Carbon acquisition and water use in a Northern Utah Juniperus osteosperma (Utah juniper) population

Water use and carbon acquisition were examined in a northern Utah population of Juniperus osteosperma (Torr.) Little. Leaf-level carbon assimilation, which was greatest in the spring and autumn, was limited by soil water availability. Gas exchange, plant water potential and tissue hydrogen stable isotopic ratio (deltaD) data suggested that plants responded rapidly to summer rain events. Based on a leaf area index of 1.4, leaf-level water use and carbon acquisition scaled to canopy-level means of 0.59 mm day(-1) and 0.13 mol m(-2) ground surface day(-1), respectively. Patterns of soil water potential indicated that J. osteosperma dries the soil from the surface downward to a depth of about 1 m. Hydraulic redistribution is a significant process in soil water dynamics. Eddy covariance data indicated a mean evapotranspiration rate of 0.85 mm day(-1) from March to October 2001, during which period the juniper population at the eddy flux site was a net source of CO2 (3.9 mol m(-2) ground area). We discuss these results in relation to the rapid range expansion of juniper species during the past century.