Extended Data Fig. 2: Expected changes of critical soil moisture thresholds in response to increasing VPD.
From: Global influence of soil texture on ecosystem water limitation
a, An increase in VPD (red) results in an increase in critical soil moisture threshold (+Δθcrit). b, An increase in VPD (red) causes an ‘earlier’ stomatal downregulation, i.e., at higher soil moisture. c, An increase in VPD (red) may dry the soil initially faster due to increase in transpiration rate in non-water-limited soil moisture (assuming no change in other components in the hydrological cycle), but the ‘earlier’ stomatal closure may prolong the time between onset of water limitation (θcrit) and severe water stress.
