forests; in particular their water use is significantly higher (Farley, Jobbagy & Jackson, 2005; Nosetto, Jobbágy & Paruelo, 2005; Licata et al, 2008). Studies of plantation size focused on productive species containing fast-growing, economically valuable species (Lane et al, 2004; Ma et al, 2008; Tan et al, 2011; Zhu et al, 2015), while studies of plantation growth focused more on species of ecological recovery (Ge et al, 2006; Cao et al, 2007; Cao, Chen & Yu, 2009; Chen et al, 2010; Wang et al, 2010; Zheng et al, 2012; Jian et al, 2015). This study quantified annual and seasonal water use of a S. superba plantation and revealed the coordinated effect of stoma and hydraulic conductance on transpiration. These results provide information for large-scale afforestation and future water management
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