OOS 2 - Soil, Water, and Plants: Linking Physical Processes in Water-Controlled Ecosystems

Monday, August 4, 2008: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
202 B, Midwest Airlines Center
Organizer:
Michael Young, University of Texas at Austin
Co-organizers:
David A. Robinson, University of West Indies; and Ronald J. Ryel, Utah State University
Moderator:
Michael Young, University of Texas at Austin
Dryland ecosystems face pressing problems, including woodland dieback/encroachment, desertification, dust generation, and fire. Many of these problems can only be tackled through a synergistic dialogue between specialists in soil science, plant ecology, and hydrology, especially in water-limited ecosystems. With the current interest in ecological observatory design and implementation, our main objective in this session is to improve synergies among these communities, in particular among those developing measurement methods and modeling capabilities to better understand emergent ecosystem behavior. There is a pressing need to develop research that links above- and belowground processes and that scales to the landscape. These scientific communities often fail to connect and interact meaningfully. This joint SSSA soil physics co-sponsored session will help to address this imbalance, and will help to advance the emerging field of ecohydrology. The goal of the session will be to bring together experts from soils, ecology and hydrology within a framework that seeks to highlight advances in modeling and measurement, which can be applied to pressing real-world issues requiring an interdisciplinary approach.
1:30 PM
 Differences in small-scale water balance by representative hydrologic units of central Kenya
Trenton Franz, University of Arizona; Elizabeth King, Princeton University; Alex Lester, Princeton University; Kelly K. Caylor, Princeton University; Michael Celia, Princeton University; Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, Princeton University; Daniel Rubenstein, Princeton University
1:50 PM
 Geophysical techniques uncover soil property influence on ecohydrological processes
Scott B. Jones, Utah State University; David A. Robinson, University of West Indies; Hiruy Abdu, Utah State University; Robert Heinse, Utah State University
2:10 PM
 The effects of biological soil crusts on runoff and infiltration in the Province Lands sand dunes, Cape Cod, Massachusetts - CANCELLED
Corey L. Miles, Antioch University New England; Rachel K. Thiet, Antioch University New England
2:30 PM
 Soil respiration in arid ecosystems and the role of antecedent soil moisture
Richard W. Lucas, University of Wyoming; Kiona Ogle, Arizona State University; Jessica M. Cable, University of Alaska; Travis E. Huxman, University of California, Irvine; Michael Loik, University of California; Stanley D. Smith, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; David T. Tissue, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Richmond NSW
3:10 PM
3:20 PM
 Modeling of field-observed soil-plant root interactions
Jan W. Hopmans, University of California, Davis; Jirka Simunek, University of California
3:40 PM
 Hydropedology of canopy-interspace ecosystems in the Mojave Desert: Biotic and abiotic processes
Todd G. Caldwell, Desert Research Institute; Michael H. Young, Desert Research Institute; Jianting Zhu, Desert Research Institute; Eric V. McDonald, Desert Research Institute
4:00 PM
 Meter-scale lateral heterogeneity of soil hydraulic properties: Ecohydrologic function in arid environments
John R. Nimmo, USGS; Kim S. Perkins, USGS; Kevin M. Schmidt, USGS; David M. Miller, U. S. Geological Survey; Jonathan D. Stock, USGS; Kamini Singha, Pennsylvania State University
4:20 PM
 Spatial variations in evapotranspiration-driven fluctuations in the water table in and near vegetated riparian zones
Gerard J. Kluitenberg, Kansas State University; Wei Jin, University of Kansas; James J. Butler Jr., University of Kansas
4:40 PM
 Plant responses to water stress in arid and semi-arid environments
Ronald J. Ryel, Utah State University; A. Joshua Leffler, USDA-ARS
See more of: Organized Oral Session
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Banner photo by Flickr user greg westfall.