Water Use and Soil Moisture Relationships on Western Juniper Trees at Different Growth Stages

Abdallah, Mohamed A. B.; Durfee, Nicole; Mata-González, Ricardo; Ochoa, Carlos G.; Noller, Jay S.

doi:10.3390/w12061596

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 89 publications

(108 reference statements)

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“…Deep percolation (DP) below the root zone, calculated by using the WBM, and shallow aquifer recharge (Re GW ), estimated by using the WTFM, occurred during the wet season (winter-spring). Re GW rates tended to decrease as juniper transpiration increased (based on data described by Abdallah et al [33]); however, some interannual variability was shown. Seasonal variations in precipitation resulted in variations in DP and Re GW , even during years when total precipitation amounts are similar.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Mollnau et al [32] found that mature western juniper stand transpiration rates at a site in Central Oregon were approximately 0.4 mm per day during summer months and that transpiration rates were largely associated with soil water content. Abdallah et al [33] found that peak transpiration rates of western juniper trees ranged from 73 to 115 L day −1 , varying with seasonal and annual precipitation and soil water content. Calculations of sagebrush transpiration are very limited.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…DP ranged from 5 to 121 mm yr −1 (mean of 50 mm yr −1 ) at Mays WS and from 0 to 104 mm yr −1 (mean of 43 mm yr −1 ) at Jensen WS. Using data collected and described by Abdallah et al [33] and density estimates from Durfee et al [67], we estimated that transpiration associated with mature juniper at Jensen WS to be between 0.35 and 1.9 mm day −1 and between 0.03 and 0.16 mm day −1 at Mays WS for the time periods observed. The greater transpiration rate associated with juniper at Jensen WS is associated with the greater density of mature juniper in that WS.…”

Section: Water Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The partitioning of the water-balance components is less known in the western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) and sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) dominated settings in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Some research has focused on variables such as soil water content (e.g., see [30][31][32]), runoff (e.g., see [30]), and transpiration (e.g., see [32][33][34]). Limited research has been conducted into the evapotranspiration (ET) of western juniper and sagebrush steppe ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Seasonal Water Balance of Western-Juniper-Dominated and Big-Sagebrush-Dominated Watersheds

Durfee

Ochoa

2021

Hydrology

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The combined impacts of woody plant encroachment and climate variability have the potential to alter the water balance in many sagebrush steppe ecosystems in the Western USA, leading to reduced water availability in these already water-scarce regions. This study compared the water-balance characteristics of two adjacent semiarid watersheds in central Oregon, USA: one dominated by big sagebrush and one dominated by western juniper. Precipitation, springflow, streamflow, shallow groundwater levels, and soil moisture were measured. The potential evapotranspiration was calculated using the Hargreaves–Samani method. Potential evapotranspiration and a water-balance approach were used to calculate seasonal actual evapotranspiration. The shallow aquifer recharge was calculated using the Water-Table-Fluctuation-Method. Evapotranspiration, followed by deep percolation, accounted for the largest portion (83% to 86% of annual precipitation) of water output for both watersheds. Springflow and streamflow rates were generally greater at the sagebrush-dominated watershed. Snow-dominated years showed greater amounts of groundwater recharge and deep percolation than years where a larger portion of precipitation fell as rain, even when total annual precipitation amounts were similar. This study’s results highlight the role of vegetation dynamics, such as juniper encroachment, and seasonal precipitation characteristics, on water availability in semiarid rangeland ecosystems.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Water Balancementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Seasonal Water Balance of Western-Juniper-Dominated and Big-Sagebrush-Dominated Watersheds

Durfee

Ochoa

2021

Hydrology

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“…Some studies attempting to evaluate western juniper transpiration and soil moisture relationships at different tree growth stages. They were reported that soil moisture decreases with increasing plantation age, and the soil dries seriously after 12 years [ 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Thus, a balance between soil water supply and root uptake is critical to the sustainability of ecosystem health [ 20 ], especially in dry areas where water is scarce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Process of Soil Desiccation under Haloxylon ammodendron Plantations: A Case Study of the Alxa Legue Desert, China

Zhou

et al. 2022

Plants

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Haloxylon ammodendron is a desert shrub widely used as a windbreak and for sand fixation, and it has achieved remarkable results in China. However, in desert areas, large-scale afforestation increases soil water consumption and forms a dried soil layer (DSL), the development of which seriously threatens the sustainable development of the ecosystem. In this study, soil moisture in the 0–400 cm soil profile was measured in selected 5-, 11-, 22-, 34-, and 46-year-old plantations of Haloxylon ammodendron plantations in Alxa Legue, China, and three soil desiccation evaluation indices were calculated—the soil desiccation index (SDI), DSL thickness (DSLT), and DSL soil water content (DSL-SWC)—to analyze the change pattern of the soil water content for different stand ages. The results showed that the shallow water layer (0–200 cm) was depleted sharply in the first five years of Haloxylon ammodendron plantation growth, but no DSL developed; the inflection point of soil water content change appeared after 10 years of growth, after which the shallow soil water was depleted and the drying process of the deep soil water content was significantly faster than that in the early growth period. The deep soil layer (200–400 cm) was depleted seriously after 22 years of afforestation, the soil drying phenomenon was obvious, and the DSL developed from the 172 cm soil layer. After 46 years of afforestation, the DSL was fully developed and the DSL-SWC was only 0.034 cm3 cm−3. Priority should thus be given to the use of less water-consuming shrub species; alternatively, after 5 years of growth of Haloxylon ammodendron plantations, certain water control measures should be taken to maintain the soil water balance.

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Piñon and juniper tree removal increases available soil water, driving understory response in a sage‐steppe ecosystem

2022

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Over the past century, piñon and juniper trees have encroached into sagebrush steppe lands of the interior United States, and managers have for many years removed trees to stimulate the favored understory. While consistent understory response to tree removal in these semiarid lands suggests that trees outcompete other plants for water, no studies have linked increased soil water to understory response after tree removal. We tested the hypothesis that tree removal at six sagebrush steppe sites increased soil water, leading to increased understory plant cover. Using a structural equation model, we found that before tree removal, trees suppressed shrubs (standardized coefficient [SC] = −0.87), perennial deep‐rooted (SC = −0.50) and shallow‐rooted bunchgrasses (SC = −0.36), but had no influence on cheatgrass. The model explained between 2% (cheatgrass) and 40% (shrubs) of pretreatment cover variation. Measurement of the same plots six years post‐treatment showed that most cover variation was due directly to plant growth, with standardized coefficients between 0.51 (perennial shallow‐rooted grasses) and 0.72 (cheatgrass). Competition between cheatgrass and perennial deep‐rooted grasses was evident, with perennials having twice the influence on cheatgrass than vice‐versa (SC = −0.24 vs. −0.11). Spring soil water (wet‐degree days) increased significantly after tree removal, measured as cumulative over 6 years (SC = 0.30), and in the early Spring of year six (SC = 0.16). Treatment‐induced increase of cumulative Spring wet degree‐days explained variation in shrub cover at year 6 (SC = 0.12) and the increase of early Spring wet degree‐days at year 6 led to increases in perennial deep‐rooted grasses (SC = 0.24) and cheatgrass (SC = 0.23). We detected no influence of Spring wet degree‐days on perennial shallow‐rooted grasses. The post‐treatment model explained between 34% (shallow‐rooted perennial grasses) and 69% (deep‐rooted perennial grasses) of variation in understory cover. Most variation was explained by re‐measurement of the same populations, followed by treatment effects mediated through increased soil water availability, soil factors, and direct effects of the treatment itself. In conclusion, our model is consistent with the a priori hypothesis that additional wet degree‐days due to tree removal is a significant mechanism behind observed increases in understory cover.

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Water Use and Soil Moisture Relationships on Western Juniper Trees at Different Growth Stages

Cited by 19 publications

References 89 publications

The Seasonal Water Balance of Western-Juniper-Dominated and Big-Sagebrush-Dominated Watersheds

The Seasonal Water Balance of Western-Juniper-Dominated and Big-Sagebrush-Dominated Watersheds

The Process of Soil Desiccation under Haloxylon ammodendron Plantations: A Case Study of the Alxa Legue Desert, China

Piñon and juniper tree removal increases available soil water, driving understory response in a sage‐steppe ecosystem

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