A stand of eucalyptus trees planted in Argentina’s vast ‘Pampas grasslands’ was found to be reshaping the water beneath its roots. A study titled ‘ Hydrological consequences of Eucalyptus afforestation in the Argentine Pampas ’ examined how a 40-hectare plantation of ‘Eucalyptus camaldulensis’ affected local groundwater compared with the surrounding native grassland. Scientists found that the trees used water at rates of up to 3.7 millimetres per day, drawing enough from below the surface to lower the groundwater level by more than half a metre.
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