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Savi, T., Boldrin, D., Marin, M. et al. (4 more authors) (2015) Does shallow substrate improve water status of plants growing on green roofs? Testing the paradox in two sub-Mediterranean shrubs. Ecological Engineering, 84. pp. 292-300. ISSN 0925-8574
Abstract
Green roofs are artificial ecosystems providing ecological, economic, and social benefits to urban areas. Recently, the interest in roof greening has increased even in Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean areas, despite the climatic features and reduced substrate depth expose plants to extreme stress. To limit installation weight and costs, recent green roof research aims to reduce substrate depth, which apparently contrasts with the need to maximize the amount of water available to vegetation. We monitored water status, growth, and evapotranspiration of drought-adapted shrubs (Cotinus coggygria, Prunus mahaleb) growing in experimental green roof modules filled with 10 or 13 cm deep substrate. Experimental data showed that: (a) reduced substrate depth translated into less severe water stress experienced by plants; (b) shallower substrate indirectly promoted lower water consumption by vegetation as a likely consequence of reduced plant biomass; (c) both large and small rainfalls induced better recovery of water content of substrate, drainage, and water retention layers when shallow substrate was used. Evidence was provided for the possibility to install extensive green roofs vegetated with stress-tolerant shrubs in sub-Mediterranean areas using 10 cm deep substrate. Green roofs based on the combination of shallow substrate and drought-tolerant plants may be an optimal solution for solving urban ecological issues.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2015 Elsevier B.V. This is an author produced version of a paper subsequently published in Ecological Engineering. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. Article available under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-ND licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) |
Keywords: | Substrate depth; Water availability; Drought stress; Evapotranspiration; Cotinus coggygria; Prunus mahaleb |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Landscape Architecture (Sheffield) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 15 Aug 2016 14:10 |
Last Modified: | 03 Nov 2016 03:50 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2015.09.036 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2015.09.036 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:101230 |
Available Versions of this Item
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Does shallow substrate improve water status of plants growing on green roofs? Testing the paradox in two sub-Mediterranean shrubs. (deposited 19 Feb 2016 14:35)
- Does shallow substrate improve water status of plants growing on green roofs? Testing the paradox in two sub-Mediterranean shrubs. (deposited 15 Aug 2016 14:10) [Currently Displayed]