Table 2 Proportion of the variance due to different factors: time (week), family (F), time by family interaction (week × F), soil water content (SWC; %), and soil water content by family interaction (SWC × F) on all variables (net CO₂ assimilation (A, μmol CO₂ m⁻² s⁻¹), stomatal conductance to water vapor (gs, mmol H₂O m⁻² s⁻¹), intrinsic water-use efficiency (Wi = A/gs), diameter at 5 cm (diam, cm), length of terminal shoot (shoot, cm), and total height (height, cm)) for (a) the 32 WW trees (all the WW data), (b) the 64 trees of the pooled WW and WS treatments adjusted from the ontogenetic effect for weeks 0–2 on one hand (WW and WS data for weeks 0–2 pooled), (c) for weeks 5–6 on the other hand (WW and WS data for weeks 5–6 pooled), and (d) the 32 WS trees adjusted from the ontogenetic effect discovered in the WW treatment (WS data for weeks 0 to 6)

(a) All WW data

Week

60.754***

43.698***

17.543***

55.991***

58.391***

30.694***

F

7.974***

4.589**

1.851 NS

3.340*

8.373***

5.899***

Week × F

0.221 NS

0.695 NS

0.759 NS

0.631 NS

0.754 NS

0.533 NS

(b) WW and WS data for weeks 0–2 pooled (between-treatment)

SWC

0.622 NS

0.066 NS

0.695 NS

0.027 NS

5.700*

0.546 NS

F

5.517**

5.113**

3.216*

1.926 NS

5.522**

2.363 NS

SWC × F

0.728 NS

0.523 NS

0.577 NS

0.674 NS

0.933 NS

0.717 NS

(c) WW and WS data for weeks 5–6 pooled (between-treatment)

SWC

49.682***

139.519***

114.333***

23.392***

6.206*

11.060**

F

1.448 NS

2.763*

2.928*

3.976**

6.973***

4.158**

SWC × F

1.993 NS

1.122 NS

0.235 NS

0.905 NS

1.864 NS

1.629 NS

(d) WS data for weeks 0 to 6 (time-related)

SWC

10.721**

63.426***

61.442***

16.396***

7.425**

6.463*

F

2.610 NS

2.760*

1.127 NS

2.556 NS

12.268***

4.577**

SWC × F

0.021 NS

2.906*

3.600*

0.140

2.423 NS

2.372 NS