Abstract
Key message
Year-round observation suggests that sap flow in growing season represents species-specific transpiration characteristics and sap flow of deciduous broadleaved species in non-growing season is related to daily changes in stem diameter.
Abstract
Year-round observation is necessary to investigate species-specific characteristics of sap flow and its possible contribution in non-growing season. The middle Loess Plateau in China is characterized by temperate climate and vegetation cover of generally drought-tolerant deciduous broadleaved and some evergreen coniferous trees. In this study, Granier-type thermal dissipation probes were applied to measure year-round xylem sap flow in three species from April 2017 to April 2018. Solar radiation, air temperature, relative air humidity, precipitation, and soil moisture were monitored continuously. The results showed that the peak time of sap flux density (Fd) in the diurnal courses of Robinia pseudoacacia was later than that of Quercus liaotungensis and Platycladus orientalis. The peak time of Fd for R. pseudoacacia was significantly postponed during the period with higher soil moisture when compared with that at lower soil moisture, whereas the peak time was reached slightly earlier in the other two species. Sap flow during the non-growing season was relatively higher in P. orientalis than in the two broadleaved species. The diurnal course of Fd in non-growing season showed high values at nighttime and low values in daytime, opposite to that in growing season. Daily variation in stem diameter was inverse of the change in sap flow in the two broadleaved species, whereas the daily change in stem diameter of P. orientalis was very small and showed no clear relation with sap flow. The results suggest that changes in transpiration characteristics with soil moisture conditions vary with tree species; sap flow in deciduous broadleaved trees in non-growing season is small and closely related to daily changes in stem diameter.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant Number 2017YFC0504601) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Numbers 41171419, 41471440, 41411140035).
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JL and SD conceived the research. JL, QYH, JY, QWC and RRC conducted the field investigations. JL analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. All members commented on the data analyses and reviewed the manuscript.
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Lyu, J., He, QY., Yang, J. et al. Sap flow characteristics in growing and non-growing seasons in three tree species in the semiarid Loess Plateau region of China. Trees 34, 943–955 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-020-01972-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-020-01972-1