Abstract
Diurnal changes in the stem radius of a subalpine mature Norway spruce were measured simultaneously with the flow of sap in xylem. Matric potentials in the soil were > -35 kPa. The kinetics of the flow were closely related to the changes in the radius of the stem resulting from depletion of its extensible tissues. The radius of the stem oscillated daily and, fairly independently of this, fluctuated over several days. The daily shrinkage (Δd) was correlated with the daily flow through its base (Qd). When the crown transpired little and was nearly saturated during rainy days, ASd tended to increase relative to Qd. Using a linear relation, the estimates of flow by Δd deviated less than ± 10% from the values measured by heat balance, provided that the periods of calibration in their ratio of dry to rainy days were comparable to those estimated. If the two periods differed in this respect, the estimates of flow deviated up to 42%. A quadratic relation yielded estimates that depended less on weather. It reduced maximal deviations to ±22%. Since Δd additionally may represent the time pattern of the daily transpiration better than Qd, analysing changes in the radius of stems may supplement or partly replace measurements of sap flow in stems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Čermák J, Kučera J (1981) The compensation of natural temperature gradient at the measuring point during the sap flow rate determination in trees. Biol Plant 23: 469–471
100–03 J, Deml M, Penka M (1973) A new method of sap flow rate determination in trees. Biol Plant 15: 171–178
Dobbs RC, Scott DRM (1971) Distribution of diurnal fluctuations in stem circumference of Douglas-fir. Can J For Res 1: 80–83
Fritts DC (1961) An evaluation of three techniques for measuring radial tree growth. Bull Ecol Soc Am 42: 54–55
Grote R, Dohrenbusch A (1993) Messungen physiologischer Reaktionen von Altfichten (Picea abies) unter manipulierten Umweltbedingungen. Forstarchiv 64: 180–185
Häsler R, Savi C, Herzog K (1991) Photosynthese und stomatäre Leitfähigkeit der Fichte unter dem Einfluss von Witterung und Luftschadstoffen. In: Stark M (eds) Luftschadstoffe und Wald, Band 5, Ergebnisse aus dem Nationalen Forschungsprogramm 14. Fachvereine, Zürich, pp 143–168
Herzog KM (1995) Water relations of a mature subalpine Norway spruce. Ph. D. dissertation. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zürich
Herzog KM, Thum R, Häsler R (1994) Diurnal variation in stem radii and transpiration flow at different crown levels of a Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.]. In: Verhandlungen Ges Ökol, Bd 23, Freising-Weihenstephan, pp 143–147
Hinckley TM, Bruckerhoff DN (1975) The effect of drought on water relations and stem shrinkage of Quercus alba. Can J Bot 53: 62–72
Hinckley TM, Lassoie JP, Running SW (1978) Temporal and spatial variations in the water status of forest trees. For Sci Monogr 20: 36–41
Holmes JW, Shim SY (1968) Diurnal changes in stem diameter of Canary Island pine trees (Pinus canariensis, C. Smith) caused by soil water stress and varying microclimate. J Exp Bot 19: 219–232
Impens II, Schalck JM (1965) A very sensitive electric dendrograph for recording radial changes of a tree. Ecology 46: 183–184
Jarvis PG (1975) Water transfer in plants. In: De Vries DA, Afgan NH (eds) Heat and mass transfer in the biosphere. Part 1: Transfer processes in the plant environments. John Wiley, New York, pp 369–394
Katz C, Oren R, Schulze E-D, Milburn JA (1989) Uptake of water and solutes through twigs of Picea abies (L.) Karst. Trees 3: 33–37
Kozlowski TT, Winget CH (1964) Diurnal and seasonal variation in radii of tree stems. Ecology 45: 149–155
Kozlowski TT, Kramer PJ, Pallardy SG (1991) The physiological ecology of woody plants. Academic Press, San Diego
Kucera J, Cermak J, Penka M (1977) Improved thermal method of continual recording the transpiration flow rate dynamics. Biol Plant 19: 413–420
Lassoie JP (1973) Diurnal dimensional fluctuations in a Douglas-fir stem in response to tree water status. For Sci 19: 251–255
Lövdahl L, Odin H (1992) Diurnal changes in the stem diameter of Norway spruce in relation to relative humidity and air temperature. Trees 6: 245–251
Milne R, Ford ED, Deans JD (1983) Time lags in the water relations of Sitka spruce. For Ecol Manage 5: 1–25
Molz FJ, Klepper B (1973) On the mechanism of water-stress-induced stem deformation. Agron J 65: 304–306
Molz FJ, Klepper B, Browning VD (1973) Radial diffusion of free energy in stem phloem: an experimental study. Agron J 65: 219–222
Nobel PS (1983) Biophysical plant physiology and ecology. Freeman, San Francisco
Odin H, Openshaw A (1971) Electrical methods for measuring changes in shoot length and stem diameter. Res notes, Dep Reforest, Royal College Forestry, Sweden 29: 1–19
Parlange J-Y, Turner NC, Waggoner PE (1975) Water uptake, diameter change, and nonlinear diffusion in tree stems. Plant Physiol 55: 247–250
Powell DBB, Thorpe MR (1977) Dynamic aspects of plant-water relations. In: Landsberg JJ, Cutting CV (eds) Environmental aspects of crop physiology. Academic Press, London, pp 259–285
Raschke K (1970) Stomatal responses to pressure changes and interruptions in the water supply of detached leaves of Zea mays L. Plant Physiol 45: 415–423
Running SW (1980) Field estimates of root and xylem resistance in Pinus contorta using root excision. J Exp Bot 31: 555–569
Tyree MT, Sperry JS (1989) Vulnerability of xylem to cavitation and embolism. Annu Rev Plant Phys Mol Biol 40: 19–38
Vogel M (1994) Automatic precision measurements of radial increment in a mature spruce stand and interpretation variants of short term changes in increment values. Allg Forst Jagdztg 165: 34–40
Von Wilpert K (1990) Die Jahrringstruktur von Fichten in Abhängigkeit vom Bodenwasserhaushalt auf Pseudogley und Parabraunerde. Ein Methodenkonzept zur Erfassung standortspezifischer Wasserstressdisposition. Freiburger Bodenkundliche Abhandlungen 24, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Freiburg
Waring RH, Running SW (1978) Sapwood water storage: its contribution to transpiration and effect upon water conductance through the stems of old-growth Douglas-fir. Plant Cell Environ 1: 131–140
Waring RH, Whitehead D, Jarvis PG (1979) The contribution of stored water to transpiration in Scots pine. Plant Cell Environ 2: 309–317
Worrall J (1966) A method of correcting dendrometer measures of tree diameter for variations induced by moisture stress changes. For Sci 12: 427–429
Wronski EB, Holmes JW, Turner NC (1985) Phase and amplitude relations between transpiration, water potential and stem shrinkage. Plant Cell Environ 8: 613–622
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Herzog, K.M., Häsler, R. & Thum, R. Diurnal changes in the radius of a subalpine Norway spruce stem: their relation to the sap flow and their use to estimate transpiration. Trees 10, 94–101 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192189
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00192189