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Utilization of bedrock water by Brosimum alicastrum trees growing on shallow soil atop limestone in a dry tropical climate

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Abstract

Adult evergreen Ramón (Brosimum alicastrum Sw. Moraceae) trees can thrive on the shallow soils atop limestone of northern Yucatan despite limited soil water storage capacity, and do not require irrigation during the annual dry season. We hypothesized that early development of deep roots to reach moist subsoil layers or groundwater is critical to the performance of ramón trees growing on thin soils (∼5 cm deep) over limestone bedrock. We conducted an isotopic study in a non-irrigated ramón plantation aimed at determining the sources of water used by trees of different age (5 or 9 years old) at the peak of the dry season. Pit excavation showed that Brosimum alicastrum roots were mostly concentrated in the upper soil and bedrock layers. About 5-year-old trees showed a much sharper decrease in shoot water content (21%) than 9-year-old ones (10%) during the dry season. Foliar δ13C values were significantly higher in 5-year-old trees (−27.5 ± 0.3‰) than in 9-year-old ones (−28.5 ± 0.3‰), indicating greater water use efficiency and water stress levels in the younger age group. The δ18O signature of stem water did not differ significantly between tree age groups at either sampling date. Stem water δ18O values of Brosimum alicastrum trees at the peak of drought (−2.3 ± 0.3/−2.9 ± 0.3‰) were significantly different from groundwater (−4.3 ± 0.1‰) for both age groups. According to δ18O data, ramón trees utilized bedrock water from depths between 0.5 and 2.5 m during the late dry season. Better dry-season water status in 9-year-old trees compared to 5-year-old ones appeared to be more the result of greater volume of soil and bedrock explored for water than the outcome of deeper rooting depth. The ability to take up water stored in the upper few meters of the weathered limestone bedrock during the pronounced dry season is likely the key feature allowing Brosimum alicastrum to thrive under non-irrigated conditions in the shallow, rocky soils of the Yucatan. Locally adapted native tree species capable of efficiently extracting water from bedrock may be the only perennial crops suitable for rainfed cultivation in the shallow soils atop limestone of northern Yucatan.

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Acknowledgements

We thank David Magaña for allowing us to conduct this research in his Kampepén plantation. We also thank Angela López, Season Snyder and Roberto Lepe for their help with laboratory and field work. This research was supported by a UC MEXUS-CONACYT grant awarded jointly by the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States, and the Mexican Comisión Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología. We also thank the financial support of the American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI Project: Biogeochemical cycles under land use change in the semiarid Americas). JI Querejeta acknowledges a postdoctoral Fulbright Fellowship from the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, as well as financial support by the Biocomplexity Program (DEB 9981548) of the US National Science Foundation. Finally, we acknowledge the constructive comments of three anonymous reviewers.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Conservation Biology, The University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA

    José Ignacio Querejeta, Héctor Estrada-Medina & Michael F. Allen

  2. Departamento de Manejo y Conservación de Recursos Naturales Tropicales (PROTROPICO), Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (FMVZ-UADY), Mérida, Yucatán, México

    Héctor Estrada-Medina, Juan J. Jiménez-Osornio & Rocío Ruenes

  3. Departamento de Conservación de Suelos y Aguas, Centro de Edafología y Biología Aplicada del Segura-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CEBAS-CSIC), P.O. Box 4195, Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain

    José Ignacio Querejeta

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  1. José Ignacio Querejeta
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Correspondence to José Ignacio Querejeta.

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Querejeta, J.I., Estrada-Medina, H., Allen, M.F. et al. Utilization of bedrock water by Brosimum alicastrum trees growing on shallow soil atop limestone in a dry tropical climate. Plant Soil 287, 187–197 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-006-9065-8

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