Water uptake and redistribution during drought in a semiarid shrub species.

In arid systems, most plant mortality occurs during long drought periods when water is not available for plant uptake. In these systems, plants often benefit from scarce rain events occurring during drought but some of the mechanisms underlying this water use remain unknown. In this context, plant water use and redistribution after a large rain event could be a mechanism that allows deep-rooted shrubs to conservatively use water during drought.

Hydraulic lift promotes selective root foraging in nutrient-rich soil patches.

Hydraulic lift (HL) - the passive movement of water through plant roots from deep wet to shallow drier soil layers - can improve root survival in dry soils by providing a source of moisture to shallow roots. It may also enhance plant nutrient capture, though empirical evidence for this is scarce and whether HL promotes the selective placement of roots in nutrient-rich soil enhancing nutrient capture in dry soils remains unknown. We tested this with a split-pot design in which we separated the root system of Retama sphaerocarpa (L.