Biogeosciences www.biogeosciences.net 1726-4170 1726-4189 6 11 2009 10.5194/bg-6-2599-2009 http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/2599/2009/ http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/2599/2009/bg-6-2599-2009.html http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/2599/2009/bg-6-2599-2009.pdf 2599 2610 2009-11-17 An integrated approach shows different use of water resources from Mediterranean maquis species in a coastal dune ecosystem S. Mereu simone.mereu@libero.it E. Salvatori L. Fusaro G. Gerosa B. Muys F. Manes Sapienza University of Rome, Department of Plant Biology, P.le Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Department of Mathematics and Physics, Via Musei 41, 25121 Brescia, BS, Italy Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Department Forest, Nature and Landscape, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001, Leuven, Belgium An integrated approach has been used to analyse the dependence of three Mediterranean species, A. unedo L., Q. ilex L., and P. latifolia L. co-occurring in a coastal dune ecosystem on two different water resources: groundwater and rainfed upper soil layers. The approach included leaf level gas exchanges, sap flow measurements and structural adaptations between 15 May and 31 July 2007. During this period it was possible to capture different species-specific response patterns to an environment characterized by a sandy soil, with a low water retention capacity, and the presence of a water table. The latter did not completely prevent the development of a drought response and, combined with previous studies in the same area, response differences between species have been partially attributed to different root distributions. Sap flow of A. unedo decreased rapidly with the decline of soil water content, while that of Q. ilex decreased only moderately. Midday leaf water potential of P. latifolia and A. unedo ranged between −2.2 and −2.7 MPa throughout the measuring period, while in Q. ilex it decreased down to −3.4 MPa at the end of the season. A. unedo was the only species that responded to drought with a decrease of its leaf area to sapwood area ratio from 23.9±1.2 (May) to 15.2±1.5 (July). While A. unedo also underwent an almost stepwise loss on hydraulic conductivity, such a loss did not occur for Q. ilex, whereas P. latifolia was able to slightly increase its hydraulic conducitivity. 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