Vegetation-hydrology models: implications for management of Prosopis velutina (velvet mesquite) riparian ecosystems

Models for P. velutina stands across a xeric-to-mesic moisture gradient expressed canopy height, basal area, leaf area index, vegetation volume, and leaflet area as functions of plant water potential, and they expressed plant water potential and riparian stand structure as functions of water table depth. Stand structure was strongly related to water availability. Management applications of the models in the US Southwest include the ability 1) to identify minimum water-table depths for riparian stand maintenance and 2) to detect stressful hydrological conditions, via water potential measurements, before the onset of structural degradation. -from Authors