ABSTRACT
Evapotranspirational losses from plant canopies are significant, accounting for >50% of the incident gross precipitation (Pg) for some forests.
[1] A wide range of biotic and abiotic factors regulate evapotranspiration. Biotic factors include species composition and plant physiological properties, plant nutritional status, and canopy architecture, whereas abiotic factors include seasonality, exposure to pollution, precipitation inputs, and soil water-holding capacity. Evapotranspirational losses are highly variable over space and through time. This article explores two of the primary factors affecting evapotranspiration: plant canopy architecture and climate-vegetation dynamics.
