Photosynthesis and water relations of the floodplain tree, boxelder (Acer negundo L.)

During summer, gas exchange and water relations were measured in mature boxelder (Acer negundo L.) trees growing on a floodplain in central Indiana, USA. A shallow (< 1.25-m deep) water table and repeated flooding kept the soil water potential above -0.5 MPa at all times. Net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance were influenced primarily by light and, to a lesser extent, by leaf temperature, but showed no relationships with leaf-to-air water vapor gradient or leaf water potential. Throughout the summer, there was no midday stomatal closure on any measurement day, and leaf water potential at dawn and minimum daily leaf water potential remained above -0.4 and -1.4 MPa, respectively. Nevertheless, there was a seasonal decline in leaf osmotic potentials at saturation and turgor-loss point. Seasonal changes in maximum daily net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance, minimum daily leaf water potential and soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance were not related to seasonal changes in soil water potential, air or soil temperature, or water table depth. Seasonal responses of net photosynthesis to intercellular CO(2) indicated that net photosynthesis was controlled primarily by nonstomatal factors. High soil water and a shallow water table may have kept soil-to-leaf hydraulic conductance large (5-9 mmol m(-1) s(-1) MPa(-1)) throughout the summer, permitting the trees to keep their stomata open, yet maintain leaf turgor and high net photosynthesis during the hot, low-humidity afternoons. This could also account for the dominance of nonstomatal influences on net photosynthesis.