Hydraulic redistribution affects modeled carbon cycling via soil microbial activity and suppressed fire

Fu, Congsheng; Wang, Guiling; Bible, Kenneth; Goulden, Michael L.; Saleska, Scott R.; Scott, Russell L.; Cardon, Zoe G.

doi:10.1111/gcb.14164

Title: Hydraulic redistribution affects modeled carbon cycling via soil microbial activity and suppressed fire

Journal Article · Wed May 16 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Global Change Biology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14164· OSTI ID:1464431

^[1];

^[1]; Bible, Kenneth ^[2]; Goulden, Michael L. ^[3]; Saleska, Scott R. ^[4]; Scott, Russell L. ^[5];

^[6]

Department of Civil &, Environmental Engineering Center for Environmental Science and Engineering University of Connecticut Storrs Connecticut
Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station Portland Oregon
Department of Earth System Science University of California Irvine California
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Arizona Tucson Arizona
Southwest Watershed Research Center USDA‐Agricultural Research Service Tucson Arizona
The Ecosystems Center Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole Massachusetts

Abstract Hydraulic redistribution (HR) of water from moist to drier soils, through plant roots, occurs world‐wide in seasonally dry ecosystems. Although the influence of HR on landscape hydrology and plant water use has been amply demonstrated, HR's effects on microbe‐controlled processes sensitive to soil moisture, including carbon and nutrient cycling at ecosystem scales, remain difficult to observe in the field and have not been integrated into a predictive framework. We incorporated a representation of HR into the Community Land Model (CLM4.5) and found the new model improved predictions of water, energy, and system‐scale carbon fluxes observed by eddy covariance at four seasonally dry yet ecologically diverse temperate and tropical AmeriFlux sites. Modeled plant productivity and microbial activities were differentially stimulated by upward HR, resulting at times in increased plant demand outstripping increased nutrient supply. Modeled plant productivity and microbial activities were diminished by downward HR. Overall, inclusion of HR tended to increase modeled annual ecosystem uptake of CO ₂ (or reduce annual CO ₂ release to the atmosphere). Moreover, engagement of CLM4.5′s ground‐truthed fire module indicated that though HR increased modeled fuel load at all four sites, upward HR also moistened surface soil and hydrated vegetation sufficiently to limit the modeled spread of dry season fire and concomitant very large CO ₂ emissions to the atmosphere. Historically, fire has been a dominant ecological force in many seasonally dry ecosystems, and intensification of soil drought and altered precipitation regimes are expected for seasonally dry ecosystems in the future. HR may play an increasingly important role mitigating development of extreme soil water potential gradients and associated limitations on plant and soil microbial activities, and may inhibit the spread of fire in seasonally dry ecosystems.

View Accepted Manuscript (Publisher)

Cite

Export

Save

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: DE‐SC0008182 ER65389

OSTI ID:: 1464431

Journal Information:: Global Change Biology, Journal Name: Global Change Biology Vol. 24 Journal Issue: 8; ISSN 1354-1013

Publisher:: Wiley-BlackwellCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United Kingdom

Language:: English

Citation Metrics:

Cited by: 14 works

Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (61)

Emissions of N ₂ O from tropical forest soils: Response to fertilization with NH ₄ ⁺ , NO ₃ ⁻ , and PO ₄ ³⁻ Keller, M.; Kaplan, W. A.; Wofsy, S. C. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 93, Issue D2 https://doi.org/10.1029/JD093iD02p01600	journal	January 1988
Potential canopy interception of nitrogen in the Pacific Northwest, USA Klopatek, Jeffrey M.; Barry, Matthew J.; Johnson, Dale W. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 234, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2006.07.019	journal	October 2006
Recuperation of nitrogen cycling in Amazonian forests following agricultural abandonment Davidson, Eric A.; de Carvalho, Cláudio J. Reis; Figueira, Adelaine Michela Nature, Vol. 447, Issue 7147 https://doi.org/10.1038/nature05900	journal	June 2007
Cross-biome assessment of gross soil nitrogen cycling in California ecosystems Yang, Wendy H.; Ryals, Rebecca A.; Cusack, Daniela F. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, Vol. 107 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.01.004	journal	April 2017
Incorporating root hydraulic redistribution in CLM4.5: Effects on predicted site and global evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and water storage: ROOT HYDRAULIC REDISTRIBUTION IN CLM4.5 Tang, Jinyun; Riley, William J.; Niu, Jie Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems, Vol. 7, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015MS000484	journal	November 2015
Controls on gross production by a semiarid forest growing near its warm and dry ecotonal limit Fellows, Aaron W.; Goulden, Michael L. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 169 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.10.001	journal	February 2013
Hydraulic lift: Substantial nocturnal water transport between soil layers by Artemisia tridentata roots Richards, J. H.; Caldwell, M. M. Oecologia, Vol. 73, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00379405	journal	October 1987
Hydraulic redistribution of soil water during summer drought in two contrasting Pacific Northwest coniferous forests Brooks, J. R.; Meinzer, F. C.; Coulombe, R. Tree Physiology, Vol. 22, Issue 15-16 https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/22.15-16.1107	journal	November 2002
Effects of climate extremes on the terrestrial carbon cycle: concepts, processes and potential future impacts Frank, Dorothea; Reichstein, Markus; Bahn, Michael Global Change Biology, Vol. 21, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12916	journal	May 2015
Modeling the carbon balance of Amazonian rain forests: resolving ecological controls on net ecosystem productivity Grant, R. F.; Hutyra, L. R.; Oliveira, R. Cde Ecological Monographs, Vol. 79, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1890/08-0074.1	journal	August 2009
The role of deep roots in the hydrological and carbon cycles of Amazonian forests and pastures Nepstad, Daniel C.; de Carvalho, Claudio R.; Davidson, Eric A. Nature, Vol. 372, Issue 6507 https://doi.org/10.1038/372666a0	journal	December 1994
Effects of seasonal drought on net carbon dioxide exchange from a woody-plant-encroached semiarid grassland Scott, Russell L.; Jenerette, G. Darrel; Potts, Daniel L. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 114, Issue G4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JG000900	journal	January 2009
Impacts of hydraulic redistribution on grass-tree competition vs facilitation in a semi-arid savanna Barron-Gafford, Greg A.; Sanchez-Cañete, Enrique P.; Minor, Rebecca L. New Phytologist, Vol. 215, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14693	journal	July 2017
Evergreen Coniferous Forests of the Pacific Northwest Waring, R. H.; Franklin, J. F. Science, Vol. 204, Issue 4400 https://doi.org/10.1126/science.204.4400.1380	journal	June 1979
Contribution of hydraulically lifted deep moisture to the water budget in a Southern California mixed forest: CONTRIBUTION OF HYDRAULICALLY LIFTED Kitajima, Kuni; Allen, Michael F.; Goulden, Michael L. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 118, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/2012JG002255	journal	November 2013
The Effect of Phosphorus Availability on Decomposition Dynamics in a Seasonal Lowland Amazonian Forest McGroddy, Megan E.; Silver, Whendee L.; Oliveira, Raimundo Cosme de Ecosystems, Vol. 7, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-003-0208-y	journal	March 2004
Relationships between climate, vegetation, and energy exchange across a montane gradient Anderson, Ray G.; Goulden, Michael L. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 116, Issue G1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JG001476	journal	January 2011
Biogeochemistry of Adjacent Conifer and Alder-Conifer Stands Binkley, Dan; Sollins, Phillip; Bell, Randy Ecology, Vol. 73, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.2307/1941452	journal	December 1992
Summarizing multiple aspects of model performance in a single diagram Taylor, Karl E. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, Vol. 106, Issue D7 https://doi.org/10.1029/2000JD900719	journal	April 2001
From tropics to tundra: Global convergence in plant functioning Reich, P. B.; Walters, M. B.; Ellsworth, D. S. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 94, Issue 25 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.94.25.13730	journal	December 1997
Root niche separation can explain avoidance of seasonal drought stress and vulnerability of overstory trees to extended drought in a mature Amazonian forest: ROOT NICHE SEPARATION AS DROUGHT AVOIDANCE STRATEGY Ivanov, Valeriy Y.; Hutyra, Lucy R.; Wofsy, Steven C. Water Resources Research, Vol. 48, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1029/2012WR011972	journal	December 2012
Hydraulic redistribution by plants and nutrient stoichiometry: Shifts under global change: PLANTS AND AVAILABILITY AND CYCLING OF WATER AND NUTRIENTS Sardans, Jordi; Peñuelas, Josep Ecohydrology, Vol. 7, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1459	journal	January 2014
The carbon balance pivot point of southwestern U.S. semiarid ecosystems: Insights from the 21st century drought Scott, Russell L.; Biederman, Joel A.; Hamerlynck, Erik P. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 120, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JG003181	journal	December 2015
Resolving systematic errors in estimates of net ecosystem exchange of CO2 and ecosystem respiration in a tropical forest biome Hutyra, Lucy R.; Munger, J. William; Hammond-Pyle, Elizabeth Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 148, Issue 8-9 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2008.03.007	journal	July 2008
Hydraulic redistribution may stimulate decomposition Aanderud, Zachary T.; Richards, James H. Biogeochemistry, Vol. 95, Issue 2-3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-009-9339-3	journal	July 2009
Hydraulic lift as a determinant of tree-grass coexistence on savannas Yu, Kailiang; D'Odorico, Paolo New Phytologist, Vol. 207, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13431	journal	April 2015
Quantifying the role of fire in the Earth system – Part 1: Improved global fire modeling in the Community Earth System Model (CESM1) Li, F.; Levis, S.; Ward, D. S. Biogeosciences, Vol. 10, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-2293-2013	journal	January 2013
Sagebrush carrying out hydraulic lift enhances surface soil nitrogen cycling and nitrogen uptake into inflorescences Cardon, Z. G.; Stark, J. M.; Herron, P. M. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 110, Issue 47 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1311314110	journal	November 2013
Hydraulic redistribution in a stand of Artemisia tridentata: evaluation of benefits to transpiration assessed with a simulation model Ryel, R.; Caldwell, M.; Yoder, C. Oecologia, Vol. 130, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420100794	journal	January 2002
A model for hydraulic redistribution incorporating coupled soil-root moisture transport Amenu, G. G.; Kumar, P. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 12, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-12-55-2008	journal	January 2008
Hydraulic redistribution of soil water by roots affects whole-stand evapotranspiration and net ecosystem carbon exchange Domec, Jean-Christophe; King, John S.; Noormets, Asko New Phytologist, Vol. 187, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03245.x	journal	April 2010
The magnitude of hydraulic redistribution by plant roots: a review and synthesis of empirical and modeling studies: Tansley review Neumann, Rebecca B.; Cardon, Zoe G. New Phytologist, Vol. 194, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04088.x	journal	March 2012
Modeling the dynamic root water uptake and its hydrological impact at the Reserva Jaru site in Amazonia: MODELING THE DYNAMIC ROOT WATER UPTAKE Zheng, Zhe; Wang, Guiling Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, Vol. 112, Issue G4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JG000413	journal	December 2007
Flux partitioning in an old-growth forest: seasonal and interannual dynamics Falk, M.; Wharton, S.; Schroeder, M. Tree Physiology, Vol. 28, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/28.4.509	journal	April 2008
Rapid soil Moisture Recharge to Depth by Roots in a Stand of Artemisia Tridentata Ryel, R. J.; Caldwell, M. M.; Leffler, A. J. Ecology, Vol. 84, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658(2003)084[0757:RSMRTD]2.0.CO;2	journal	March 2003
Biometric and Micrometeorological Measurements of Tropical Forest Carbon Balance Miller, Scott D.; Goulden, Michael L.; Menton, Mary C. Ecological Applications, Vol. 14, Issue sp4 https://doi.org/10.1890/02-6005	journal	August 2004
Seven decades of stand development in mixed and pure stands of conifers and nitrogen-fixing red alder Binkley, Dan Canadian Journal of Forest Research, Vol. 33, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1139/x03-158	journal	November 2003
Root functioning modifies seasonal climate Lee, J. -E.; Oliveira, R. S.; Dawson, T. E. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Vol. 102, Issue 49 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0508785102	journal	November 2005
Hydraulic lift: consequences of water efflux from the roots of plants Caldwell, Martyn M.; Dawson, Todd E.; Richards, James H. Oecologia, Vol. 113, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420050363	journal	January 1998
Converging patterns of uptake and hydraulic redistribution of soil water in contrasting woody vegetation types Meinzer, F. C.; Brooks, J. R.; Bucci, S. Tree Physiology, Vol. 24, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/24.8.919	journal	August 2004
The ecohydrologic significance of hydraulic redistribution in a semiarid savanna: HYDRAULIC REDISTRIBUTION IN A SEMIARID SAVANNA Scott, Russell L.; Cable, William L.; Hultine, Kevin R. Water Resources Research, Vol. 44, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007WR006149	journal	February 2008
Vertical stratification of soil water storage and release dynamics in Pacific Northwest coniferous forests Warren, J. M.; Meinzer, F. C.; Brooks, J. R. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 130, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2005.01.004	journal	May 2005
Numerical simulations of hydraulic redistribution across climates: The role of the root hydraulic conductivities Quijano, Juan C.; Kumar, Praveen Water Resources Research, Vol. 51, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1002/2014WR016509	journal	October 2015
Modeling and measuring the effects of disturbance history and climate on carbon and water budgets in evergreen needleleaf forests Thornton, P. E.; Law, B. E.; Gholz, Henry L. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, Vol. 113, Issue 1-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-1923(02)00108-9	journal	December 2002
Combined measurement and modeling of the hydrological impact of hydraulic redistribution using CLM4.5 at eight AmeriFlux sites Fu, Congsheng; Wang, Guiling; Goulden, Michael L. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 20, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-20-2001-2016	journal	January 2016
VIC+ for water-limited conditions: A study of biological and hydrological processes and their interactions in soil-plant-atmosphere continuum: VIC+ FOR WATER-LIMITED CONDITIONS Luo, Xiangyu; Liang, Xu; McCarthy, Heather R. Water Resources Research, Vol. 49, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1002/2012WR012851	journal	November 2013
Landscape pattern and spatial variability of leaf area index in Eastern Amazonia Aragão, Luiz Eduardo O. C.; Shimabukuro, Yosio Edemir; Espírito Santo, Fernando D. B. Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 211, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2005.02.062	journal	June 2005
Ecological Setting of the Wind River Old-growth Forest Shaw, DavidC.; Franklin, JerryF.; Bible, Ken Ecosystems, Vol. 7, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-004-0135-6	journal	May 2004
Hydraulic redistribution in three Amazonian trees Oliveira, Rafael S.; Dawson, Todd E.; Burgess, Stephen S. O. Oecologia, Vol. 145, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0108-2	journal	August 2005
Water release through plant roots: new insights into its consequences at the plant and ecosystem level: Tansley review Prieto, Iván; Armas, Cristina; Pugnaire, Francisco I. New Phytologist, Vol. 193, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.04039.x	journal	January 2012
A process-based fire parameterization of intermediate complexity in a Dynamic Global Vegetation Model Li, F.; Zeng, X. D.; Levis, S. Biogeosciences, Vol. 9, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-9-2761-2012	journal	January 2012
A global analysis of root distributions for terrestrial biomes Jackson, R. B.; Canadell, J.; Ehleringer, J. R. Oecologia, Vol. 108, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00333714	journal	November 1996
Comprehensive assessment of carbon productivity, allocation and storage in three Amazonian forests Malhi, Yadvinder; AragÃO, Luiz Eduardo O. C.; Metcalfe, Daniel B. Global Change Biology, Vol. 15, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01780.x	journal	May 2009
The effect of vertically resolved soil biogeochemistry and alternate soil C and N models on C dynamics of CLM4 Koven, C. D.; Riley, W. J.; Subin, Z. M. Biogeosciences, Vol. 10, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-7109-2013	journal	January 2013
Assessing the potential hydrological impacts of hydraulic redistribution in Amazonia using a numerical modeling approach: IMPACT OF HYDRAULIC REDISTRIBUTION IN AMAZONIA Wang, Guiling Water Resources Research, Vol. 47, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2010WR009601	journal	February 2011
Droughts, hydraulic redistribution, and their impact on vegetation composition in the Amazon forest Wang, Guiling; Alo, Clement; Mei, Rui Plant Ecology, Vol. 212, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-010-9860-4	journal	December 2010
Topographic position modulates the mycorrhizal response of oak trees to interannual rainfall variability Querejeta, JoséI.; Egerton-Warburton, Louise M.; Allen, Michael F. Ecology, Vol. 90, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1890/07-1696.1	journal	March 2009
Terrestrial biosphere models need better representation of vegetation phenology: results from the North American Carbon Program Site Synthesis Richardson, Andrew D.; Anderson, Ryan S.; Arain, M. Altaf Global Change Biology, Vol. 18, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02562.x	journal	November 2011
Influence of mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) on soil nitrogen and carbon development: Implications for global carbon sequestration Geesing, Dieter; Felker, Peter; Bingham, Ralph L. Journal of Arid Environments, Vol. 46, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1006/jare.2000.0661	journal	October 2000
Soil Organic Matter Responses to Anthropogenic Forest Disturbance and Land Use Change in the Eastern Brazilian Amazon Durigan, Mariana; Cherubin, Maurício; de Camargo, Plínio Sustainability, Vol. 9, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.3390/su9030379	journal	March 2017
Empirical equations for some soil hydraulic properties Clapp, Roger B.; Hornberger, George M. Water Resources Research, Vol. 14, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1029/WR014i004p00601	journal	August 1978

Similar Records

Combined measurement and modeling of the hydrological impact of hydraulic redistribution using CLM4.5 at eight AmeriFlux sites

Journal Article · Tue May 17 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Hydrology and Earth System Sciences (Online) · OSTI ID:1464431

Fu, Congsheng; Wang, Guiling; Goulden, Michael L.; +3 more

Warm-season net CO ₂ uptake outweighs cold-season emissions over Alaskan North Slope tundra under current and RCP8.5 climate

Journal Article · Fri Apr 30 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Environmental Research Letters · OSTI ID:1464431

Tao, Jing; Zhu, Qing; Riley, William J.; +1 more

Missing links in the root-soil organic matter continuum

Journal Article · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2009 · New Phytologist · OSTI ID:1464431

O'Brien, Sarah L.; Iversen, Colleen M

Title: Hydraulic redistribution affects modeled carbon cycling via soil microbial activity and suppressed fire

Citation Formats

References (61)

Similar Records

Related Subjects