Transpiration and leaf area responses to soil waterlogging in a Hawaiian montane cloud forest
Santiago LS, Goldstein G, Mueller-Dombois D. 1997. Transpiration and leaf area responses to soil waterlogging in a Hawaiian montane cloud forest. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 78(4):177
Transpiration in Metrosideros polymorpha trees growing in the East Maui Watershed was estimated using sap flow techniques on flat and sloped sites. Canopy dieback in this species is frequently associated with flat, waterlogged sites and is thought to be promoted by poor soil aeration. Sap flow, microclimate and soil moisture conditions were measured for the periods between September-November, when this area is often in the orographic cloud belt, and December-February, when trade winds relax and high vapor pressure deficit (VPD) conditions are common. Midday sap flow velocities ranged from 16.2 cm/h during high VPD conditions to 0.1 cm/h when VPD was near 0. Transpiration was lower in trees growing in flat, waterlogged soils, but there was no difference when transpiration was normalized by leaf area. Trees in flat plots had a lower leaf area per stem diameter suggesting that soil oxygen deficiency reduces leaf area but that leaf-level rates are conserved.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Santiago, Louis; Goldstein, Guillermo; Mueller-Dombois, Dieter
- Units
- HALE
- Keywords
- cloud forest, Mau`i HI, Montane, Plant Studies, Soil Moisture