Dew is an important water resource for plants in most deserts. The mechanism that allows desert plants to use dew water was studied using an isotopic water tracer approach. Most plants use water directly from the soil; the roots transfer the water to the rest of the plant, where it is required for all metabolic functions. However, many plants can also take up water into their leaves and stems. Examining the dew water uptake pathways in desert plants can lend insight on another all water-use pathways examination. We determined where and how dew water enters plants in the water limited Negev desert. Highly depleted isotopic water was sprayed on three different dominant plant species of the Negev desert—Artemesia sieberi, Salsola inermis and Haloxylon scoparium—and its entry into the plant was followed. Water was sprayed onto the soil only, or on the leaves/stems only (with soil covered to prevent water entry via root uptake). Thereafter, the isotopic composition of water in the roots and stems were measured at various time points. The results show that each plant species used the dew water to a different extent, and we obtained evidence of foliar uptake capacity of dew water that varied depending on the microenvironmental conditions. A. sieberi took up the greatest amount of dew water through both stems and roots, S. inermis took up dew water mainly from the roots, and H. scoparium showed the least dew capture overall.

露水是大多数沙漠中植物的重要水资源。使用同位素水示踪剂方法研究了允许荒漠植物使用露水的机制。大多数植物直接利用土壤中的水。根将水转移到植物的其余部分，这是所有新陈代谢功能所必需的。但是，许多植物也可以将水分吸收到其叶和茎中。检查沙漠植物中的露水吸收途径可以为另一种所有用水途径的检验提供见识。我们确定了水有限的内盖夫沙漠中露水从何处以及如何进入植物。在内盖夫沙漠的三种不同优势植物上分别喷洒了高度消耗的同位素水：西蒿，无叶Salsola inermis和Haloxylon scoparium-随后进入了工厂。仅将水喷洒在土壤上，或仅喷洒在叶/茎上（覆盖土壤以防止水分通过根部吸收进入）。此后，在各个时间点测量根和茎中水的同位素组成。结果表明，每种植物对露水的使用程度不同，并且我们获得了露水对叶的吸收能力的证据，随微环境条件的变化而变化。A. sieberi拿起露水量最大的通过两个茎和根，S.麦拿起露水主要来自根，花棒显示，至少露捕获的整体。