Liana and tree below-ground water competition-evidence for water resource partitioning during the dry season.

ABSTRACT: To date, reasons for the increase in liana abundance and biomass in the Neotropics are still unclear. One proposed hypothesis suggests that lianas, in comparison with trees, are more adaptable to drought conditions. Moreover, previous studies have assumed that lianas have a deeper root system, which provides access to deeper soil layers, thereby making them less susceptible to drought stress. The dual stable water isotope approach (δ18O and δ2H) enables below-ground vegetation competition for water to be studied. Based on the occurrence of a natural gradient in soil water isotopic signatures, with enriched signatures in shallow soil relative to deep soil, the origin of vegetation water sources can be derived. Our study was performed on canopy trees and lianas reaching canopy level in tropi

SUBMITTER: De Deurwaerder H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6025208 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature