Simone Mereu

Comparison of seasonal variations of ozone exposure and fluxes in a Mediterranean Holm oak forest between the exceptionally dry 2003 and the following year

Ozone and energy fluxes have been measured using the eddy covariance technique, from June to December 2004 in Castelporziano near Rome (Italy), and compared to similar measurements made in the previous year. The studied ecosystem consisted in a typical Mediterranean Holm oak forest. Stomatal fluxes have been calculated using the resistance analogy and by inverting the Penmann-Monteith equation. Results showed that the average stomatal contribution accounts for 42.6% of the total fluxes. Non-stomatal deposition proved to be enhanced by increasing leaf wetness and air humidity during the autumnal months. From a comparison of the two years, it can be inferred that water supply is the most important limiting factor for ozone uptake and that prolonged droughts alter significantly the stomatal conductance, even 2 months after the soil water content is replenished. Ozone exposure, expressed as AOT40, behaves similarly to the cumulated stomatal flux in dry conditions whereas a different behaviour for the two indices appears in wet autumnal conditions. A difference also occurs between the two years.

3D modeling of light interception in heterogeneous forest canopies using ground-based LiDAR data

A methodology is presented that describes the direct interaction of a forest canopy with incoming radiation using terrestrial LiDAR based vegetation structure in a radiative transfer model. The proposed ‘Voxel-based Light Interception Model’ (VLIM) is designed to estimate the Percentage of Above Canopy Light (PACL) at any given point of the forest scene. First a voxel-based representation of trees is derived from terrestrial LiDAR data as structural input to model and analyze the light interception of canopies at near leaf level scale. Nine virtual forest stands of three species (beech, poplar, plantain) were generated by means of stochastic L-systems as tree descriptors. Using ray tracer technology hemispherical LiDAR measurements were simulated inside these virtual forests. The leaf area density (LAD) estimates derived from the LiDAR datasets resulted in a mean absolute error of 32.57% without correction and 16.31% when leaf/beam interactions were taken into account. Next, comparison of PACL estimates, computed with VLIM with fully rendered light distributions throughout the canopy based on the L-systems, yielded a mean absolute error of 5.78%. This work shows the potential of the VLIM to model both instantaneous light interception by a canopy as well as average light distributions for entire seasons.

Ecological impacts of atmospheric pollution and interactions with climate change in terrestrial ecosystems of the mediterranean basin: Current research and future directions

Mediterranean Basin ecosystems, their unique biodiversity, and the key services they provide are currently at risk due to air pollution and climate change, yet only a limited number of isolated and geographically-restricted studies have addressed this topic, often with contrasting results. Particularities of air pollution in this region include high O3 levels due to high air temperatures and solar radiation, the stability of air masses, and dominance of dry over wet nitrogen deposition. Moreover, the unique abiotic and biotic factors (e.g., climate, vegetation type, relevance of Saharan dust inputs) modulating the response of Mediterranean ecosystems at various spatiotemporal scales make it difficult to understand, and thus predict, the consequences of human activities that cause air pollution in the Mediterranean Basin. Therefore, there is an urgent need to implement coordinated research and experimental platforms along with wider environmental monitoring networks in the region. In particular, a robust deposition monitoring network in conjunction with modelling estimates is crucial, possibly including a set of common biomonitors (ideally cryptogams, an important component of the Mediterranean vegetation), to help refine pollutant deposition maps. Additionally, increased attention must be paid to functional diversity measures in future air pollution and climate change studies to establish the necessary link between biodiversity and the provision of ecosystem services in Mediterranean ecosystems. Through a coordinated effort, the Mediterranean scientific community can fill the above-mentioned gaps and reach a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying the combined effects of air pollution and climate change in the Mediterranean Basin.

Tree-ring carbon and oxygen isotopes indicate different water use strategies in three Mediterranean shrubs at Capo Caccia (Sardinia, Italy)

Key messageVariations in stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of co-occurring plant species reflect their different water use strategies and indicate the importance of screening species’ WUEito plan climate change adaptation strategies.AbstractThe different abilities of plant species to cope with drought have been associated with structural and ecophysiological constraints. In this paper, we evaluate interspecific differences in intrinsic water use efficiency (WUEi) and the ratio of photosynthesis (A) to stomatal conductance (gs) in three co-occurring Mediterranean shrubs: two broad-leaved evergreen (Pistacia lentiscus and Phillyrea angustifolia) and one needle-like-leaved evergreen (Juniperus phoenicea). We used δ13C in rings to assess inter-annual changes in WUEi while the influence of the stomatal conductance was explored through δ18O. Our results indicate consistent differences in WUEi in the three species, largely determined by leaf traits and differences in stomatal conductance control. Juniperus phoenicea could be the most threatened by the current trend of increasing temperature and summers drought. Phillyrea angustifolia and P. lentiscus seem to be less affected by drought stress because of their tighter stomatal control and high survival rate under field conditions. Our study shows that shrubs with different leaf traits employ different plant ecophysiological strategies under drought stress.

Photosynthetic performance and biochemical adjustments in two co-occurring Mediterranean evergreens, Quercus ilex and Arbutus unedo, differing in salt-exclusion ability

The responses to mild root zone salinity stress were investigated in two co-occurring Mediterranean woody evergreens, Quercus ilex L. and Arbutus unedo L., which differ in morpho-anatomical traits and strategies to cope with water deficit. The aim was to explore their strategies to allocate potentially toxic ions at organism level, and the consequential physiological and biochemical adjustments. Water and ionic relations, gas exchange and PSII performance, the concentration of photosynthetic pigments, and the activity of antioxidant defences, were measured. Q. ilex displayed a greater capacity to exclude Na+ and Cl- from the leaf than A. unedo, in part as a consequence of greater reductions in transpiration rates. Salt-induced reductions in CO2 assimilation resulted in Q. ilex suffering from excess of light to a greater extent than A. unedo. Consistently, in Q. ilex effective mechanisms of nonphotochemical quenching, also sustained by the lutein epoxide-lutein cycle, operated in response to salinity stress. Q. ilex also displayed a superior capacity to detoxify reactive oxygen species (ROS) than A. unedo. Our data suggest that the ability to exclude salt from actively growing shoot organs depends on the metabolic cost of sustaining leaf construction, i.e. species-specific leaf life-span, and the relative strategies to cope with salt-induced water stress. We discuss how contrasting abilities to restrict the entry and transport of salt in sensitive organs relates with species-specific salt tolerance.

Stomatal Conductance Modeling to Estimate the Evapotranspiration of Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems

This chapter presents some of the available modelling techniques to predict stomatal conductance at leaf and canopy level, the key driver of the transpiration component in the evapotranspiration process of vegetated surfaces. The process-based models reported, are able to predict fast variations of stomatal conductance and the related transpiration and evapotranspiration rates, e.g. at hourly scale. This high–time resolution is essential for applications which couple the transpiration process with carbon assimilation or air pollutants uptake by plants.

Modeling ozone uptake by urban and peri-urban forest: a case study in the Metropolitan City of Rome

Urban and peri-urban forests are green infrastructures (GI) that play a substantial role in delivering ecosystem services such as the amelioration of air quality by the removal of air pollutants, among which is ozone (O3), which is the most harmful pollutant in Mediterranean metropolitan areas. Models may provide a reliable estimate of gas exchanges between vegetation and atmosphere and are thus a powerful tool to quantify and compare O3 removal in different contexts. The present study modeled the O3 stomatal uptake at canopy level of an urban and a peri-urban forest in the Metropolitan City of Rome in two different years. Results show different rates of O3 fluxes between the two forests, due to different exposure to the pollutant, management practice effects on forest structure and functionality, and environmental conditions, namely, different stressors affecting the gas exchange rates of the two GIs. The periodic components of the time series calculated by means of the spectral analysis show that seasonal variation of modeled canopy transpiration is driven by precipitation in peri-urban forests, whereas in the urban forest seasonal variations are driven by vapor pressure deficit of ambient air. Moreover, in the urban forest high water availability during summer months, owing to irrigation practice, leads to an increase in O3 uptake, thus suggesting that irrigation may enhance air phytoremediation in urban areas.

Coexistence trend contingent to Mediterranean oaks with different leaf habits

Abstract In a previous work we developed a mathematical model to explain the co‐occurrence of evergreen and deciduous oak groups in the Mediterranean region, regarded as one of the distinctive features of Mediterranean biodiversity. The mathematical analysis showed that a stabilizing mechanism resulting from niche difference (i.e. different water use and water stress tolerance) between groups allows their coexistence at intermediate values of suitable soil water content. A simple formal derivation of the model expresses this hypothesis in a testable form linked uniquely to the actual evapotranspiration of forests community. In the present work we ascertain whether this simplified conclusion possesses some degree of explanatory power by comparing available data on oaks distributions and remotely sensed evapotranspiration (MODIS product) in a large‐scale survey embracing the western Mediterranean area. Our findings confirmed the basic assumptions of model addressed on large scale, but also revealed asymmetric responses to water use and water stress tolerance between evergreen and deciduous oaks that should be taken into account to increase the understating of species interactions and, ultimately, improve the modeling capacity to explain co‐occurrence.

Evapo)Transpiration Measurements Over Vegetated Surfaces as a Key Tool to Assess the Potential Damages of Air Gaseous Pollutant for Plants

The term evapotranspiration (ET) is used to describe the contemporary evaporation of water from surfaces and transpiration of water trough stomata. Evaporation (E) consists in the change of state of water from liquid to vapour that occurs when water molecules momentarily acquire high speed near the surface of water as the result of collisions with other molecules. This kind of process can be enhanced by environmental factors, such as direct solar radiation and temperature, which provide the required energy. Leaf transpiration can be thought of as a necessary cost associated with the opening of stomata to allow the diffusion of carbon dioxide inside the leaf, for photosynthesis and plant growth. However, these low-resistance apertures also provide a favourable diffusional pathway for atmospheric gas pollutants, such as ozone, that can reach the substomatal cavity and the mesophyll inside the leaf, (causing negative effects at different biological and physiological levels). Stomata opening is regulated by environmental factors such as light, air temperature and humidity, wind speed and water availability in the soil (Jarvis, 1976; Stewart, 1988). The interpretation of the ET and the understanding of the potential influencing factors are important topics for ecophysiology, agriculture and agro-meteorology since the past century (Penman, 1948). ET plays a key role in the water cycle, affecting the water balance from local up to regional scale and causing feedback between vegetation and climate (Wilske et al. 2010). Penman (1948), combining the energy balance with the mass transfer method, derived an equation to calculate the evaporation from an open water surface using meteorological data such as radiation, temperature, humidity and wind speed. Today the Penman-Monteith equation is considered the most reliable method to calculate evapotranspiration.