Rapid increases in shrubland and forest intrinsic water-use efficiency during an ongoing megadrought

Kannenberg, Steven A.; Driscoll, Avery W.; Szejner, Paul; Anderegg, William R. L.; Ehleringer, James R.

doi:10.1073/pnas.2118052118

Title: Rapid increases in shrubland and forest intrinsic water-use efficiency during an ongoing megadrought

Journal Article · 19 December 2021 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2118052118 · OSTI ID:1836624

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^[1]; Szejner, Paul ^[2];

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School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112,
Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510 Mexico City, Mexico,, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721

Significance Photosynthesis involves a tradeoff between the uptake of carbon and the loss of water. Intrinsic water-use efficiency is an indicator of this tradeoff that is pivotal for understanding plant responses to climate change. Global increases in atmospheric CO ₂ concentration have increased intrinsic water-use efficiency, but this relationship is also modulated by water availability. Here, we have identified that a severe, multidecadal drought in the American Southwest has caused some of the largest increases in plant water-use efficiency ever observed. The increase was particularly large in shrubs, which dominate much of the landscape in the region. Given that water scarcity in the American Southwest is expected to worsen, these relationships have important implications for plant health and carbon and water cycling.

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Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0022052

OSTI ID:: 1836624

Journal Information:: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal Issue: 52 Vol. 118; ISSN 0027-8424

Publisher:: Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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