Groundwater ecohydrology: phreatophyte root uptake of groundwater

An analytic solution is presented for groundwater uptake by phreatophytes. This solution is developed for individual phreatophytes with prescribed mathematical forms of groundwater uptake beneath the plant. As this function is linear, mathematical solutions may be superimposed to simulate groundwater uptake by a field of phreatophytes. A simpler representation of groundwater uptake by a field of phreatophytes is developed through aid of the Analytic Element Method. This, too, may be superimposed as the functions are linear to simulate groundwater flow associated with fields of phreatophytes. Together, this provides a computationally effective means to simulate the detailed local groundwater flow field associated with uptake by a phreatophyte within a regional groundwater flow field. Results illustrate the spatial patterns that emerge from localized groundwater extractions within fields of phreatophytes.