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Background and Aims <p>Subalpine ecosystems play critical roles in global and regional ecohydrological processes. However, traditional studies of water uptake in these ecosystems have largely focused only on vertical pathways and therefore have failed to capture spatial heterogeneity.</p> Methods <p>Multidimensional water uptake was quantified in two subalpine tree species with contrasting growth forms by applying isotope technology and the soil and fine root properties were measured to explore the reasons of the heterogeneous isotope signal of soil and multidimensional water uptake of plants.</p> Results <p>The findings revealed significant isotopic variations across orientations and radial distances, providing a robust basis for assessing multidimensional water contributions. The isotopic heterogeneity in surface soils was primarily associated with spatially variable soil water dynamics, whereas in deep soils, it was mainly associated with soil properties related to water-retention capacity. The profligate deciduous species <i>Metasequoia glyptostroboides</i> relied more on soil water at 10–70&#xa0;cm depth than the conservative evergreen <i>Abies fargesii</i>. <i>Metasequoia glyptostroboides</i> exhibited weaker directional heterogeneity in water uptake than <i>Abies fargesii</i>. Radial trends in water uptake were particularly pronounced in July, with the contributions of soil water in both species increasing with distance from trunks. Root traits were identified as dominant factor associating with spatial heterogeneity in water contributions.</p> Conclusions <p>These findings demonstrate that incorporating non-negligible multidimensional water use processes into ecohydrological assessments is essential for improving the accuracy of subalpine forest water management.</p>

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Multidimensional soil water uptake by plants and the underlying mechanisms in subalpine forests

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月18日

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  • Guo Chen,
  • Zhenfang Deng,
  • Yuheng Li,
  • Congyuan Leng,
  • Xiangxiang Kong,
  • Tianyou Xu,
  • Yan Wang

摘要

Background and Aims

Subalpine ecosystems play critical roles in global and regional ecohydrological processes. However, traditional studies of water uptake in these ecosystems have largely focused only on vertical pathways and therefore have failed to capture spatial heterogeneity.

Methods

Multidimensional water uptake was quantified in two subalpine tree species with contrasting growth forms by applying isotope technology and the soil and fine root properties were measured to explore the reasons of the heterogeneous isotope signal of soil and multidimensional water uptake of plants.

Results

The findings revealed significant isotopic variations across orientations and radial distances, providing a robust basis for assessing multidimensional water contributions. The isotopic heterogeneity in surface soils was primarily associated with spatially variable soil water dynamics, whereas in deep soils, it was mainly associated with soil properties related to water-retention capacity. The profligate deciduous species Metasequoia glyptostroboides relied more on soil water at 10–70 cm depth than the conservative evergreen Abies fargesii. Metasequoia glyptostroboides exhibited weaker directional heterogeneity in water uptake than Abies fargesii. Radial trends in water uptake were particularly pronounced in July, with the contributions of soil water in both species increasing with distance from trunks. Root traits were identified as dominant factor associating with spatial heterogeneity in water contributions.

Conclusions

These findings demonstrate that incorporating non-negligible multidimensional water use processes into ecohydrological assessments is essential for improving the accuracy of subalpine forest water management.