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Transpiration rates were measured in a flooded population of Phragmites australis ssp. altissima in a wetland located in ’El Hondo’ Natural Park (southeastern Spain) during the growing season of 2000. The heat balance method for measuring sap flow was used to calculate the rate of water transpiration on a whole-stem basis. Four series of measurements were carried out in selected weeks in May, June, August and October. Structure, biomass and leaf area index of the reed population were simultaneously quantified in order to scale transpiration on a plot-area basis.

Overall, transpiration flux was high during the sampling period and showed a typical diurnal pattern with a maximum at about midday. Mean transpiration was highest at the end of June coinciding with the peak of reed growth and with the maximum leaf area both at individual and plot scales. Rates decreased abruptly in October, in parallel with the advanced foliar senescence. The variation of both midday and integrated daily transpiration is significantly related to that of the air temperature on clear days. Cloudy and rainy days exert a pronounced effect on water loss by decreasing transpiration. Our results highlight the potential use of the sap-flow method to measure transpiration in reed ecosystems and the relevance of this flux for the water balance in wetlands in semi-arid environments. Thus, it is suggested that water management in these areas could be favoured by acquiring high-quality experimental data. Copyright (C) 2004 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.