How do trees use and move water through riparian ecosystems? We explore the role of trees in mediating key ecohydrological processes in Chalone Creek, Pinnacles National Park, California. By utilizing sap flow data, stable isotope source water sampling, and long-term groundwater depth data, we aim to understand how the sources, magnitude, and timing of water uptake and redistribution by riparian trees vary across space and time. Ultimately, we hope to connect this research to the invertebrate “seedbank” that persists in the hyporheic zone during seasonal drying, as water movement by trees may provide moist refugia crucial for drought-stressed organisms.
