Diurnal patterns of water use in Eucalyptus victrix indicate pronounced desiccation-rehydration cycles despite unlimited water supply.

摘要

Knowledge about nocturnal transpiration (E_night) of trees is increasing and its impact on regional water and carbon balance has been recognized. Most of this knowledge has been generated in temperate or equatorial regions. Yet, little is known about E_night and tree water use (Q) in semi-arid regions. We investigated the influence of atmospheric conditions on daytime (Q_day) and nighttime water transport (Q_night) of Eucalyptus victrix L.A.S. Johnson & K.D. Hill growing over shallow groundwater (not >1.5 m in depth) in semi-arid tropical Australia. We recorded Q_day and Q_night at different tree heights in conjunction with measurements of stomatal conductance (g_s) and partitioned E_night from refilling processes. Q of average-sized trees (200-400 mm diameter) was 1000-3000 l month-1, but increased exponentially with diameter such that large trees (>500 mm diameter) used up to 8000 l month-1. Q was remarkably stable across seasons. Water flux densities (J_s) varied significantly at different tree heights during day and night. We show that g_s remained significantly different from zero and E_night was always greater than zero due to vapor pressure deficits (D) that remained >1.5 kPa at night throughout the year. Q_night reached a maximum of 50% of Q_day and was >0.03 mm h-1 averaged across seasons. Refilling began during afternoon hours and continued well into the night. Q_night eventually stabilized and closely tracked D_night. Coupling of Q_night and D_night was particularly strong during the wet season (R2=0.95). We suggest that these trees have developed the capacity to withstand a pronounced desiccation-rehydration cycle in a semi-arid environment. Such a cycle has important implications for local and regional hydrological budgets of semi-arid landscapes, as large nighttime water fluxes must be included in any accounting.