New Research Reveals How Plants Budget Water
New Research Reveals How Plants Budget Water
———————————
A new model developed by scientists at UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State University is providing a fresh understanding of how plants manage their water intake, with findings that could significantly impact climate models and water planning, Earth.com revealed. The research, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, reveals that plants in different ecosystems employ distinct strategies for water use.
The study, led by Bryn Morgan and Ryoko Araki, found that grasslands tend to be “spendthrifts,” using water aggressively, while forests act as “careful budgeters,” conserving water early in the season. The team’s new nonlinear model, which moves beyond previous linear approaches, captures how plants take calculated risks when water is scarce.
By applying this model to a global dataset of soil moisture readings, the researchers determined that plants in drier regions and grasslands use a “sprinter” approach, while those in wetter regions and forests are more like “marathon runners.” The model also showed that even within a single ecosystem, plants can adjust their strategy to become more aggressive as conditions become drier.
According to senior author Kelly Caylor, this research bridges the gap between detailed lab studies and broad satellite observations. The findings suggest that current climate models may be overestimating water loss during droughts, and the new insights could be crucial for agriculture and water resource management. Lead author Bryn Morgan has proposed to NASA to integrate this new parameter into existing earth system models.
