Abstract
Abstract Knowledge regarding the use of groundwater by plants has implications for successful mine rehabilitation and revegetation programs in water‐limited environments. In this study, we combined several approaches to investigate water sources used by Acacia papyrocarpa (Western myall) in the far west of South Australia, including stable isotopes, water potential, groundwater and soil chemistry, and root mapping techniques. Plant δ 18 O signatures and water potentials were compared against a range of possible sources: rainwater, surface soil water (≤1 m depth), and deep groundwater (>20 m depth). Our aim was to determine whether groundwater contributed to the mix of waters used by A. papyrocarpa . Overall, we found that trees did not source surface soil water (≤1 m), and probably sourced deep soil water (i.e. >1 m) rather than deep groundwater. Groundwater, however, could not be dismissed as a potential source, as root mapping showed tree roots were capable of reaching groundwater at depths >20 m, and isotope results indicated a potential contribution by groundwater to tree water use. However, low osmotic potentials and/or high acidity levels were shown to pose likely barriers to groundwater uptake, at least at the time of sampling. We conclude that because groundwater salinity and acidity are spatially variable in this region, plants with extensive root systems may be able to utilize zones of groundwater with lower salinity and pH levels. Overall, this study contributes to our limited understanding of groundwater use by trees occurring in water‐limited environments where groundwater is extremely deep (>20 m depth).
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Trees did not use surface soil water at depths of at most 1 m.
- Taxon
- Acacia papyrocarpa
Acacia papyrocarpat0 - Outcome
- surface soil watere0
- Direction
- did not sourcee0
Not reportedSetting
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“trees did not source surface soil water (≤1 m)”
t0“Acacia papyrocarpa”
Claim · model-written summary
Trees probably used deep soil water rather than deep groundwater.
- Taxon
- Acacia papyrocarpaAcacia papyrocarpat0
- Outcome
- deep soil watere0
- Qualifier
- probablye0
- Comparator
- deep groundwatere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“probably sourced deep soil water (i.e. >1 m) rather than deep groundwater”
t0“Acacia papyrocarpa”
Claim · model-written summary
Root mapping showed roots could reach groundwater deeper than 20 m.
- Taxon
- Acacia papyrocarpaAcacia papyrocarpat0
- Outcome
- tree roots were capable of reaching groundwatere0
- Value
- >20 me0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“root mapping showed tree roots were capable of reaching groundwater at depths >20 m”
t0“Acacia papyrocarpa”
Claim · model-written summary
Isotopes indicated possible groundwater contribution to tree water use.
- Taxon
- Acacia papyrocarpaAcacia papyrocarpat0
- Outcome
- potential contribution by groundwater to tree water usee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“isotope results indicated a potential contribution by groundwater to tree water use”
t0“Acacia papyrocarpa”
Claim · model-written summary
Low osmotic potential and high acidity likely limited groundwater uptake at sampling.
- Taxon
- Acacia papyrocarpaAcacia papyrocarpat0
- Outcome
- groundwater uptakee0
- Qualifier
- low osmotic potentials and/or high acidity levelse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“low osmotic potentials and/or high acidity levels were shown to pose likely barriers to groundwater uptake, at least at the time of sampling”
t0“Acacia papyrocarpa”