Transpiration and Hydraulic Strategies in a Pinyon-Juniper Woodland

Anthropogenic climate change is likely to alter the patterns of moisture availability globally. The consequences of these changes on species distributions and ecosystem function are largely unknown, but possibly predictable based on key ecophysiological differences among currently coexisting species. In this study, we examined the environmental and biological controls on transpiration from a piñon–juniper (Pinus edulis–Juniperus osteosperma) woodland in southern Utah, USA. The potential for climate-change-associated shifts in moisture inputs could play a critical role in influencing the relative vulnerabilities of piñons and junipers to drought and affecting management decisions regarding the persistence of this...

Categories: Publication; Types: Citation, Journal Citation; Tags: Ecological Applications, Juniperus osteosperma, Pinus edulis, drought, hydraulic transport model, All tags... pin˜on–juniper woodlands, plant water use, sap flux, species distributions, Fewer tags