Leaf Water Storage Capacity Among Eight US Hardwood Tree Species: Differences in Seasonality and Methodology
Canopy hydrology and forest water inputs are directly linked to the physical properties of tree crowns (e.g., foliar and woody surfaces), which determine a tree’s capacity to intercept and retain incident rainfall. The changing forest structure, notably the decline of oak’s (<i>Quercus</i&g...
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2025-02-01
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| author | Natasha Scavotto Courtney M. Siegert Heather D. Alexander J. Morgan Varner |
| author_facet | Natasha Scavotto Courtney M. Siegert Heather D. Alexander J. Morgan Varner |
| author_sort | Natasha Scavotto |
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| description | Canopy hydrology and forest water inputs are directly linked to the physical properties of tree crowns (e.g., foliar and woody surfaces), which determine a tree’s capacity to intercept and retain incident rainfall. The changing forest structure, notably the decline of oak’s (<i>Quercus</i>) dominance and encroachment of non-oak species in much of the upland hardwood forests of the eastern United States, challenges our understanding of how species-level traits scale up to control the forest hydrologic budget. The objective of this study was to determine how the leaf water storage capacity varies across species and canopy layers, and how these relationships change throughout the growing season. We measured the leaf water storage capacity of overstory and midstory trees of native deciduous oaks (<i>Q. alba</i>, <i>Q. falcata</i>, <i>Q. stellata</i>) and non-oak species (<i>Carya tomentosa</i>, <i>Acer rubrum</i>, <i>Ulmus alata</i>, <i>Liquidambar styraciflua</i>, <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i>) using two methods (water displacement and rainfall simulation). Overstory <i>Q. alba</i> leaves retained 0.5 times less water per unit leaf area than other overstory species (<i>p</i> < 0.001) in the early growing season, while in the late growing season, <i>C. tomentosa</i> leaves had the lowest storage capacity (<i>p</i> = 0.024). <i>Quercus falcata</i> leaves displayed a minimal change in storage between seasons, while <i>Q. alba</i> and <i>Q. stellata</i> leaves had higher water storage in the late growing season. Midstory <i>U. alata</i> leaves had 3.5 times higher water storage capacity in the early growing season compared to all the other species (<i>p</i> < 0.001), but this difference diminished in the late growing season. Furthermore, the water storage capacities from the simulated rainfall experiments were up to two times higher than those in the water displacement experiments, particularly during the early growing season. These results underscore the complexity of leaf water storage dynamics, the methodology, and the implications for forest hydrology and species interactions. Broader efforts to understand species-level controls on canopy water portioning through leaf and other crown characteristics are necessary. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ccfc1a0c3c2247d78074bb94df40411f |
| institution | DOAJ |
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| spelling | doaj-art-ccfc1a0c3c2247d78074bb94df40411f2025-08-20T03:12:05ZengMDPI AGHydrology2306-53382025-02-011224010.3390/hydrology12020040Leaf Water Storage Capacity Among Eight US Hardwood Tree Species: Differences in Seasonality and MethodologyNatasha Scavotto0Courtney M. Siegert1Heather D. Alexander2J. Morgan Varner3Department of Forestry, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USADepartment of Forestry, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USACollege of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USATall Timbers Research Station, Tallahassee, FL 32312, USACanopy hydrology and forest water inputs are directly linked to the physical properties of tree crowns (e.g., foliar and woody surfaces), which determine a tree’s capacity to intercept and retain incident rainfall. The changing forest structure, notably the decline of oak’s (<i>Quercus</i>) dominance and encroachment of non-oak species in much of the upland hardwood forests of the eastern United States, challenges our understanding of how species-level traits scale up to control the forest hydrologic budget. The objective of this study was to determine how the leaf water storage capacity varies across species and canopy layers, and how these relationships change throughout the growing season. We measured the leaf water storage capacity of overstory and midstory trees of native deciduous oaks (<i>Q. alba</i>, <i>Q. falcata</i>, <i>Q. stellata</i>) and non-oak species (<i>Carya tomentosa</i>, <i>Acer rubrum</i>, <i>Ulmus alata</i>, <i>Liquidambar styraciflua</i>, <i>Nyssa sylvatica</i>) using two methods (water displacement and rainfall simulation). Overstory <i>Q. alba</i> leaves retained 0.5 times less water per unit leaf area than other overstory species (<i>p</i> < 0.001) in the early growing season, while in the late growing season, <i>C. tomentosa</i> leaves had the lowest storage capacity (<i>p</i> = 0.024). <i>Quercus falcata</i> leaves displayed a minimal change in storage between seasons, while <i>Q. alba</i> and <i>Q. stellata</i> leaves had higher water storage in the late growing season. Midstory <i>U. alata</i> leaves had 3.5 times higher water storage capacity in the early growing season compared to all the other species (<i>p</i> < 0.001), but this difference diminished in the late growing season. Furthermore, the water storage capacities from the simulated rainfall experiments were up to two times higher than those in the water displacement experiments, particularly during the early growing season. These results underscore the complexity of leaf water storage dynamics, the methodology, and the implications for forest hydrology and species interactions. Broader efforts to understand species-level controls on canopy water portioning through leaf and other crown characteristics are necessary.https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/12/2/40mesophicationcanopy interception<i>Quercus</i> |
| spellingShingle | Natasha Scavotto Courtney M. Siegert Heather D. Alexander J. Morgan Varner Leaf Water Storage Capacity Among Eight US Hardwood Tree Species: Differences in Seasonality and Methodology Hydrology mesophication canopy interception <i>Quercus</i> |
| title | Leaf Water Storage Capacity Among Eight US Hardwood Tree Species: Differences in Seasonality and Methodology |
| title_full | Leaf Water Storage Capacity Among Eight US Hardwood Tree Species: Differences in Seasonality and Methodology |
| title_fullStr | Leaf Water Storage Capacity Among Eight US Hardwood Tree Species: Differences in Seasonality and Methodology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Leaf Water Storage Capacity Among Eight US Hardwood Tree Species: Differences in Seasonality and Methodology |
| title_short | Leaf Water Storage Capacity Among Eight US Hardwood Tree Species: Differences in Seasonality and Methodology |
| title_sort | leaf water storage capacity among eight us hardwood tree species differences in seasonality and methodology |
| topic | mesophication canopy interception <i>Quercus</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5338/12/2/40 |
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