Transpiration and water relations of evergreen shrub species on an artificial landform for mine waste storage versus an adjacent natural site in semi‐arid Western Australia

  • In water-limited environments, transpiration may minimize deep drainage on engi-neered covers used for hazardous waste disposal. However, comparative studies investigating plant ecophysiology and water use on engineered covers and natural sites are limited. Water use patterns and plant–water relations of evergreen shrubs were monitored in semi-arid Western Australia to (1) investigate the response of plant–water relations and shrub transpiration to soil moisture changes and (2) quan-tify stand transpiration and its contribution to the water balance. The shrubs showed conservative (<20 cm hr−1) but persistent transpiration. Differential response to rainfall pulses was evident among species; sap velocity for Acacia bivenosa and Acacia inaequilatera increased by 20–103% (p < 0•05) after rainfall events ex-ceeding 15 mm but declined rapidly to pre-storm levels. On the contrary, sap veloc-ity for Acacia pruinocarpa increased by 61% after large pulse (83 and 127 mm) as-sociated with cyclonic activity and remained high (10–15 cm hr−1)In water-limited environments, transpiration may minimize deep drainage on engi-neered covers used for hazardous waste disposal. However, comparative studies investigating plant ecophysiology and water use on engineered covers and natural sites are limited. Water use patterns and plant–water relations of evergreen shrubs were monitored in semi-arid Western Australia to (1) investigate the response of plant–water relations and shrub transpiration to soil moisture changes and (2) quan-tify stand transpiration and its contribution to the water balance. The shrubs showed conservative (<20 cm hr−1) but persistent transpiration. Differential response to rainfall pulses was evident among species; sap velocity for Acacia bivenosa and Acacia inaequilatera increased by 20–103% (p < 0•05) after rainfall events ex-ceeding 15 mm but declined rapidly to pre-storm levels. On the contrary, sap veloc-ity for Acacia pruinocarpa increased by 61% after large pulse (83 and 127 mm) as-sociated with cyclonic activity and remained high (10–15 cm hr−1) thereafter. These transpiration patterns suggested contrasting rooting patterns among the spe-cies. Sap velocity was low (<20 mm hr−1) for all species, even when moisture was readily available. Annual shrub transpiration was 65 (engineered cover) and 81 mm (natural shrubland), accounting for 16 and 20% of annual rainfall (395 mm). Stand characteristics, plant ecophysiology and shrub transpiration were comparable for both sites, demonstrating the importance of using topsoil as a growth medium and seedbank in revegetation. Overall, the study provided insights on ecophysiological behaviour of artificial landforms, and the first empirical evidence suggesting rapid and successful restoration of mined lands can be achieved under semi-arid conditions.show moreshow less

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Author: Willis Gwenzi, Christoph HinzORCiD, Timothy M. Bleby, Erik J. Veneklaas
URL:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eco.1422/abstract
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1422
ISSN:1936-0592
Title of the source (English):Ecohydrology
Document Type:Scientific journal article peer-reviewed
Language:English
Year of publication:2014
Contributing Corporation:School of Earth and Environment, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences [u.a.]
Tag:deep drainage; engineered cover; hazardous mine wastes; heat ratio method; plant ecophysiology; restoration; sap velocity
Volume/Year:7
Issue number:3
First Page:965
Last Page:981
Faculty/Chair:Fakultät 2 Umwelt und Naturwissenschaften / FG Hydrologie
Institution name at the time of publication:Fakultät für Umweltwissenschaften und Verfahrenstechnik (eBTU) / LS Hydrologie und Wasserressourcenbewirtschaftung
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