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Plant hydraulics accentuates the effect of atmospheric moisture stress on transpiration

Publication ,  Journal Article
Liu, Y; Kumar, M; Katul, GG; Feng, X; Konings, AG
Published in: Nature Climate Change
July 1, 2020

Transpiration, the dominant component of terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET), directly connects the water, energy and carbon cycles and is typically restricted by soil and atmospheric (for example, the vapour pressure deficit (VPD)) moisture stresses through plant hydraulic processes. These sources of stress are likely to diverge under climate change, with a globally enhanced VPD but more variable and uncertain changes in soil moisture. Here, using a model–data fusion approach, we demonstrate that the common empirical approach used in most Earth system models to evaluate the ET response to soil moisture and VPD, which neglects plant hydraulics, underestimates ET sensitivity to VPD and compensates by overestimating the sensitivity to soil moisture stress. A hydraulic model that describes water transport through the plant better captures ET under high VPD conditions for wide-ranging soil moisture states. These findings highlight the central role of plant hydraulics in regulating the increasing importance of atmospheric moisture stress on biosphere–atmosphere interactions under elevated temperatures.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Nature Climate Change

DOI

EISSN

1758-6798

ISSN

1758-678X

Publication Date

July 1, 2020

Volume

10

Issue

7

Start / End Page

691 / 695

Related Subject Headings

  • 0502 Environmental Science and Management
  • 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
  • 0401 Atmospheric Sciences
 

Citation

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Liu, Y., Kumar, M., Katul, G. G., Feng, X., & Konings, A. G. (2020). Plant hydraulics accentuates the effect of atmospheric moisture stress on transpiration. Nature Climate Change, 10(7), 691–695. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0781-5
Liu, Y., M. Kumar, G. G. Katul, X. Feng, and A. G. Konings. “Plant hydraulics accentuates the effect of atmospheric moisture stress on transpiration.” Nature Climate Change 10, no. 7 (July 1, 2020): 691–95. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0781-5.
Liu Y, Kumar M, Katul GG, Feng X, Konings AG. Plant hydraulics accentuates the effect of atmospheric moisture stress on transpiration. Nature Climate Change. 2020 Jul 1;10(7):691–5.
Liu, Y., et al. “Plant hydraulics accentuates the effect of atmospheric moisture stress on transpiration.” Nature Climate Change, vol. 10, no. 7, July 2020, pp. 691–95. Scopus, doi:10.1038/s41558-020-0781-5.
Liu Y, Kumar M, Katul GG, Feng X, Konings AG. Plant hydraulics accentuates the effect of atmospheric moisture stress on transpiration. Nature Climate Change. 2020 Jul 1;10(7):691–695.

Published In

Nature Climate Change

DOI

EISSN

1758-6798

ISSN

1758-678X

Publication Date

July 1, 2020

Volume

10

Issue

7

Start / End Page

691 / 695

Related Subject Headings

  • 0502 Environmental Science and Management
  • 0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience
  • 0401 Atmospheric Sciences