Variation and attribution of water use efficiency in sunflower and maize fields in an irrigated semi-arid area

Water use efficiency (WUE) links carbon and water exchanges between farmlands and the atmosphere. Understanding the variation and attribution of WUE is essential to reveal the physiological and ecological adaptation mechanisms of crops to the changing environment, and to better allocate, regulate and conserve water resources. However, few studies on the variation and attribution of WUE have been conducted in irrigated arid or semi-arid farmlands. Therefore, in this study, water and carbon fluxes were measured using eddy covariance systems in two farmlands (one sunflower field and one maize field) in a semi-arid irrigation district in China. It was found that the average WUE of sunflower during its full growth period was 1.72 g C kg⁻¹ H₂O, much lower than that of maize (4.07 g C kg⁻¹ H₂O). At each growth stage, the WUE of both crops were negatively correlated with vapour pressure deficit (VPD), net radiation (R_n) and soil water content (SWC). The negative correlations could be attributed to the arid meteorological condition and the relatively abundant soil moisture due to irrigation and shallow groundwater levels. VPD was the main factor affecting WUE, followed by R_n and SWC. It was also found that the response of WUE to crop leaf area index (LAI) and to canopy conductance (g_c) depended on the VPD ranges: when VPD increased, the response of WUE to LAI and to g_c decreased. Our findings could improve the understanding of the coupling effect of water and carbon fluxes over farmland ecosystems in arid and semi-arid irrigation areas and help improve agricultural production and save water resources in such areas.     

Integrating a model with remote sensing observations by a data assimilation approach to improve the model simulation accuracy of carbon flux and evapotranspiration at two flux sites

Model simulation and in situ observations are often used to research water and carbon cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, but each of these methods has its own advantages and limitations. Combining these two methods could improve the accuracy of quantifying the dynamics of the water and carbon fluxes of an ecosystem. Data assimilation is an effective means of integrating modeling with in situ observation. In this study, the ensemble Kalman filter(En KF) and the unscented Kalman filter(UKF) algorithms were used to assimilate remotely sensed leaf area index(LAI) data with the Biome-BGC model to simulate water and carbon fluxes at the Harvard Forest Environmental Monitoring Site(EMS) and the Dinghushan site. After MODIS LAI data from 2000–2004 were assimilated into the improved Biome-BGC model using the En KF algorithm at the Harvard Forest site, the R2 between the simulated and observed results for NEE and evapotranspiration increased by 7.8% and 4.7%, respectively. In addition, the sum of the absolute error(SAE) and the root mean square error(RMSE) of NEE decreased by an average of 21.9% and 26.3%, and the SAE and RMSE of evapotranspiration decreased by 24.5% and 25.5%, respectively. MODIS LAI data of 2003 were assimilated into the Biome-BGC model for the Dinghushan site, and the R2 values between the simulated and observed results for NEE and evapotranspiration were increased by 6.7% and 17.3%, respectively. In addition, the SAE values of NEE and ET were decreased by 11.3% and 30.7%, respectively, and the RMSE values of NEE and ET decreased by 10.1% and 30.9%, respectively. These results demonstrate that the accuracy of carbon and water flux simulations can be effectively improved when remotely sensed LAI data are properly integrated with ecosystem models through a data assimilation approach.     

Tree root systems competing for soil moisture in a 3D soil–plant model

Competition for water among multiple tree rooting systems is investigated using a soil–plant model that accounts for soil moisture dynamics and root water uptake (RWU), whole plant transpiration, and leaf-level photosynthesis. The model is based on a numerical solution to the 3D Richards equation modified to account for a 3D RWU, trunk xylem, and stomatal conductances. The stomatal conductance is determined by combining a conventional biochemical demand formulation for photosynthesis with an optimization hypothesis that selects stomatal aperture so as to maximize carbon gain for a given water loss. Model results compare well with measurements of soil moisture throughout the rooting zone, of total sap flow in the trunk xylem, as well as of leaf water potential collected in a Loblolly pine forest. The model is then used to diagnose plant responses to water stress in the presence of competing rooting systems. Unsurprisingly, the overlap between rooting zones is shown to enhance soil drying. However, the 3D spatial model yielded transpiration-bulk root-zone soil moisture relations that do not deviate appreciably from their proto-typical form commonly assumed in lumped eco-hydrological models. The increased overlap among rooting systems primarily alters the timing at which the point of incipient soil moisture stress is reached by the entire soil–plant system.     

Simulating the exchanges of carbon dioxide, water vapor and heat over Changbai Mountains temperate broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest ecosystem

A process-based ecosystem productivity model BEPS (Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator) was updated to simulate half-hourly exchanges of carbon, water and energy between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystem at a temperate broad-leaved Korean pine forest in the Changbai Mountains, China. The BEPSh model is able to capture the diurnal and seasonal variability in carbon dioxide, water vapor and heat fluxes at this site in the growing season of 2003. The model validation showed that the simulated net ecosystem productivity (NEP), latent heat flux (LE), sensible heat flux (Hs) are in good agreement with eddy covariance measurements with an R2 value of 0.68, 0.86 and 0.72 for NEP, LE and Hs, respectively. The simulated annual NEP of this forest in 2003 was 300.5 gC/m2, and was very close to the observed value. Driving this model with different climate scenarios, we found that the NEP in the Changbai Mountains temperate broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest ecosystem was sensitive to climate variability, and the current carbon sink will be weakened under the condition of global warming. Furthermore, as a process-based model, BEPSh was also sensitive to physiological parameters of plant, such as maximum Rubisco activity (Vcmax) and the maximum stomatal conductance (gmax), and needs to be carefully calibrated for other applications.     

A comparison between simulated and measured CO2 and water flux in a subtropical coniferous forest

Using data from eddy covariance measurements in a subtropical coniferous forest, a test and evaluation have been made for the model of Carbon Exchange in the Vegetation-Soil-Atmosphere (CEVSA) that simulates energy transfers and water, carbon and nitrogen cycles based on ecophysiological processes. In the present study, improvement was made in the model in calculating LAI, carbon allocation among plant organs, litter fall, decomposition and evapotranspiration. The simulated seasonal variations in carbon and water vapor flux were consistent with the measurements. The model explained 90% and 86% of the measured variations in evapotranspiration and soil water content. However, the modeled evapotranspiration and soil water content were lower than the measured systematically, because the model assumed that water was lost as runoff if it was beyond the soil saturation water content, but the soil at the flux site with abundant rainfall is often above water saturated. The improved model reproduced 79% and 88% of the measured variations in gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (R _e), but only 31% of the variations in measured net ecosystem exchange (NEP) despite the fact that the modeled annual NEP was close to the observation. The modeled NEP was generally lower in winter and higher in summer than the observations. The simulated responses of photosynthesis and respiration to water vapor deficit at high temperatures were different from measurements. The results suggested that the improved model underestimated ecosystem photosynthesis and respiration in extremely condition. The present study shows that CEVSA can simulate the seasonal pattern and magnitude of CO₂ and water vapor fluxes, but further improvement in simulating photosynthesis and respiration at extreme temperatures and water deficit is required.

     

Forest ecosystem processes at the watershed scale: dynamic coupling of distributed hydrology and canopy growth

The hydrological recovery of watersheds from disturbances such as fire and harvest can change the magnitude and distribution of flow paths as the canopy regenerates. The spatial distribution of net water input to the soil–topography system is mediated by vegetation patterns through the processes of interception, evapotranspiration and snowmelt. We have previously described RHESSys, a distributed model of water and carbon flux with a prescribed canopy cover. Although the canopy structure varied spatially it did not change through time. We present an expanded model in which carbon and nitrogen are dynamically coupled with distributed hydrology. The model fixes and allocates canopy carbon annually to reflect changes in climate forcing. We test the interactions of the forest ecosystem to distributed hydrology through controlled experiments. In the first experiment, we prescribe canopy cover and examine the sensitivity of the hydrological outputs to the distribution of vegetation. The canopy distribution is found to have significant effects on simulated hydrological outputs where evaporative demand exceeds available water. In a second experiment we simulate the canopy leaf area index (LAI) across the topography and through time. The model is executed over 100 years using repeated 10-year meteorological records to investigate spatial and temporal patterns of LAI. Annual precipitation and temperature differences result in temporally fluctuating LAI about a reasonably stable long-term mean. The topographical position has a strong effect on local forest canopy characteristics. As expected, simulated ecosystem processes are found to be sensitive to rooting depth in more water limited environments. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A conceptual model of water yield effects from beetle‐induced tree death in snow‐dominated lodgepole pine forests

In regions of western North America with snow‐dominated hydrology, the presence of forested watersheds can significantly influence streamflow compared to areas with other vegetation cover types. Widespread tree death in these watersheds can thus dramatically alter many ecohydrologic processes including transpiration, canopy solar transmission and snow interception, subcanopy wind regimes, soil infiltration, forest energy storage and snow surface albedo. One of the more important causes of conifer tree death is bark beetle infestation, which in some instances will kill nearly all of the canopy trees within forest stands. Since 1996, an ongoing outbreak of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) has caused widespread mortality across more than 600,000 km² of coniferous forests in western North America, including numerous Rocky Mountain headwaters catchments with high rates of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) mortality from mountain pin beetle (Dendroctonous ponderosae) infestations. Few empirical studies have documented the effects of MPB infestations on hydrologic processes, and little is known about the direction and magnitude of changes in water yield and timing of runoff due to insect‐induced tree death. Here, we review and synthesize existing research and provide new results quantifying the effects of beetle infestations on canopy structure, snow interception and transmission to create a conceptual model of the hydrologic effects of MPB‐induced lodgepole pine death during different stages of mortality. We identify the primary hydrologic processes operating in living forest stands, stands in multiple stages of death and long‐dead stands undergoing regeneration and estimate the direction of change in new water yield. This conceptual model is intended to identify avenues for future research efforts. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulation of crop growth and energy and carbon dioxide fluxes at different time steps from hourly to daily

Understanding the exchange processes of energy and carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the soil–vegetation–atmosphere system is important for assessing the role of the terrestrial ecosystem in the global water and carbon cycle and in climate change. We present a soil–vegetation–atmosphere integrated model (ChinaAgrosys) for simulating energy, water and CO₂ fluxes, crop growth and development, with ample supply of nutrients and in the absence of pests, diseases and weed damage. Furthermore, we test the hypotheses of whether there is any significant difference between simulations over different time steps. CO₂, water and heat fluxes were estimated by the improving parameterization method of the coupled photosynthesis–stomatal conductance–transpiration model. Soil water evaporation and plant transpiration were calculated using a multilayer water and heat‐transfer model. Field experiments were conducted in the Yucheng Integrated Agricultural Experimental Station on the North China Plain. Daily weather and crop growth variables were observed during 1998–2001, and hourly weather variables and water and heat fluxes were measured using the eddy covariance method during 2002–2003. The results showed that the model could effectively simulate diurnal and seasonal changes of net radiation, sensible and latent heat flux, soil heat flux and CO₂ fluxes. The processes of evapotranspiration, soil temperature and leaf area index agree well with the measured values. Midday depression of canopy photosynthesis could be simulated by assessing the diurnal change in canopy water potential. Moreover, the comparisons of simulated daily evapotranspiration and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) under different time steps indicated that time steps used by a model affect the simulated results. There is no significant difference between simulated evapotranspiration using the model under different time steps. However, simulated NEE produces large differences in the response to different time steps. Therefore, the accurate calculation of average absorbed photosynthetic active radiation is important for the scaling of the model from hourly steps to daily steps in simulating energy and CO₂ flux exchanges between winter wheat and the atmosphere. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The GEOMON network of Czech catchments provides long-term insights into altered forest biogeochemistry: From acid atmospheric deposition to climate change

In 1994, a network of small catchments (GEOMON) was established in the Czech Republic to determine input–output element fluxes in semi-natural forest ecosystems recovering from anthropogenic acidification. The network consists from 16 catchments and the primary observations of elements fluxes were complemented by monitoring of biomass stock, element pools in soil and vegetation, and the main water balance components. Over last three decades, reductions of SO₂, NO_x and NH₃ emissions were followed by sulphur (S) and nitrogen (N) deposition reductions of 75% and 30%, respectively. Steeper declines of strong acid anion concentrations compared to cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K, NH₄) in precipitation resulted in precipitation pH increase from 4.5 to 5.2 in bulk precipitation and from 4.0 to 5.1 in spruce throughfall. Stream chemistry responded to changes in deposition: S leaching declined. However at majority of catchments soils acted as a net source of S to runoff, delaying recovery. Stream pH increased at acidic streams (pH < 6) and aluminium concentration decreased. Stream nitrate (NO₃) concentration declined by 60%, considerably more than N deposition. Stream NO₃ concentration was tightly positively related to stream total dissolved nitrogen to total phosphorus (P) ratio, suggesting the role of P availability on N retention. Trends in dissolved organic carbon fluxes responded to both acidification recovery and to runoff temporal variation. An exceptional drought occurred between 2014 and 2019. Over this recent period, streamflow decreased by ≈ 40% on average compared to 1990s, due to the increases of soil evaporation and vegetation transpiration by ≈ 30% and declines in precipitation by ≈ 15% on average across the elevational gradient. Sharp decreases of stream runoff at catchments <650 m a.s.l. corresponded to areas of recent forest decline caused by bark beetle infestation on drought stressed spruce forests. Understanding of the interactions among legacies of acidification and eutrophication, drought effects on the water cycle and forest disturbance dynamics is requisite for effective management of forested ecosystems under anthropogenic influence.     

Simulation of evapotranspiration and carbon dioxide flux in the wheat‐maize rotation croplands of the North China Plain using the Simple Biosphere Model

The North China Plain, which is critical for food production in China, is encountering serious water shortage due to heavy agricultural water requirement. The accurate modelling of carbon dioxide flux and evapotranspiration (ET) in croplands is thus essential for yield prediction and water resources management. The land surface model is powerful in simulating energy and carbon dioxide fluxes between land and atmosphere. Some key processes in the Simple Biosphere Model (Version 2, SiB2) were parameterized based on the observations. The simulated fluxes were tested against the eddy covariance flux measurements over two typical winter wheat/maize double cropping fields. A simple diagnostic parameterisation of soil respiration, not included in SiB2, was added and calibrated using the observations to model the carbon budget. The Ball‐Berry stomatal conductance model was calibrated using observed leaf gas exchange rate, showing that the original SiB2 could significantly underpredict the ET in the wheat field. SiB2 significantly underpredicted soil resistance at the Weishan site, leading to overpredict the ET. Overall, there was a close agreement between the simulated and observed latent heat fluxes and net CO₂ exchange using the re‐parameterized SiB2. These findings are important when the model is used for the regional simulation in the North China Plain. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Net ecosystem CO2 exchange and controlling factors in a steppe—Kobresia meadow on the Tibetan Plateau

Knowledge of seasonal variation of net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) and its biotic and abiotic controllers will further our understanding of carbon cycling process, mechanism and large-scale modelling. Eddy covariance technique was used to measure NEE, biotic and abiotic factors for nearly 3 years in the hinterland alpine steppe—Korbresia meadow grassland on the Tibetan Plateau, the present highest fluxnet station in the world. The main objectives are to investigate dynamics of NEE and its components and to determine the major controlling factors. Maximum carbon assimilation took place in August and maximum carbon loss occurred in November. In June, rainfall amount due to monsoon climate played a great role in grass greening and consequently influenced interannual variation of ecosystem carbon gain. From July through September, monthly NEE presented net carbon assimilation. In other months, ecosystem exhibited carbon loss. In growing season, daytime NEE was mainly controlled by photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). In addition, leaf area index (LAI) interacted with PAR and together modulated NEE rates. Ecosystem respiration was controlled mainly by soil temperature and simultaneously by soil moisture. Q ₁₀ was negatively correlated with soil temperature but positively correlated with soil moisture. Large daily range of air temperature is not necessary to enhance carbon gain. Standard respiration rate at referenced 10°C (R ₁₀) was positively correlated with soil moisture, soil temperature, LAI and aboveground biomass. Rainfall patterns in growing season markedly influenced soil moisture and therefore soil moisture controlled seasonal change of ecosystem respiration. Pulse rainfall in the beginning and at the end of growing season induced great ecosystem respiration and consequently a great amount of carbon was lost. Short growing season and relative low temperature restrained alpine grass vegetation development. The results suggested that LAI be usually in a low level and carbon uptake be relatively low. Rainfall patterns in the growing season and pulse rainfall in the beginning and at end of growing season control ecosystem respiration and consequently influence carbon balance of ecosystem.

     

Carbon and water cycling in a Bornean tropical rainforest under current and future climate scenarios

We examined how the projected increase in atmospheric CO₂ and concomitant shifts in air temperature and precipitation affect water and carbon fluxes in an Asian tropical rainforest, using a combination of field measurements, simplified hydrological and carbon models, and Global Climate Model (GCM) projections. The model links the canopy photosynthetic flux with transpiration via a bulk canopy conductance and semi-empirical models of intercellular CO₂ concentration, with the transpiration rate determined from a hydrologic balance model. The primary forcing to the hydrologic model are current and projected rainfall statistics. A main novelty in this analysis is that the effect of increased air temperature on vapor pressure deficit (D) and the effects of shifts in precipitation statistics on net radiation are explicitly considered. The model is validated against field measurements conducted in a tropical rainforest in Sarawak, Malaysia under current climate conditions. On the basis of this model and projected shifts in climatic statistics by GCM, we compute the probability distribution of soil moisture and other hydrologic fluxes. Regardless of projected and computed shifts in soil moisture, radiation and mean air temperature, transpiration was not appreciably altered. Despite increases in atmospheric CO₂ concentration (C_a) and unchanged transpiration, canopy photosynthesis does not significantly increase if C_i/C_a is assumed constant independent of D (where C_i is the bulk canopy intercellular CO₂ concentration). However, photosynthesis increased by a factor of 1.5 if C_i/C_a decreased linearly with D as derived from Leuning stomatal conductance formulation [R. Leuning. Plant Cell Environ 1995;18:339–55]. How elevated atmospheric CO₂ alters the relationship between C_i/C_a and D needs to be further investigated under elevated atmospheric CO₂ given its consequence on photosynthesis (and concomitant carbon sink) projections.     

Spatio-temporal patterns of forest carbon dioxide exchange based on global eddy covariance measurements

Spatio-temporal patterns and driving mechanisms of forest carbon dioxide (CO2) exchange are the key issues on terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycles, which are the basis for developing and validating ecosystem carbon cycle models, assessing and predicting the role of forests in global carbon balance. Eddy covariance (EC) technique, an important method for measuring energy and material exchanges between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere, has made a great contribution to understanding CO2 exchanges in the biosphere during the past decade. Here, we synthesized published EC flux measurements at various forest sites in the global network of eddy flux tower sites (FLUXNET) and regional flux networks. Our objective was to explore spatio-temporal patterns and driving factors on forest carbon fluxes, i.e. net ecosystem productivity (NEP), gross primary productivity (GPP) and total ecosystem respiration (TER). Globally, forest NEP exhibited a significant latitudinal pattern jointly controlled by GPP and TER. The NEP decreased in an order of warm temperate forest > cold temperate and tropical rain forests > boreal and subalpine forests. Mean annual temperature (MAT) made a greater contribution to forest carbon fluxes than sum of annual precipitation (SAP). As MAT increased, the GPP increased linearly, whereas the TER increased exponentially, resulting in the NEP decreasing beyond an MAT threshold of 20°C. The GPP, TER and NEP varied substantially when the SAP was less than 1500 mm, but tended to increase with increasing SAP. Temporal dynamics in forest carbon fluxes and determinants depended upon time scales. NEP showed a significant interannual variability mainly driven by climate fluctuations and different responses of the GPP and TER to environmental forcing. In a longer term, forest carbon fluxes had a significant age effect. The ecosystem was a net carbon source right after clearcutting, gradually switched to a net carbon sink when the relative stand age (i.e. ratio of actual stand age to the stand rotation age) approached 0.3, and maximized carbon sequestration capacity at premature or mature stand stages. This temporal pattern of NEP was correlated with stand leaf area index and associated GPP. This study highlights the significance of spatio-temporal dynamics in the CO2 exchange in forest carbon cycling studies. It is also suggested that in addition to forest biomes, interannual variations and stand age effects of forest carbon fluxes should be considered in the global carbon balance.     

Forest water use in the initial stages of reclamation in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region

Following large‐scale surface oil sands mining, large tracts of the boreal forest in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of Western Canada are legally required to be reclaimed. A greater understanding of how these novel ecosystems function and develop with regard to water use is crucial to aid in the development of regulatory practices and protocols based on information from ecosystem recovery. In this paper, a 12‐year (2003–2014) eddy covariance measurement record of latent and sensible heat fluxes and gross ecosystem productivity of carbon dioxide is analysed to evaluate how a reclaimed boreal forest has developed during its initial growth period. The study site is a reclaimed oil sands saline‐sodic clay shale overburden deposit that was topped with 100 cm of glacial till and 20 cm of peat mineral mix. The site was seeded with barley (Hordeum spp.) in 2001 to reduce erosion of the soil cover whereas aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and spruce (Picea glauca [Moench] Voss) boreal tree species were planted in 2004. Changes in structure and function corresponded to the transition of dominant vegetation cover from early successional species to forest. Leaf area index increased from a growing season peak of 0.9 in 2003 to 4.0 in 2014 and was associated with an increased growing season gross ecosystem productivity (4.9 to 8.9 g C m^?2 day^?1), an increased evapotranspiration (1.6 to 3.4 mm day^?1), and a decreased partitioning of energy to sensible heat (Bowen's ratio decreased from 1.1 to 0.4). Although canopy conductance increased throughout the 12 years, the shift from early successional species to trees with more conservative water use resulted in a decrease in conductance normalized by leaf area. Water use efficiency has increased slightly since 2008 with an average of 10.0 g CO₂ kg^?1 H₂O for the last 6 years. No prolonged dry periods were observed during the study period. The functioning of this novel ecosystem is evolving as expected on the basis of the trends observed for other natural and disturbed boreal forests.     

A comparison between simulated and measured CO_2 and water flux in a subtropical coniferous forest

Using data from eddy covariance measurements in a subtropical coniferous forest, a test and evaluation have been made for the model of Carbon Exchange in the Vegetation-Soil-Atmosphere (CEVSA) that simulates energy transfers and water, carbon and nitrogen cycles based on ecophysiological processes. In the present study, improvement was made in the model in calculating LAI, carbon allocation among plant organs, litter fall, decomposition and evapotranspiration. The simulated seasonal variations in carbon and water vapor flux were consistent with the measurements. The model explained 90% and 86% of the measured variations in evapotranspiration and soil water content. However, the modeled evapotranspiration and soil water content were lower than the measured systematically, because the model assumed that water was lost as runoff if it was beyond the soil saturation water content, but the soil at the flux site with abundant rainfall is often above water saturated. The improved model reproduced 79% and 88% of the measured variations in gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration (Re), but only 31% of the variations in measured net ecosystem exchange (NEP) despite the fact that the modeled annual NEP was close to the observation. The modeled NEP was generally lower in winter and higher in summer than the observations. The simulated responses of photosynthesis and respiration to water vapor deficit at high temperatures were different from measurements. The results suggested that the improved model underestimated ecosystem photosynthesis and respiration in extremely condition. The present study shows that CEVSA can simulate the seasonal pattern and magnitude of CO2 and water vapor fluxes, but further improvement in simulating photosynthesis and respiration at extreme temperatures and water deficit is required.     

Salinity and periodic inundation controls on the soil‐plant‐atmosphere continuum of gray mangroves

Salinity and periodic inundation are both known to have a major role in shaping the ecohydrology of mangroves through their controls on water uptake, photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, gas exchanges, and nutrient availability. Salinity, in particular, can be considered one of the main abiotic regulating factors for halophytes and salt‐tolerant species, due to its influence on water use patterns and growth rate. Ecohydrological literature has rarely focused on the effects of salinity on plant transpiration, based on the fact that the terrestrial plants mostly thrive in low‐saline, unsaturated soils where the role of osmotic potential can be considered negligible. However, the effect of salinity cannot be neglected in the case of tidal species like mangroves, which have to cope with hyperosmotic conditions and waterlogging. We introduce here a first‐order ecohydrological model of the soil/plant‐atmosphere continuum of Avicennia marina—also known as gray mangrove—a highly salt‐tolerant pioneer species able to adapt to hyperarid intertidal zones and characterized by unique morphological and ecophysiological traits. The A. marina's soil‐plant‐atmosphere continuum takes explicitly into account the role of water head, osmotic water potential, and water salinity in governing plant water fluxes. A. marina's transpiration is thus modeled as a function of salinity based on a simple parameterization of salt exclusion mechanisms at the root level and a modified Jarvis' expression accounting for the effects of salinity on stomatal conductance. Consistently with previous studies investigating the physiology of mangroves in response to different environmental drivers, our results highlight the major influence of salinity on mangrove transpiration when contrasted with other potential stressors such as waterlogging and water stress.     

Photosynthetic responses of a humid grassland ecosystem to future climate perturbations

Increases in atmospheric CO₂ concentration not only affects climate variables such as precipitation and air temperature, but also affects intrinsic ecosystem physiological properties such as bulk stomatal conductance and intercellular CO₂ concentration. De-convolving these two effects remains uncertain in biosphere–atmosphere water and carbon cycling. Using a simplified analytical net ecosystem CO₂ exchange (NEE) model, tested with recently collected flux measurements in a humid grassland ecosystem in Ireland, we assess how much projected climate shifts affect net canopy photosynthesis (A) without physiological adjustments and contrast those findings with published field data on physiological adjustments for several grassland ecosystems. Our analysis suggests that the intrinsic grassland ecosystem physiological adjustment of A is about 45 times more important than the resulting climatic forcing shifts from the IS92a scenario (and a doubling of atmospheric CO₂ concentration). Also, our analysis shows that increase in precipitation results in concomitant decrease in the two climate variables—net radiation and vapor pressure deficit, and these decreases have opposite (and almost canceling) effects on A. Implications to afforestation policy and future experimental efforts to quantify the carbon sink from humid grassland ecosystems are also discussed.     

The canopy conductance of a boreal aspen forest,Prince Albert National Park,Canada

Annual fluxes of canopy‐level heat, water vapour and carbon dioxide were measured using eddy covariance both above the aspen overstory (Populus tremuloides Michx.) and hazelnut understory (Corylus cornuta Marsh.) of a boreal aspen forest (53·629 °N 106·200 °W). Partitioning of the fluxes between overstory and understory components allowed the calculation of canopy conductance to water vapour for both species. On a seasonal basis, the canopy conductance of the aspen accounted for 70% of the surface conductance, with the latter a strong function of the forest's leaf area index. On a half‐hour basis, the canopy conductance of both species decreased non‐linearly as the leaf‐surface saturation deficits increased, and was best parameterized and showed similar sensitivities to a modified form of the Ball–Berry–Woodrow index, where relative humidity was replaced with the reciprocal of the saturation deficit. The negative feedback between the forest evaporation and the saturation deficit in the convective boundary layer varied from weak when the forest was at full leaf to strong when the forest was developing or loosing leaves. The coupling between the air at the leaf surface and the convective boundary layer also varied seasonally, with coupling decreasing with increasing leaf area. Compared with coniferous boreal forests, the seasonal changes in leaf area had a unique impact on vegetation–atmosphere interactions. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using stable isotopes to quantify water sources for trees and shrubs in a riparian cottonwood ecosystem in flood and drought years

Riparian cottonwood forests in dry regions of western North America do not typically receive sufficient growing season precipitation to completely support their relatively high transpiration requirements. Water used in transpiration by riparian ecosystems must include alluvial groundwater or water stored in the potentially large reservoir of the unsaturated soil zone. We used the stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope composition of stem xylem water to evaluate water sources used by the dominant riparian cottonwood (Populus spp.) trees and shrubs (Shepherdia argentea and Symphoricarpos occidentalis) in Lethbridge, Alberta, during 3 years of contrasting environmental conditions. Cottonwoods did not exclusively take up alluvial groundwater but made extensive use of water sourced from the unsaturated soil zone. The oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of cottonwood stem water did not strongly overlap with those of alluvial groundwater, which were closely associated with the local meteoric water line. Instead, cottonwood stem water δ¹⁸O and δ²H values were located below the local meteoric water line, forming a line with a low slope that was indicative of water exposed to evaporative enrichment of heavy isotopes. In addition, cottonwood xylem water isotope compositions had negative values of deuterium excess (d‐excess) and line‐conditioned (deuterium) excess (lc‐excess), both of which provided evidence that water taken up by the cottonwoods had been exposed to fractionation during evaporation. The shrub species had lower values of d‐excess and lc‐excess than had the cottonwood trees due to shallower rooting depths, and the d‐excess values declined during the growing season, as shallow soil water that was taken up by the plants was exposed to increasing, cumulative evaporative enrichment. The apparent differences in functional rooting pattern between cottonwoods and the shrub species, strongly influenced the ratio of net photosynthesis to stomatal conductance (intrinsic water‐use efficiency), as shown by variation among species in the δ¹³C values of leaf tissue.     

Response of water and energy exchange to the environmental variable in a desert‐oasis wetland of Northwest China

A case study on a desert‐oasis wetland ecosystem in the arid region of Northwest China measured the seasonal and interannual variation in energy partitioning and evapotranspiration to analyse the response of water and energy exchange on soil moisture, groundwater, and environmental variables. Energy partitioning showed a clear seasonal and interannual variability, and the process of water and energy exchange differed significantly in the monthly and interannual scales. The net radiation was 7.31 MJ m^?2· day^?1, and sensible heat flux accounted for 50.42% of net radiation in energy fluxes, 40.56% for latent heat flux, and 9.02% for ground heat flux. The parameters in energy fluxes were best described by a unimodal curve, whereas sensible heat flux followed a bimodal curve. Variations in the daily evapotranspiration and crop evapotranspiration also exhibited a single peak curve with annual values of 569.84 and 644.47 mm, respectively. Canopy conductance averaged 20.77 ± 13.75 mm s^?1 and varied from 0.16 to 83.96 mm s^?1 during the two hydrological years. The variation in water and energy exchange reflected environmental conditions and depended primarily on vapour pressure deficit, net radiation, soil moisture, and water depth. Although the effects of precipitation on evapotranspiration showed that the response of this ecosystem to climate changes was not obvious, the variation of air temperatures had a strong influence on evapotranspiration, resulting in a significant increase in evapotranspiration (R = 0.730; P < 0.01). Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.