Abstract
Big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) is a widespread and locally dominant shrub that is a key driver of water fluxes and storage in western North America. There are several recognized subspecies of big sagebrush that occupy different microsites across the landscape according to moisture availability, yet little is known about how these subspecies vary in drought tolerance or water management strategies. We measured diurnal and seasonal (i.e., early-, mid-, and late summer) variation in water status and transport efficiency, transpiration, and stomatal regulations in two subspecies of big sagebrush (A.t. wyomingensis and A.t. vaseyana) at the Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory in southwestern Idaho. We hypothesized that water status, transport efficiency, and stomatal regulations would be greater in A.t. vaseyana compared to A.t. wyomingensis, because the first subspecies occupies wetter microsites. Predawn and midday water potentials were up to 2× more negative in A.t. wyomingensis compared to A.t. vaseyana, and transpiration was up to ~ 4× greater in A.t. vaseyana compared to A.t. wyomingensis. A.t. vaseyana was more isohydric with ~ 1.5× greater stomatal sensitivity to atmospheric vapor pressure deficit and a smaller hydroscape, compared to A.t. wyomingensis. Our data demonstrate that there are fundamental differences in plant–water relations among these subspecies that constitute the vast, but not homogeneous sagebrush landscapes. These important differences can have implications for modeling water fluxes in big sagebrush-dominated communities at shrub to ecosystem scales.
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Acknowledgements
This research was performed in collaboration and cooperation with USDA Agricultural Research Service, Northwest Watershed Research Center, Boise, Idaho, and landowners within the Reynolds Creek Critical Zone Observatory (RC-CZO). We thank Dr. Ken Aho for help with making hydroscapes. We gratefully acknowledge the comments from two anonymous reviewers, whose input greatly improved this manuscript. Support for this research was provided by the National Science Foundation Reynolds Creek CZO Cooperative Agreement NSF EAR 1331872.
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Communicated by Georgianne W. Moore.
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Sharma, H., Reinhardt, K. & Lohse, K.A. Fundamental intra-specific differences in plant–water relations in a widespread desert shrub (Artemisia tridentata). Plant Ecol 221, 925–938 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-020-01051-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-020-01051-y