Regulation of water flux through trunks, branches, and leaves in trees of a lowland tropical forest

We studied regulation of whole-tree water use in individuals of five diverse canopy tree species growing in a Panamanian seasonal forest. A construction crane equipped with a gondola was used to access the upper crowns and points along the branches and trunks of the study trees for making concurrent measurements of sap flow at the whole-tree and branch levels, and vapor phase conductances and water status at the leaf level. These measurements were integrated to assess physiological regulation of water use from the whole-tree to the single-leaf scale. Whole-tree water use ranged from 379 kg day⁻¹ in a 35 m-tall Anacardium excelsum tree to 46 kg day⁻¹ in an 18 m-tall Cecropia longipes tree. The dependence of whole-tree and branch sap velocity and sap flow on sapwood area was essentially identical in the five trees studied. However, large differences in transpiration per unit leaf area (E) among individuals and among branches on the same individual were observed. These differences were substantially reduced when E was normalized by the corresponding branch leaf area:sapwood area ratio (LA/SA). Variation in stomatal conductance (g _s) and crown conductance (g _c), a total vapor phase conductance that includes stomatal and boundary layer components, was closely associated with variation in the leaf area-specific total hydraulic conductance of the soil/leaf pathway (G _t). Vapor phase conductance in all five trees responded similarly to variation in G _t. Large diurnal variations in G _t were associated with diurnal variation in exchange of water between the transpiration stream and internal stem storage compartments. Differences in stomatal regulation of transpiration on a leaf area basis appeared to be governed largely by tree size and hydraulic architectural features rather than physiological differences in the responsiveness of stomata. We suggest that reliance on measurements gathered at a single scale or inadequate range of scale may result in misleading conclusions concerning physiological differences in regulation of transpiration. Received: 1 October 1997 / Accepted: 6 March 1998     

Seasonal variation in stomatal conductance and physiological factors observed in a secondary warm-temperate forest

This study quantified stomatal conductance in a CO₂-fertilized warm-temperate forest. The study considered five items: (1) the characteristics of the diurnal and seasonal variation, (2) simultaneous measurements of canopy-scale fluxes of heat and CO₂ and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), (3) the stomatal conductance of sunlit and shaded leaves, (4) a stomatal conductance model, and (5) the effects of leaf age on stomatal conductance. Sampled plants included evergreen and deciduous species. Stomatal conductance, SPAD, and leaf nitrogen content were measured between March and December 2001. Sunlit leaves had the largest diurnal and seasonal variation in conductance in terms of both magnitude and variability. In contrast, shaded leaves had only low conductance and slight variation. Stomatal conductance increased sharply in new shooting leaves of Quercus serrata until reaching a maximum 2 months after full leaf expansion. The seasonal changes in the canopy-scale heat and CO₂ fluxes were similar to the change in the canopy-scale NDVI of the upper-canopy plants. These seasonal changes were correlated with the leaf-level H₂O/CO₂ exchanges of upper-canopy plants, although these did not represent the stomatal conductance in fall completely. Seasonal variations in the leaf nitrogen content and SPAD were similar, except leaf foliation, until day 130 of the year, when the behaviors were completely the opposite. A Jarvis-type model was used to estimate the stomatal conductance. We modified it to include SPAD as a measure of leaf age. The seasonal variation in stomatal conductance was not as sensitive to SPAD, although estimates for evergreen species showed improvements.     

Response of transpiration to rain pulses for two tree species in a semiarid plantation

Responses of transpiration (E _c) to rain pulses are presented for two semiarid tree species in a stand of Pinus tabulaeformis and Robinia pseudoacacia. Our objectives are to investigate (1) the environmental control over the stand transpiration after rainfall by analyzing the effect of vapor pressure deficit (VPD), soil water condition, and rainfall on the post-rainfall E _c development and recovery rate, and (2) the species responses to rain pulses and implications on vegetation coverage under a changing rainfall regime. Results showed that the sensitivity of canopy conductance (G _c) to VPD varied under different incident radiation and soil water conditions, and the two species exhibited the same hydraulic control (?dG _c/dlnVPD to G _cref ratio) over transpiration. Strengthened physiological control and low sapwood area of the stand contributed to low E _c. VPD after rainfall significantly influenced the magnitude and time series of post-rainfall stand E _c. The fluctuation of post-rainfall VPD in comparison with the pre-rainfall influenced the E _c recovery. Further, the stand E _c was significantly related to monthly rainfall, but the recovery was independent of the rainfall event size. E _c enhanced with cumulative soil moisture change (ΔVWC) within each dry–wet cycle, yet still was limited in large rainfall months. The two species had different response patterns of post-rainfall E _c recovery. E _c recovery of P. tabulaeformis was influenced by the pre- and post-rainfall VPD differences and the duration of rainless interval. R. pseudoacacia showed a larger immediate post-rainfall E _c increase than P. tabulaeformis did. We, therefore, concluded that concentrated rainfall events do not trigger significant increase of transpiration unless large events penetrate the deep soil and the species differences of E _c in response to pulses of rain may shape the composition of semiarid woodlands under future rainfall regimes.     

Urban Tree Species Show the Same Hydraulic Response to Vapor Pressure Deficit across Varying Tree Size and Environmental Conditions

Background

The functional convergence of tree transpiration has rarely been tested for tree species growing under urban conditions even though it is of significance to elucidate the relationship between functional convergence and species differences of urban trees for establishing sustainable urban forests in the context of forest water relations.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We measured sap flux of four urban tree species including Cedrus deodara, Zelkova schneideriana, Euonymus bungeanus and Metasequoia glyptostroboides in an urban park by using thermal dissipation probes (TDP). The concurrent microclimate conditions and soil moisture content were also measured. Our objectives were to examine 1) the influence of tree species and size on transpiration, and 2) the hydraulic control of urban trees under different environmental conditions over the transpiration in response to VPD as represented by canopy conductance. The results showed that the functional convergence between tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree canopy transpiration amount (E _c) was not reliable to predict stand transpiration and there were species differences within same DBH class. Species differed in transpiration patterns to seasonal weather progression and soil water stress as a result of varied sensitivity to water availability. Species differences were also found in their potential maximum transpiration rate and reaction to light. However, a same theoretical hydraulic relationship between G _c at VPD = 1 kPa (G _cref) and the G _c sensitivity to VPD (−dG _c/dlnVPD) across studied species as well as under contrasting soil water and R _s conditions in the urban area.

Conclusions/Significance

We concluded that urban trees show the same hydraulic regulation over response to VPD across varying tree size and environmental conditions and thus tree transpiration could be predicted with appropriate assessment of G _cref.     

Spatiotemporal variations of T/ET (the ratio of transpiration to evapotranspiration) in three forests of Eastern China

Evapotranspiration (ET), which is comprised by evaporation from soil surface (E), transpiration (T) and evaporation from the intercepted water by canopy (EI), plays an important role in maintaining global energy balance and regulating climate. Quantifying the spatiotemporal variations of T/ET (the ratio of T to ET) can improve our understandings on the role of vegetation ecophysiological processes in climate regulation. Using eddy covariance measurements at three forest ecosystems (Changbaishan temperate broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest (CBS), Qianyanzhou subtropical coniferous plantation (QYZ) and Dinghushan subtropical evergreen mixed forest (DHS)) in north–south transect of Eastern China (NSTEC), we run the revised Shuttleworth–Wallace model (S–W model), validated its performance with the water vapor fluxes measured at two layers, and quantified the spatiotemporal variations of T/ET. The S–W model performed well in simulating ET and T/ET. The mean value of annual T/ET at three forests during the observation period all exceeded 0.6. The diurnal variation of canopy stomal conductance (G_c) dominated that of T/ET. The seasonal dynamics of T/ET was mainly shaped by that of leaf area index (LAI), vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and air temperature (T_a) through altering G_c and the portion that the energy absorbed by canopy (P_EC) at temperate forest (CBS), while the seasonal dynamics of T/ET at subtropical forests (QYZ and DHS) were mainly affected by T_a, net radiation, VPD, and soil water content through altering G_c and soil surface conductance (G_s). The variation of mean annual G_c governed the interannual varaition and spatial variation of T/ET. Therefore, forests in Eastern China played an important role in regulating climate through T and G_c primarily affected the spatial and temproal variations of the role of forest T in regulating climate.     

Control of transpiration in an irrigated Eucalyptus globulus Labill. plantation

Stomatal conductance and transpiration were measured concurrently in an irrigated Eucalyptus globulus Labill. plantation. Canopy stomatal conductance, canopy boundary layer conductance and the dimensionless decoupling coefficient (Ω) were calculated (a) summing the conductance of three canopy layers (g_c) and (b) weighting the contribution of foliage according to the amount of radiation received (g_c′). Canopy transpiration was then calculated from g_c and g_c′ for Ω = 1 (E_eq), Ω = 0 (E_imp) and by weighting E_eq and E_imp using Ω (E_Ω). E_eq, E_imp and E_Ω were compared to transpiration estimated from measurements of heat pulse velocity. The mean value of Ω was 0·63. Transpiration calculated using g_c and assuming perfect coupling (12·5 ± 0·9 mmol m^?2 s^?1) significantly overestimated measured values (8·7 ± 0·8 mmol m^?2 s^?1). Good estimates of canopy transpiration were obtained either (a) calculating E_Ω separately for the individual canopy layers or (b) treating the canopy as a single layer and using g_c′ in a calculation of E_imp (Ω = 0). The latter approach only required measurement of stomatal conductance at a single canopy position but would be unsuitable for use in combined models of canopy transpiration and assimilation. It should however, be suitable for estimating transpiration in forests regardless of the degree of coupling.     

Developing a mathematical model for variation of physiological responses of Jatropha curcas leaves depending on leaf positions under soil flooding

The effect of soil flooding on photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal conductance of Jatropha curcas seedlings were studied under natural environmental variables. Soil flooding reduced photosynthesis (P _N), transpiration (E) and stomatal conductance (gs) in response to leaf positions of Jatropha curcas plants. Based on the results, we conclude that decrease in stomatal opening and stomatal limitation of photosynthesis, followed by decrease in individual leaf area are the main causes of reductions in carbon uptake of flooded seedlings. A mathematical relationship was successfully developed to describe photosynthesis, transpiration and stomatal response of Jatropha under soil flooding stress.     

Apparent responses of stomata to transpiration and humidity in a hybrid poplar canopy

It has been proposed that the stomatal response to humidity relies on sensing of the transpiration rate itself rather than relative humidity or the saturation deficit per se. We used independent measurements of stomatal conductance (g_s), transpiration (E), and leaf-to-air vapour pressure difference (V) in a hybrid poplar canopy to evaluate relationships between g_s and E and between g_s and V. Relationships between E, V and total vapour phase conductance or crown conductance (g_c) were also assessed. Conductance measurements were made on exposed and partially shaded branches over a wide range of incident solar radiation. In exposed branches, g_s appeared to decline linearly with increasing E and increasing V at both high and low irradiance. However, in a partially shaded branch, a bimodal relationship between g_s and E was observed in which g_s continued to decrease after E had reached a maximum value and begun to decrease. The relationship between g_s and V for this branch was linear. Plots of g_c against E always yielded bimodal or somewhat variable relationships, whereas plots of g_c against V were invariably linear. It was not possible to derive a unique relationship between conductance and E or V because prevailing radiation partially determined the operating range for conductance. Normalization of data by radiation served to linearize responses observed within the same day or type of day, but even after normalization, data collected on partly cloudy days could not be used to predict stomatal behaviour on clear days and vice versa. An additional unidentified factor was thus also involved in determining operating ranges of conductance on days with different overall radiation regimes. We suggest that the simplest mechanism to account for the observed humidity responses is stomatal sensing of the epidermal or cuticular transpiration rate rather than the bulk leaf or stomatal transpiration rate.     

黄土高原油松冠层气孔导度和蒸腾变化特征与模拟

油松是黄土高原重要的造林树种,模拟其冠层气孔导度和蒸腾对区域水量平衡计算和人工林可持续经营具有重要意义。基于2015—2018年TDP(Thermal dissipation probes)方法所测得液流数据,分析了黄土高原地区油松冠层平均气孔导度(g_c)与冠层蒸腾(Tr)的变化特征与影响因素,并采用Penman-Monteith公式和Jarvis型气孔导度模型模拟了其g_c和Tr的变化过程,结果表明：(1)该地区油松g_c和Tr日内变化均呈现单峰型,日均蒸腾耗水量为(1.25±0.57) mm/d,生长季(4—10月)总蒸腾耗水量均值为195.47 mm。(2)g_c的日内变化受太阳辐射(Rad)驱动(偏相关系数为0.65),当Rad高于300 W/m²时,驱动作用减弱;g_c的日内变化受水汽压亏缺(VPD)控制(偏相关系数为-0.41),随VPD的增加而降低;g_c的日际变化受土壤水分限制(偏相关系数为0.46),当根区相对有效含水率(RE...     

Recovery responses of photosynthesis,transpiration, and stomatal conductance in kidney bean following drought stress

Photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatal conductance and chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics were examined in kidney bean plants, with developing gradually water stress for several days after watering and then permitted to recover by re-watering. The photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, and stomatal conductance decreased rapidly by withholding water for 2 days. The F_v/F_m of chlorophyll fluorescence characteristics slightly decreased when the water was withheld for 7 days. After re-watering the rate of recovery of photosynthesis, transpiration, and stomatal conductance decreased gradually as the days without watering became longer. The differences existed in rates of recovery of photosynthesis, transpiration, and stomatal conductance following drought stress. Among the fractional recoveries the highest was photosynthesis, and the lowest was stomatal conductance. Photosynthesis rate following drought stress was rapidly recovered until 2 days after re-watering, then recovered slowly. The critical time for the recovery of photosynthesis was recognized. The results show clearly a close correlation between the leaf water potential and the recovery level and speed of photosynthesis, transpiration, and stomatal conductance.     

The effect of light on stomatal control of gas exchange in Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) saplings

Summary Attached twigs of young Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco plants were subjected to variations in irradaince. Stomatal responsiveness to irradiance, measured in an open type gas exchange system, varied seasonally. During the autumn and winter, stomatal conductance was relatively unresponsive to changes in irradiance, but during the summer stomatal conductance decreased in response to reduced irradiance. The summer stomatal response to irradiance was such that a nearly constant ratio of stomatal conductance to net photosynthesis was maintained as irradiance was varied. This caused intercellular CO₂ concentration (c _i) and water use efficiency (net CO₂ uptake/transpiration) to also remain relatively constant. At constant irradiance, stomatal conductance was relatively insensitive to experimentally-induced changes in c _i. This, and the observation that c _i remained relatively constant as irradiance was varied, suggest that changes in c _i played a minor role in mediating the stomatal response to light.The ecological significance of the seasonal changes in stomatal response to light is discussed.     

Control of transpiration in three coffee cultivars: the role of hydraulic and crown architecture

Water use and hydraulic architecture were studied in the coffee (Coffea arabica) cultivars San Ramon, Yellow Caturra and Typica growing in the field under similar environmental conditions. The cultivars differed in growth habit, crown architecture, basal sapwood area and total leaf surface area. Transpiration per unit leaf area (E), stomatal conductance (g _s), crown conductance (g _c), total hydraulic conductance of the soil/leaf pathway (G _t) and the stomatal decoupling coefficient, omega (Ω) (Jarvis and McNaughton 1986) were assessed over a range of soil moisture and during partial defoliation treatments. The relationship between sap flow and sapwood area was linear and appeared to be similar for the three cultivars. Variation in g _c, E, and G _t of intact plants and leaf area-specific hydraulic conductivity (k _l) of excised lateral branches was negatively correlated with variation in the ratio of leaf area to sapwood area. Transpiration, g _c, and g _s were positively correlated with G _t. Transpiration and G _t varied with total leaf area and were greatest at intermediate values (10 m²) of leaf area. Omega was greatest in Yellow Caturra, the cultivar with the greatest leaf area and a dense crown, and was smallest in Typica, the cultivar with an open crown. Differences in omega were attributable primarily to differences in leaf boundary layer conductance among the cultivars. Plants of each cultivar that were 40% defoliated maintained sap flows comparable to pretreatment plants, but expected compensatory increases in g _s were not consistently observed. Despite their contrasting crown morphologies and hydraulic architecture, the three cultivars shared common relationships between water use and hydraulic architectural traits. Received: 17 February 1999 / Accepted: 28 July 1999     

Environmental and physiological regulation of transpiration in tropical forest gap species: the influence of boundary layer and hydraulic properties

Environmental and physiological regulation of transpiration were examined in several gap-colonizing shrub and tree species during two consecutive dry seasons in a moist, lowland tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Whole plant transpiration, stomatal and total vapor phase (stomatal + boundary layer) conductance, plant water potential and environmental variables were measured concurrently. This allowed control of transpiration (E) to be partitioned quantitatively between stomatal (g _s) and boundary layer (g _b) conductance and permitted the impact of invividual environmental and physiological variables on stomatal behavior and E to be assessed. Wind speed in treefall gap sites was often below the 0.25 m s^–1 stalling speed of the anemometer used and was rarely above 0.5 m s^–1, resulting in uniformly low g _b (c. 200–300 mmol m^–2 s^–1) among all species studied regardless of leaf size. Stomatal conductance was typically equal to or somewhat greater than g _b. This strongly decoupled E from control by stomata, so that in Miconia argentea a 10% change in g _s when g _s was near its mean value was predicted to yield only a 2.5% change in E. Porometric estimates of E, obtained as the product of g _s and the leaf-bulk air vapor pressure difference (VPD) without taking g _b into account, were up to 300% higher than actual E determined from sap flow measurements. Porometry was thus inadequate as a means of assessing the physiological consequences of stomatal behavior in different gap colonizing species. Stomatal responses to humidity strongly limited the increase in E with increasing evaporative demand. Stomata of all species studied appeared to respond to increasing evaporative demand in the same manner when the leaf surface was selected as the reference point for determination of external vapor pressure and when simultaneous variation of light and leaf-air VPD was taken into account. This result suggests that contrasting stomatal responses to similar leaf-bulk air VPD may be governed as much by the external boundary layer as by intrinsic physiological differences among species. Both E and g _s initially increased sharply with increasing leaf area-specific total hydraulic conductance of the soil/root/leaf pathway (G _t), becoming asymptotic at higher values of G _t. For both E and g _s a unique relationship appeared to describe the response of all species to variations in G _t. The relatively weak correlation observed between g _s and midday leaf water potential suggested that stomatal adjustment to variations in water availability coordinated E with water transport efficiency rather than bulk leaf water status.     

Transpiration in a eucalypt plantation and a savanna in Venezuela

In Venezuela 30,000?km² of land is covered by savannas, of which 410,000?ha have been planted with several species and hybrids of Eucalyptus for lumber and pulp production. Popular concern about possible diminutions in water availability of reservoirs near eucalypt plantations prompted our interest in measuring water use by these trees. Since these savannas are markedly seasonal, the response of species to seasonal drought is important. We aimed to compare the seasonal changes in single-leaf and whole-plant transpiration in a seasonally dry savanna with that of trees of E. urophylla in an experimental plantation. We also examined the seasonal changes in xylem water potential and stomatal response to air water-vapour saturation deficit (D). Transpiration in eucalypts and the dominant savanna species Trachypogon vestitus and Curatella americana was evaluated using measurements of leaf gas exchange in all three species, sap flux in eucalypts, microclimatic variables and allometric and photometric determinations of green area. In E. urophylla and T. vestitus, but not in C. americana, stomatal conductance (g _s) proved sensitive to D. Integrated values of daily courses of transpiration rate were scaled to one ha in a preliminary approach to estimating ecosystem transpiration (E _ha). The E _ha of the savanna (the sum of E _ha of T. vestitus and C. americana) was on average 2.4 times that of eucalypts during the daytime; when nocturnal eucalypt transpiration was included, the value was 1.9. The evapotranspiration calculated by the Penman–Montieth equation (ET_c) of eucalypts was lower than the savanna all year round. The reference crop ET (ET_o) varied little throughout the seasons, the highest value occurring in March. The ratio E _ha/ET_o for the savanna was on average near one during the dry season and almost two during the rainy season; the corresponding value for E. urophylla was 0.6 for both seasons. The ratio E _ha/ET_c was on average 0.8 for the species and the savanna. The cumulative E _ha for the days of measurements was higher in the savanna than in the eucalypts during the daytime (39.8 and 17.3?mm, respectively), as was the cumulative ET_c (37.5 vs. 20.3?mm). Measured and calculated cumulative ET in eucalypts, including nocturnal values, were 22.0 and 28.4?mm, respectively. At the leaf level, both eucalypts and trees of C. americana apparently may have accessed water from deep horizons, since their values of Ψ changed less seasonally than in T. vestitus. At the ecosystem level, the species that presented the largest changes in transpiration was T. vestitus, which markedly increased savanna transpiration during the rainy season. Our results suggest that, for the days of this study, and considering the environmental conditions of the ecosystems studied, the type of measurements and the scaling procedures, stands of E. urophylla transpire less water than the savanna.     

塔里木河下游河岸柽柳林冠层导度变化特征及模拟

冠层导度(G_c)对植被的蒸腾和光合作用具有重要影响。利用涡度相关仪器实测了塔里木河下游河岸柽柳林地的蒸散发,以及气象因子(温度、湿度、总辐射、光和有效辐射),并利用Penman-Monteith公式计算了柽柳林在2013年生长季的冠层导度。结果显示:柽柳林冠层导度日变化过程在8:00左右迅速增大,于10:30左右达到最大值,之后缓慢下降,18:00左右快速降低;柽柳林冠层导度季节变化过程总体显示,展叶期缓慢上升,落叶期迅速下降,生长盛期缓慢波动下降;研究区,叶面积指数(LAI)是影响柽柳冠层导度季节变化的主要因素,其次为温度(T)、光合有效辐射(PAR)、总辐射(S)、空气饱和差(VPD);四元线性回归方程可以较好地拟合冠层导度与各因子的关系,利用2013年奇数天数据建立回归方程,对偶数天冠层导度值进行模拟和验证,RMSE值为0.169 mm/s,NSE值为0.814,达到了较高的模拟精度。     

A stomatal optimization theory to describe the effects of atmospheric CO2 on leaf photosynthesis and transpiration

Background and Aims

Global climate models predict decreases in leaf stomatal conductance and transpiration due to increases in atmospheric CO₂. The consequences of these reductions are increases in soil moisture availability and continental scale run-off at decadal time-scales. Thus, a theory explaining the differential sensitivity of stomata to changing atmospheric CO₂ and other environmental conditions must be identified. Here, these responses are investigated using optimality theory applied to stomatal conductance.

Methods

An analytical model for stomatal conductance is proposed based on: (a) Fickian mass transfer of CO₂ and H₂O through stomata; (b) a biochemical photosynthesis model that relates intercellular CO₂ to net photosynthesis; and (c) a stomatal model based on optimization for maximizing carbon gains when water losses represent a cost. Comparisons between the optimization-based model and empirical relationships widely used in climate models were made using an extensive gas exchange dataset collected in a maturing pine (Pinus taeda) forest under ambient and enriched atmospheric CO₂.

Key Results and Conclusion

In this interpretation, it is proposed that an individual leaf optimally and autonomously regulates stomatal opening on short-term (approx. 10-min time-scale) rather than on daily or longer time-scales. The derived equations are analytical with explicit expressions for conductance, photosynthesis and intercellular CO₂, thereby making the approach useful for climate models. Using a gas exchange dataset collected in a pine forest, it is shown that (a) the cost of unit water loss λ (a measure of marginal water-use efficiency) increases with atmospheric CO₂; (b) the new formulation correctly predicts the condition under which CO₂-enriched atmosphere will cause increasing assimilation and decreasing stomatal conductance.     

Genotypic variation in transpiration of coppiced poplar during the third rotation of a short‐rotation bio‐energy culture

The productivity of short‐rotation coppice (SRC) plantations with poplar (Populus spp.) strongly depends on soil water availability, which limits the future development of its cultivation, and makes the study of the transpirational water loss particularly timely under the ongoing climate change (more frequent drought and floods). This study assesses the transpiration at different scales (leaf, tree and stand) of four poplar genotypes belonging to different species and from a different genetic background grown under an SRC regime. Measurements were performed for an entire growing season during the third year of the third rotation in a commercial scale multigenotype SRC plantation in Flanders (Belgium). Measurements at leaf level were performed on specific days with a contrasted evaporative demand, temperature and incoming shortwave radiation and included stomatal conductance, stem and leaf water potential. Leaf transpiration and leaf hydraulic conductance were obtained from these measurements. To determine the transpiration at the tree level, single‐stem sap flow using the stem heat balance (SHB) method and daily stem diameter variations were measured during the entire growing season. Sap flow‐based canopy transpiration (E_c), seasonal dry biomass yield, and water use efficiency (WUE; g aboveground dry matter/kg water transpired) of the four poplar genotypes were also calculated. The genotypes had contrasting physiological responses to environmental drivers and to soil conditions. Sap flow was tightly linked to the phenological stage of the trees and to the environmental variables (photosynthetically active radiation and vapor pressure deficit). The total E_c for the 2016 growing season was of 334, 350, 483 and 618 mm for the four poplar genotypes, Bakan, Koster, Oudenberg and Grimminge, respectively. The differences in physiological traits and in transpiration of the four genotypes resulted in different responses of WUE.     

Controls of Evapotranspiration and CO2 Fluxes from Scots Pine by Surface Conductance and Abiotic Factors

Evapotranspiration (E) and CO₂ flux (F_c) in the growing season of an unusual dry year were measured continuously over a Scots pine forest in eastern Finland, by eddy covariance techniques. The aims were to gain an understanding of their biological and environmental control processes. As a result, there were obvious diurnal and seasonal changes in E, F_c, surface conductance (g_c), and decoupling coefficient (Ω), showing similar trends to those in radiation (PAR) and vapour pressure deficit (δ). The maximum mean daily values (24-h average) for E, F_c, g_c, and Ω were 1.78 mmol m⁻² s⁻¹, −11.18 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹, 6.27 mm s⁻¹, and 0.31, respectively, with seasonal averages of 0.71 mmol m⁻² s⁻¹, −4.61 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹, 3.3 mm s⁻¹, and 0.16. E and F_c were controlled by combined biological and environmental variables. There was curvilinear dependence of E on g_c and F_c on g_c. Among the environmental variables, PAR was the most important factor having a positive linear relationship to E and curvilinear relationship to F_c, while vapour pressure deficit was the most important environmental factor affecting g_c. Water use efficiency was slightly higher in the dry season, with mean monthly values ranging from 6.67 to 7.48 μmol CO₂ (mmol H₂O)⁻¹ and a seasonal average of 7.06 μmol CO₂ (μmol H₂O)⁻¹. Low Ω and its close positive relationship with g_c indicate that evapotranspiration was sensitive to surface conductance. Mid summer drought reduced surface conductance and decoupling coefficient, suggesting a more biotic control of evapotranspiration and a physiological acclimation to dry air. Surface conductance remained low and constant under dry condition, supporting that a constant value of surface constant can be used for modelling transpiration under drought condition.     

Late-stage canopy tree species with extremely low δ13C and high stomatal sensitivity to seasonal soil drought in the tropical rainforest of French Guiana

We assessed the daily time‐courses of CO₂ assimilation rate (A), leaf transpiration rate (E), stomatal conductance for water vapour (g_s), leaf water potential ( Ψ _w) and tree transpiration in a wet and a dry season for three late‐stage canopy rainforest tree species in French Guiana differing in leaf carbon isotope composition ( δ ¹³C). The lower sunlit leaf δ ¹³C values found in Virola surinamensis ( ? 29·9‰) and in Diplotropis purpurea ( ? 30·9‰), two light‐demanding species, as compared to Eperua falcata ( ? 28·6‰), a shade‐semi‐tolerant species, were clearly associated with higher maximum g_s values of sunlit leaves in the two former species. These two species were also characterized by a high sensitivity of g_s, sap flow density (Ju) and canopy conductance (g_c) to seasonal soil drought, allowing maintenance of high midday Ψ _w values in the dry season. The data for Diplotropis provided an original picture of increasing midday Ψ _w with increasing soil drought. In Virola, stomata were extremely sensitive to seasonal soil drought, leading to a dramatic decrease in leaf and tree transpiration in the dry season, whereas midday Ψ _w remained close to ? 0·3 MPa. The mechanisms underlying such an extremely high sensitivity of stomata to soil drought remain unknown. In Eperua, g_s of sunlit leaves was non‐responsive to seasonal drought, whereas Ju and g_c were lower in the dry season. This suggests a higher stomatal sensitivity to seasonal drought in shaded leaves than in sunlit ones in this species.     

Stomatal control of transpiration in the canopy of a clonal Eucalyptus grandis plantation

 Predawn leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and microclimatic variables were measured on 13 sampling days from November 1995 through August 1996 to determine how environmental and physiological factors affect water use at the canopy scale in a plantation of mature clonal Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex-Maiden hybrids in the State of Espirito Santo, Brazil. The simple ”big leaf” Penman-Monteith model was used to estimate canopy transpiration. During the study period the predawn leaf water potential varied from –0.4 to –1.3 MPa, with the minimum values observed in the winter months (June and August 1996), while the average estimated values for canopy conductance and canopy transpiration fell from 17.3 to 5.8 mm s^–1 and from 0.54 to 0.18 mm h^–1, respectively. On the basis of all measurements, the average value of the decoupling coefficient was 0.25. During continuous soil water shortage a proportional reduction was observed in predawn leaf water potential and in daily maximum values of stomatal conductance, canopy transpiration and decoupling coefficient. The results showed that water vapour exchange in this canopy is strongly dominated by the regional vapour pressure deficit and that canopy transpiration is controlled mainly by stomatal conductance. On a seasonal basis, stomatal conductance and canopy transpiration were mainly related to predawn leaf water potential and, thus, to soil moisture and rainfall. Good results were obtained with a multiplicative empirical model that uses values of photosynthetically active radiation, vapour pressure deficit and predawn leaf water potential to estimate stomatal conductance. Received: 10 June 1998 / Accepted: 20 July 1998