Water source partitioning among trees growing on carbonate rock in a subtropical region of Guangxi, China

It is not clear how the water sources are used by trees in typical karst areas of Guangxi, China. Trees growing on rigid carbonate rock can primarily use spring water, precipitation-recharged soil water or a mixture of the two. In this study, the Nongla karst dynamic monitoring station in the southwest of Guangxi, China, was observed. To determine the water sources accessed by trees growing on rigid carbonate rock, seasonal change of isotope ratios (delta O-18 and delta D) in twig sap, soil water, rainfall and spring water were measured. Stem water samples plotted to the right of the meteoric water line indicates utilization of water sources subject to evaporative isotopic enrichment. Trees growing on rigid carbonate rock in the southwest of China used rainfall directly in the rainy season. Adult trees tended to use deeper water stored in the epikarst zone, while the young ones used soil water when precipitation decreased. In the dry season, all trees sampled depend mostly on water stored in the epikarst zone. Spring water was the major water source for all of the tree species investigated in the dry season. In conclusion, these data indicate that trees growing on rigid carbonate rock in southwest China depend mostly on water stored in the epikarst zone. Therefore, water storage in the epikarst zone is the essential water source for trees growing on carbonate rock in southwest China.