Sap flux of five co-occurring tree species in a temperate broad-leaved forest during seasonal soil drought

In an old-growth forest in Central Germany, sap flux was studied in five broad-leaved tree species that were assumed to differ in drought sensitivity. Under moist soil conditions, average daily sap flux density (Js) in the outermost xylem varied by a factor of 2.3 among the species (67–152 g cm−2 per day, n=5 trees per species), and declined in the sequence Fagus sylvatica > Acer pseudoplatanus > Tilia cordata > Carpinus betulus > Fraxinus excelsior. Decreasing soil moisture content (Θ) resulted in linearly reduced Js in four of the species. During a dry period, Js was reduced by 44% in T. cordata, 39% in F. sylvatica, 37% in A. pseudoplatanus and 31% in C. betulus compared to sap flux at equal vapour pressure deficit (D) in the wet period. F. excelsior, the only ring-porous species studied, lacked a significant response in Js to D and Θ. The relative reduction in water use during the dry period was not related to the assumed drought sensitivity of the species as inferred from their abundance in natural woodlands. Js was positively correlated with tree diameter at breast height (DBH) in three species but decreased with DBH in two species. Dyeing experiments revealed that DBH accounted for 94% of the variation in sapwood area found in a bulk sample of all diffuse-porous trees. This suggests that DBH is a reliable estimator of sapwood area of temperate diffuse-porous species irrespective of species identity. In contrast, sap flux density was found to be greatly dependent on tree species. The estimated whole-plant water use for diffuse-porous trees of a given diameter (49 cm) ranged between 74 and 168 kg per day per species under moist soil conditions. Thus, in temperate mixed forests, species-specific differences in water use can result in a considerable spatial heterogeneity of canopy transpiration.