Effect of Water Stress on Stomatal and Photosynthetic Responses in Subalpine Plants to Cloud Patterns

Daily cloudcover is a frequent and persistent environmental feature of subalpine habitats. Response patterns in net photosynthesis (A), stomatal conductance to water vapor diffusion (g), transpiration (E), and water use efficiency (WUE = A/E) to intermittent cloudcover were evaluated for two subalpine species to determine if their responses supported the hypothesis that species that undergo water stress during sunlit intervals may have more rapid and greater stomatal responses to irradiance fluctuations than species under little apparent water stress. In Helianthella quinquenervis , a herbaceous perennial with midday xylem pressure potential < –2.0 MPa, responses in both A and g to simulated changes in natural irradiance occurred almost simultaneously and were relatively rapid. Although A was reduced by 22% during periods of shade compared with full sunlight periods, E was similarly reduced, and thus, no reduction in WUE occurred. In contrast, the riparian herb Senecio triangularis was under little apparent water stress and g was relatively insensitive to fluctuations in irradiance. As a result, periods of cloudcover led to a smaller reduction in A of only 15% relative to full sunlight with little concurrent reduction in E, leading to a corresponding 12% decrease in WUE compared with steady state values under full sunlight. These data suggest that species that experience apparent water stress during sunlit intervals may maintain higher WUE during intermittent cloudcover through water conservation at the expense of carbon gain. In contrast, species in which water stress does not occur during sunlit intervals can maximize carbon gain at the expense of reduced WUE. The degree of competition for water and sunlight in a habitat may determine the particular physiological response pattern expressed during natural cloudcover regimes.