Quercus laevis

Woods and O Neal (1965) used HTO in a study of water uptake by small oak trees (Quercus laevis, Q, incana, and Q, stellata) in the sandhills of South Carolina. Pipes were driven into the ground at three depths (5, 35.5, and 66 cm), and labeled water was placed within these pipes. Sample plants were at an average distance of 2.1-2.4 m from these pipes. Plastic bags enclosing the ends of branches were used to collect transpired water that was counted for tritium by the liquid scintillation method. 

The scrub forms distinct boundaries with roadsides consisting primarily of ruderal species, with a characteristic bare zone 1 m or more in extent between the scrub and roadsides. Similar sharp ecotones occur between the scrub and Florida sandhill community, which is dominated by longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.), slash pine (P. elliotti var. densa Little Dorman), and oaks (Quercus laevis Walt, and Q. geminata Small). Unlike the scrub, the sandhill has a dense herbaceous understory. The scrub vegetation is fire-sensitive, and Richardson and Williamson (1988) proposed that chemical interference by fire-sensitive scrub perennials prevents the invasion of the scrub by herbs and grasses, which would provide fuel for fires. 

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