Hydraulic redistribution by deeply rooted grasses and its ecohydrologic implications in the southern Great Plains of North America
Abstract
Abstract Perennial bioenergy crops with deep (>1 m) rooting systems, such as switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.), are hypothesized to increase carbon storage in deep soil. Deeply rooted plants may also affect soil hydrology by accessing deep soil water for transpiration, which can affect soil water content and infiltration in deep soil layers, thereby affecting groundwater recharge. Using stable H and O isotope (δ 2 H and δ 18 O) and 3 H values, we studied the soil water conditions at 20–30 cm intervals to depths of 2.4–3.6 m in paired fields of switchgrass and shallow rooted crops at three sites in the southern Great Plains of North America. We found that soil under switchgrass had consistently higher soil water content than nearby soil under shallow‐rooted annual crops by a margin of 15%–100%. Soil water content and isotopic depth profiles indicated that hydraulic redistribution of deep soil water by switchgrass roots explained these observed soil water differences. To our knowledge, these are the first observations of hydraulic redistribution in deeply rooted grasses, and complement earlier observations of dynamic soil water fluxes under shallow‐rooted grasses. Hydraulic redistribution by switchgrass may be a strategy for drought avoidance, wherein the plant may actively prevent water limitation.more »
- Authors:
-
[1];
[1];
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States); Korea Advanced Inst. of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea)
- Noble Research Inst., Ardmore, OK (United States)
- Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1828668
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1820685
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-JRNL-822876
Journal ID: ISSN 0885-6087; 1035115
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344; SCW1555; SCW1632
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Hydrological Processes
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 35; Journal Issue: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 0885-6087
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; Switchgrass; deep roots; bioenergy crops; isotope hydrology; soil water; δ2H; δ18O; 3H
Citation Formats
Oerter, Erik, Slessarev, Eric, Visser, Ate, Min, Kyungjin, Kan, Megan, McFarlane, Karis J., Saha, Malay C., Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw, Pett‐Ridge, Jennifer, and Nuccio, Erin. Hydraulic redistribution by deeply rooted grasses and its ecohydrologic implications in the southern Great Plains of North America. United States: N. p., 2021.
Web. doi:10.1002/hyp.14366.
Oerter, Erik, Slessarev, Eric, Visser, Ate, Min, Kyungjin, Kan, Megan, McFarlane, Karis J., Saha, Malay C., Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw, Pett‐Ridge, Jennifer, & Nuccio, Erin. Hydraulic redistribution by deeply rooted grasses and its ecohydrologic implications in the southern Great Plains of North America. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14366
Oerter, Erik, Slessarev, Eric, Visser, Ate, Min, Kyungjin, Kan, Megan, McFarlane, Karis J., Saha, Malay C., Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw, Pett‐Ridge, Jennifer, and Nuccio, Erin. Thu .
"Hydraulic redistribution by deeply rooted grasses and its ecohydrologic implications in the southern Great Plains of North America". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.14366. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1828668.
@article{osti_1828668,
title = {Hydraulic redistribution by deeply rooted grasses and its ecohydrologic implications in the southern Great Plains of North America},
author = {Oerter, Erik and Slessarev, Eric and Visser, Ate and Min, Kyungjin and Kan, Megan and McFarlane, Karis J. and Saha, Malay C. and Berhe, Asmeret Asefaw and Pett‐Ridge, Jennifer and Nuccio, Erin},
abstractNote = {Abstract Perennial bioenergy crops with deep (>1 m) rooting systems, such as switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum L.), are hypothesized to increase carbon storage in deep soil. Deeply rooted plants may also affect soil hydrology by accessing deep soil water for transpiration, which can affect soil water content and infiltration in deep soil layers, thereby affecting groundwater recharge. Using stable H and O isotope (δ 2 H and δ 18 O) and 3 H values, we studied the soil water conditions at 20–30 cm intervals to depths of 2.4–3.6 m in paired fields of switchgrass and shallow rooted crops at three sites in the southern Great Plains of North America. We found that soil under switchgrass had consistently higher soil water content than nearby soil under shallow‐rooted annual crops by a margin of 15%–100%. Soil water content and isotopic depth profiles indicated that hydraulic redistribution of deep soil water by switchgrass roots explained these observed soil water differences. To our knowledge, these are the first observations of hydraulic redistribution in deeply rooted grasses, and complement earlier observations of dynamic soil water fluxes under shallow‐rooted grasses. Hydraulic redistribution by switchgrass may be a strategy for drought avoidance, wherein the plant may actively prevent water limitation. This raises the possibility that deeply rooted grasses may be used to passively subsidize soil water to more shallow‐rooted species in inter‐cropping arrangements.},
doi = {10.1002/hyp.14366},
journal = {Hydrological Processes},
number = 9,
volume = 35,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2021},
month = {Thu Sep 02 00:00:00 EDT 2021}
}
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