Divergence in plant water-use strategies in semiarid woody species

Nolan, RH; Fairweather, KA; Tarin, T; Santini, NS; Cleverly, J; Faux, R; Eamus, D

Divergence in plant water-use strategies in semiarid woody species

Nolan, RH

Fairweather, KA Tarin, T Santini, NS

Cleverly, J

Faux, R

Eamus, D

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Functional Plant Biology, 2017, 44 (11), pp. 1134 - 1146
Issue Date:: 2017-01-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Nolan, RH https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9277-5142	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Fairweather, KA	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Tarin, T	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Santini, NS https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8319-8862	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Cleverly, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2731-7150	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Faux, R https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9761-9832	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Eamus, D https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2765-8040	en_US
dc.date.issued	2017-01-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Functional Plant Biology, 2017, 44 (11), pp. 1134 - 1146	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1445-4408	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/123715
dc.description.abstract	© 2017 CSIRO. Partitioning of water resources amongst plant species within a single climate envelope is possible if the species differ in key hydraulic traits. We examined 11 bivariate trait relationships across nine woody species found in the Ti-Tree basin of central Australia. We found that species with limited access to soil moisture, evidenced by low pre-dawn leaf water potential, displayed anisohydric behaviour (e.g. large seasonal fluctuations in minimum leaf water potential), had greater sapwood density and lower osmotic potential at full turgor. Osmotic potential at full turgor was positively correlated with the leaf water potential at turgor loss, which was, in turn, positively correlated with the water potential at incipient stomatal closure. We also observed divergent behaviour in two species of Mulga, a complex of closely related Acacia species which range from tall shrubs to low trees and dominate large areas of arid and semiarid Australia. These Mulga species had much lower minimum leaf water potentials and lower specific leaf area compared with the other seven species. Finally, one species, Hakea macrocarpa A.Cunn ex.R.Br., had traits that may allow it to tolerate seasonal dryness (through possession of small specific leaf area and cavitation resistant xylem) despite exhibiting cellular water relations that were similar to groundwater-dependent species. We conclude that traits related to water transport and leaf water status differ across species that experience differences in soil water availability and that this enables a diversity of species to exist in this low rainfall environment.	en_US
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP140101150
dc.relation	http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/
dc.relation.ispartof	Functional Plant Biology	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1071/FP17079	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Plant Biology & Botany	en_US
dc.title	Divergence in plant water-use strategies in semiarid woody species	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	11	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	44	en_US
utslib.for	0607 Plant Biology	en_US
utslib.for	0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Life Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	11	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	44	en_US

Abstract:

© 2017 CSIRO. Partitioning of water resources amongst plant species within a single climate envelope is possible if the species differ in key hydraulic traits. We examined 11 bivariate trait relationships across nine woody species found in the Ti-Tree basin of central Australia. We found that species with limited access to soil moisture, evidenced by low pre-dawn leaf water potential, displayed anisohydric behaviour (e.g. large seasonal fluctuations in minimum leaf water potential), had greater sapwood density and lower osmotic potential at full turgor. Osmotic potential at full turgor was positively correlated with the leaf water potential at turgor loss, which was, in turn, positively correlated with the water potential at incipient stomatal closure. We also observed divergent behaviour in two species of Mulga, a complex of closely related Acacia species which range from tall shrubs to low trees and dominate large areas of arid and semiarid Australia. These Mulga species had much lower minimum leaf water potentials and lower specific leaf area compared with the other seven species. Finally, one species, Hakea macrocarpa A.Cunn ex.R.Br., had traits that may allow it to tolerate seasonal dryness (through possession of small specific leaf area and cavitation resistant xylem) despite exhibiting cellular water relations that were similar to groundwater-dependent species. We conclude that traits related to water transport and leaf water status differ across species that experience differences in soil water availability and that this enables a diversity of species to exist in this low rainfall environment.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/123715