book chapter published yes Simone Fatichi author cf8e546b-a9b0-11f0-a43b-aa89ed1b56d6 Athanasios Paschalis author Sara Bonetti author Gabriele Manoli author Christoforos Pappas author Michael J.Goss editor MargaretOliver editor Water Use Efficiency (WUE) expresses the trade-off between carbon assimilation (or subsequent carbon storage) and water release, two concurrent gas fluxes essential for plant functioning. Here, we review metrics that have been introduced to quantify WUE across spatial and temporal scales and corresponding observational methods. The physiological and environmental dependencies of WUE for crops and unmanaged ecosystems are discussed with a quantitative examination of observed and simulated WUE values. A constrained range of WUE across ecosystems and climates is highlighted. However, WUE increased considerably in the past century in response to growing atmospheric CO2 concentration and it will likely continue along the same trajectory in the near future. Elsevier2023 eng 978032395133310.1016/b978-0-12-822974-3.00166-x 5527-542 yes S. Fatichi, A. Paschalis, S. Bonetti, G. Manoli, and C. Pappas, “Water use efficiency: A review of spatial and temporal variability,” in <i>Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment</i>, 2nd ed., vol. 5, M. J. Goss and M. Oliver, Eds. Elsevier, 2023, pp. 527–542. Fatichi S, Paschalis A, Bonetti S, Manoli G, Pappas C. Water use efficiency: A review of spatial and temporal variability. In: Goss MJ, Oliver M, eds. <i>Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment</i>. Vol 5. 2nd ed. Elsevier; 2023:527-542. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-822974-3.00166-x">10.1016/b978-0-12-822974-3.00166-x</a> Fatichi S, Paschalis A, Bonetti S, Manoli G, Pappas C. 2023.Water use efficiency: A review of spatial and temporal variability. In: Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment. vol. 5, 527–542. Fatichi, Simone, Athanasios Paschalis, Sara Bonetti, Gabriele Manoli, and Christoforos Pappas. “Water Use Efficiency: A Review of Spatial and Temporal Variability.” In <i>Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment</i>, edited by Michael J. Goss and Margaret Oliver, 2nd ed., 5:527–42. Elsevier, 2023. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-822974-3.00166-x">https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-822974-3.00166-x</a>. S. Fatichi, A. Paschalis, S. Bonetti, G. Manoli, C. Pappas, in:, M.J. Goss, M. Oliver (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment, 2nd ed., Elsevier, 2023, pp. 527–542. Fatichi, S., Paschalis, A., Bonetti, S., Manoli, G., &#38; Pappas, C. (2023). Water use efficiency: A review of spatial and temporal variability. In M. J. Goss &#38; M. Oliver (Eds.), <i>Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment</i> (2nd ed., Vol. 5, pp. 527–542). Elsevier. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-822974-3.00166-x">https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-822974-3.00166-x</a> Fatichi, Simone, et al. “Water Use Efficiency: A Review of Spatial and Temporal Variability.” <i>Encyclopedia of Soils in the Environment</i>, edited by Michael J. Goss and Margaret Oliver, 2nd ed., vol. 5, Elsevier, 2023, pp. 527–42, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-822974-3.00166-x">10.1016/b978-0-12-822974-3.00166-x</a>. 225302026-07-27T12:30:24Z2026-08-12T11:52:58Z