Contrasting water use pattern of introduced and native plants in an alpine desert ecosystem, Northeast Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

Wu, Huawu; Li, Xiaoyan; Jiang, Zhi‐Yun; Chen, Huiying; Zhang, Cicheng; Xiao, Xiong

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.10.121

Cited by 118 publications

(78 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…On the basis of the similarities in the SWC-weighted-mean approach was used to calculate the δ 18 O value of each soil layer (Liu, Wang, Li, Liu, & Li, 2014;Snyder & Williams, 2003;Wu et al, 2016). On the basis of the similarities in the SWC-weighted-mean approach was used to calculate the δ 18 O value of each soil layer (Liu, Wang, Li, Liu, & Li, 2014;Snyder & Williams, 2003;Wu et al, 2016).…”

Section: Quantification Of Water Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of two desert riparian species to fluctuating groundwater depths in hyperarid areas of Northwest China

Tong

Huang

et al. 2019

Ecohydrology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the hyperarid region of Northwest China, frequent variations in hydrological environments present challenges to the persistence of riparian plants. The main objective of this study was to determine whether two desert riparian species (Populus euphratica and Tamarix ramosissima) differed in their water uptake patterns and ecophysiological responses to fluctuating groundwater depths (GWDs). This study was conducted in typical desert riparian ecosystems in the downstream Heihe River basin, Northwestern China, where the GWD continuously increases during growing season. Stable oxygen composition (δ 18 O) in xylem water, soil water, and groundwater, as well as leaf water potential and gas exchange were monitored. Results showed that P. euphratica used a higher ratio of soil water, whereas T. ramosissima relied more on groundwater and deep soil water. As the GWD increased during the growing season, both species modified their water use patterns, but they did so differently, P. euphratica extracted an increasing proportion of deep soil water and groundwater, whereas T. ramosissima took an increasing ratio of groundwater at critical growth stages. P. euphratica exhibited decreases in its daily maximum photosynthetic rate (A max ) and stomatal conductance (g max ) as the GWD increased, whereas those of T. ramosissima changed little. In summary, both species shift to use greater ratio of more reliable water sources with the increasing GWD, but the switching of water sources could not sufficiently compensate for the impact of drought stress on gas exchange for P. euphratica.

show abstract

Section: Quantification Of Water Sourcesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of two desert riparian species to fluctuating groundwater depths in hyperarid areas of Northwest China

Tong

Huang

et al. 2019

Ecohydrology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, uneven and stochastic precipitations usually cause spatiotemporal changes in the soil water availability (Noy-Meir 1973) and, thus, shape the plant acclimation traits because of periodic or persistent water stresses (Ramírez et al 2009). Previous studies have shown that deep-rooted plants have the ability to exploit a deep or dependable water source than enables them to survive long periods without rain or to overcome seasonal water limitations (Dodd et al 1998;Rossatto et al 2012;Dai et al 2015;Wu et al 2016). In contrast, shallow-rooted plants mainly rely on the soil water recharge from precipitation pulses (Ehleringer et al 1991;Williams and Ehleringer 2000;Yang et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential soil moisture pulse uptake by coexisting plants in an alpine Achnatherum splendens grassland community

et al. 2016

Environ Earth Sci

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The niche differentiation of resources among coexisting plants commonly reflects the fundamental functions of plant coexistence in water-limited ecosystems. However, the dynamics of water use patterns by coexisting plants that respond to soil moisture pulses are scarcely known in the semiarid alpine ecosystems of the QinghaiTibetan Plateau, particularly for deep-rooted grasses such as Achnatherum splendens in the Qinghai Lake watershed. Hence, we used the stable deuterium isotope method to detect the potential water sources for A. splendens during two growing seasons of 2013 and 2014. Our results indicate that SWC and dD values of shallow soil layer (0-10 cm) showed the highest variations in comparison with those in other soil layers during the growing seasons due to the combined effect of evaporation and precipitation inputs. A. splendens depended largely on shallow soil water availability at the early growing season. At the peak of the growing season, this deep-rooted grass A. splendens and shallow-rooted grass Leymus chinensis showed a high degree of response in the water use source to the changes in soil moisture pulses and shifted their water source from shallow to deep soil layer because water in the shallow soil layer became less available due to a long-time rainless days with strong evaporation effect on the shallow soil layer. In contrast, shallow soil water was utilized by all coexisting plants owing to an abrupt increase in shallow SWC with large events or long-lasting small events. At the late growing season, A. splendens used water from the shallow (0-10 cm) and middle soil layer (10-30 cm), while L. chinensis mainly relied on the shallow soil layer water. Comparatively, shallow-rooted herbs (Heteropappus altaicus and Allium tanguticum) predominantly used water from the shallow soil layer (0-10 cm) over the entire growing seasons regardless of soil water availability. Overall, the contrasting water use patterns by coexisting plants demonstrate their adaptations to the fluctuations of soil moisture pulses in water-limited ecosystems.

show abstract

“…In another study with a shrub species (Hippophae rhamnoides),Wu, Li, et al (2016) reported plasticity in switching the uses of water between water from shallow and deep soil layers depending on soil water availability. The local meteoric water line (LMWL) was taken as reference line here (δD = 9.24δ 18 O + 16.68) Proportions of soil water contributions to seven riparian species that were both found in terrace and floodplain regions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal and spatial variations of water use among riparian vegetation in tropical monsoon region of SW China

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Riparian vegetation is an important inhabitant of numerous forest ecosystems,although it is vulnerable and affected by the changes in climate or microclimate.Due to the fluctuation in rainfall and surface water availability, riparian plants usually exposed to two different seasons throughout the year: a dry season and a rainy season. However, water use patterns among riparian plants are still poorly understood in the tropical monsoon region. In this study, we used stable isotope techniques (δD and δ 18 O) coupled with MixSIAR model to identify the water sources for riparian plants in a tropical forest of SW China. The results showed an apparent seasonal variation in water use patterns for most trees, and the spatial variations were less pronounced between the terrace and floodplain sites. Among most riparian trees, deep soil (below 50 cm) was the main water source in the dry season, and shallow soil (above 15 cm) was the primary water source during the rainy season. However, there was no change in water source for herbs and other shallow-rooted species with the fluctuation in water availability. This result indicates that shallow-rooted plants (i.e., herbs and seedlings) struggle for their survivability in a riparian ecosystem because of the water scarcity in shallow soil during the dry season. Thus, lower rainfall and/or extended dry period may affect the productivity and sustainability of riparian vegetation under a future climate change scenario.

show abstract

Contrasting water use pattern of introduced and native plants in an alpine desert ecosystem, Northeast Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

Cited by 118 publications

References 51 publications

Responses of two desert riparian species to fluctuating groundwater depths in hyperarid areas of Northwest China

Responses of two desert riparian species to fluctuating groundwater depths in hyperarid areas of Northwest China

Differential soil moisture pulse uptake by coexisting plants in an alpine Achnatherum splendens grassland community

Seasonal and spatial variations of water use among riparian vegetation in tropical monsoon region of SW China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About