Prosopis tamarugo Phil. is a legume tree native to the Atacama Desert, Chile. Tamarugo has physiological characteristics that are highly adapted to extreme life conditions in the Pampa del Tamarugal. Null precipitation makes tamarugo completely dependent on groundwater, developing in areas where the groundwater depth is closest to the surface. Groundwater extraction for domestic consumption, mining, and agriculture affects the desert ecosystem by lowering the water table. Measuring and describing the impacts on vegetation through the monitoring of physiological variables along with groundwater depletion in salt flats where extraction wells are located has contributed to a better understanding of tamarugo response to this stress factor. Integrated variables such as green canopy fraction, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), 18O isotope enrichment in foliar tissue, and twig growth proved to be far more reactive toward groundwater depth increase and presented lower error values. These variables respond to mechanisms that tamarugo has to maintain a stable water condition when water offer (water table depth (WTD)) decreases regarding water demand (transpiration). Defoliation along with twig growth diminishment would combine toward a canopy reduction strategy in order to reduce water demand. Green biomass loss, beyond a certain WTD, would lead to complete drying of the tamarugo. Up to 10 m of groundwater table depth, Tamarugo grows, has photosynthetic activity, and has the ability to perform pulvinary movements. Beyond 20 m of water table depth, tamarugo survival is compromised and hydraulic failure is inferred to occur. The current scenario is of groundwater over-exploitation; if economic efforts will be made to conserve and/or restore tamarugo, habitat groundwater extraction is a key element in effective management. Reaching of the thresholds depends on the adequate authority management of groundwater. The objectives of this review are (a) to review information collected from scientific studies regarding tamarugo condition and its response, over time, to WTD increase, (b) to identify WTD thresholds that affect tamarugo’s functioning, and (c) to propose a sequence of physiological events triggered by groundwater (GW) depletion.

中文翻译：

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Prosopis tamarugo Phil.：来自阿塔卡马沙漠地下水位深度阈值保护的原生树

普罗索皮斯塔马鲁戈菲尔。是一种原产于智利阿塔卡马沙漠的豆科植物。塔马鲁戈具有高度适应潘帕德尔塔马鲁加尔极端生活条件的生理特征。零降水使 ta​​marago 完全依赖地下水，在地下水深度最接近地表的地区发展。用于家庭消费、采矿和农业的地下水开采会降低地下水位，从而影响沙漠生态系统。通过监测生理变量以及提取井所在盐滩的地下水枯竭来测量和描述对植被的影响，有助于更好地了解 tamarugo 对这一压力因素的反应。综合变量，如绿色冠层分数、归一化差异植被指数 (NDVI)、叶组织中的 18O 同位素富集和枝条生长被证明对地下水深度增加的反应要大得多，并且误差值较低。这些变量响应当供水（地下水位深度（WTD））因需水量（蒸腾作用）而降低时，塔马鲁戈必须保持稳定的水条件的机制。落叶与树枝生长减少将结合起来形成树冠减少策略，以减少对水的需求。超过一定 WTD 的绿色生物质损失将导致 tamarago 完全干燥。高达 10 m 的地下水位深度，Tamarugo 生长，具有光合作用活动，并具有执行叶脉运动的能力。超过 20 m 的地下水位深度，tamarugo 的生存就会受到影响，并且推断会发生液压故障。目前的情况是地下水过度开采；如果要做出经济努力来保护和/或恢复塔马鲁戈，那么提取栖息地地下水是有效管理的一个关键因素。达到阈值取决于对地下水的适当权限管理。本次审查的目的是 (a) 审查从科学研究中收集的关于 tamarugo 状况及其随时间推移对 WTD 增加的反应的信息，(b) 确定影响 tamarugo 功能的 WTD 阈值，以及 (c) 提出一个序列地下水 (GW) 枯竭引发的生理事件。