RESUMO
High-resolution time series measurements of temperature, salinity, pH and pCO2 were made during the period October 2014-September 2015 at the midpoint of Shark River, a 15km tidal river that originates in the freshwater Everglades of south Florida (USA) and discharges into the Gulf of Mexico. Dissolved inorganic carbon dynamics in this system vary over time, and during this study could be classified into three distinct regimes corresponding to October 2014-February 2015 (a wet to dry season transition period), March-May 2015 (dry period) and July-September 2015 (wet period). Average net longitudinal dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fluxes and air-water CO2 fluxes from the Shark River estuary were determined for the three periods. Net DIC fluxes to the coast were estimated to vary between 23.2 and 25.4×105mold-1 with an average daily DIC flux of 24.3×105mold-1 during the year of study. CO2 emissions ranged between 5.5 and 7.8×105mold-1 with an average daily value of 6.4×105mold-1 during the year. The differences in estuarine carbon fluxes during the study period are attributed to differences in the relative importance of hydro-climatological drivers. Results suggest that, during months characterized by reduced rainfall, carbon fluxes are affected by water management via control structures in the upstream Everglades marshes. During months with high rainfall, when culverts are closed and rainfall events are more frequent, carbon fluxes depend more on other forcings, such as rainfall and groundwater discharge.
RESUMO
Photosynthesis and related leaf characteristics were measured in canopies of co-occurring Quercus rubra L. (red oak), Quercus prinus L. (chestnut oak) and Acer rubrum L. (red maple) trees. Mature (20+ m tall) trees were investigated at sites of differing soil water availability within a catchment (a drier upper site and a wetter lower site). Leaf photosynthetic characteristics differed significantly between species and in response to site and position in the canopy. Photosynthetic capacity (A max) was significantly greater at the wetter site in all canopy strata in A. rubrum but not in Q. rubra or Q. prinus. Our findings for A. rubrum are generally consistent with those predicting that species with higher specific leaf area (SLA) will have higher A max per unit leaf nitrogen (N) and that species with leaves with lower SLA (e.g. Q. rubra and Q. prinus) will have shallower slopes of the A max-N relationship. Importantly, the relationships between A max and N area (and by implication photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency, PNUE) differed in A. rubrum between the sites, with PNUE significantly lower at the drier site. The lower photosynthetic capacity and PNUE must substantially reduce carbon acquisition capacity in A. rubrum under these field conditions. Maximum stomatal conductance (g smax) differed significantly between species, with g smax greatest in Q. rubra and Q. prinus. In Q. rubra and Q. prinus, g smax was significantly lower at the upper site than the lower site. There was no significant response of g smax to site in A. rubrum. These stomatal responses were consistent with the C i/C a ratio, which was significantly lower in leaves of Q. rubra and Q. prinus at the upper site, but did not differ between sites in A. rubrum. Leaf δ13C was significantly lower in A. rubrum than in either Q. rubra or Q. prinus at both sites. These findings indicate differences in stomatal behaviour in A. rubrum which are likely to contribute to lower water use efficiency at both sites. Our results support the hypothesis that the two Quercus species, in contrast to A. rubrum, maintain photosynthetic capacity at the drier site whilst minimising transpirational water loss. They also suggest, based primarily on physiological evidence, that the ability of A. rubrum to compete with other species of these deciduous forests may be limited, particularly in sites of low moisture availability and during low rainfall years.
RESUMO
Cottonwood (Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh.) trees grown for 9 months in elevated carbon dioxide concentration ([CO2]) showed significant increases in height, leaf area and basal diameter relative to trees in a near-ambient [CO2] control treatment. Sample trees in the CO2 treatments were subjected to high and low atmospheric vapor pressure deficits (VPD) over a 5-week period at both high and low soil water contents (SWC). During these periods, transpiration rates at both the leaf and canopy levels were calculated based on sap flow measurements and leaf-to-sapwood area ratios. Leaf-level transpiration rates were approximately equivalent across [CO2] treatments when soil water was not limiting. In contrast, during drought stress, canopy-level transpiration rates were approximately equivalent across [CO2] treatments, indicating that leaf-level fluxes during drought stress were reduced in elevated [CO2] by a factor equal to the leaf area ratio of the two canopies. The shift from equivalent leaf-level transpiration to equivalent canopy-level transpiration with increasing drought stress suggests maximum water use rates were controlled primarily by atmospheric demand at high SWC and by soil water availability at low SWC. Changes in VPD had less effect on transpiration than changes in SWC for trees in both CO2 treatments. Transpiration rates of trees in both CO2 treatments reached maximum values at a VPD of about 2.0 kPa at high SWC, but leveled off and decreased slightly in both canopies as VPD increased above this value. At low SWC, increasing VPD from approximately 1.4 to 2.5 kPa caused transpiration rates to decline slightly in the canopies of trees in both treatments, with significant (P = 0.004) decreases occurring in trees in the near-ambient [CO2] treatment. The transpiration responses at high VPD in the presence of high SWC and throughout the low SWC treatment suggest some hydraulic limitations to water use occurred. Comparisons of midday leaf water potentials of trees in both CO2 treatments support this conclusion.