Variation in ecosystem water use efficiency along a southwest-to-northeast aridity gradient in China

Bai, Yujie; Zha, Tianshan; Bourque, Charles P.‐A.; Jia, Xin; Ma, Jingyong; Liu, Peng; Yang, Ruizhi; Li, Cheng; Du, Tao; Wu, Yajuan

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105932

Cited by 43 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Seasonal patterns in RUEs were due to the control applied by intermittent rain pulses and associated soil water supplies. This result confirmed that the presence of water was responsible for the large changes observed in resource use and efficiencies in arid and semiarid grasslands [10,13,49,50]. It submits that drier conditions at our site more likely decreased SWC in situ, which limited plant physiological activity and growth.…”

Section: Variations In Rues and Their Controlling Factorssupporting

confidence: 82%

“…There was neither correlation between WUE and LUE, nor correlation between WUE and NUE in both species (Figure 7A,B,D,E). The Mu Us Desert is occasionally affected by drought; SWC was shown to be a key factor in controlling plant RUEs and constraining plant growth (Table 1) [10,26,45,50]. A. ordosica has an ability to avoid functional damage by reducing transpiration losses through stomatal closure during periods of excessive dryness [9,39].…”

Section: Tradeoffs Between Ruesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dynamic Changes in Plant Resource Use Efficiencies and Their Primary Influence Mechanisms in a Typical Desert Shrub Community

Jiang

Tian

Zha

et al. 2021

Forests

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Understanding plant resource use efficiencies (RUEs) and their tradeoffs in a desert shrub community, particularly as it concerns the usage of water, light, and nitrogen, remains an ecological imperative. Plant RUEs have been widely used as indicators to understand plant acclimation processes to unfavorable environmental conditions. This study aimed to examine seasonal dynamics in RUEs in two widely distributed plant species in a typical desert shrub community (i.e., Artemisia ordosica and Leymus secalinus) based on in-situ measurements of leaf photosynthesis, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf nitrogen concentration (i.e., Nmass + Narea), and several site-related abiotic factors. Both species exhibited significant seasonal variation in RUEs, with a coefficient of variation (CV) > 30% and seasonal divergence among the various RUEs. Seasonal divergence was largely controlled by variation in stomatal conductance (Gs), which was in turn influenced by variation in soil water content (SWC) and water vapor pressure deficit (VPD). RUEs between species converged, being positively correlated, yielding: (i) r2 = 0.40 and p < 0.01 for WUE; (ii) r2 = 0.18 and p < 0.01 for LUE；and (iii) r2 = 0.25 and p < 0.01 for NUE. RUEs for A. ordosica were mostly larger than those for L. secalinus, but less reactive to drought. This suggests A. ordosica was more conservative in its usage of available resources and was, therefore, better able to adapt to arid conditions. Resource use strategies between species differed in response to drought. Desert shrubs are projected to eventually replace grasses, as drought severity and duration increase with sustained regional climate change.

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Section: Variations In Rues and Their Controlling Factorssupporting

confidence: 82%

Section: Tradeoffs Between Ruesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic Changes in Plant Resource Use Efficiencies and Their Primary Influence Mechanisms in a Typical Desert Shrub Community

Jiang

Tian

Zha

et al. 2021

Forests

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“…The study by Liu et al (Liu et al, 2015) showed that WUE in southern China showed a downward trend from 2000 to 2011, which confirmed the results of this study. The results of this study were also consistent with those in arid and semiarid regions with a high ecosystem water use efficiency (Bai et al, 2020). Ding et al (Ding et al, 2021) found that the annual average WUE in the karst area showed a significant increasing trend from 2001 to 2015.…”

Section: Spatial and Temporal Variation Analysissupporting

confidence: 90%

Changes in water use efficiency and driving forces of the karst vegetation ecosystem in Southwest China

Shi

Bai

Chen

2022

Preprint

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As the largest contiguous karst area of China, the southwestern karst area is a typical ecologically fragile area affecting local vegetation dynamics. Ecosystem water use efficiency (WUE) is an important factor outlining the vegetation’s ability to produce organic matter with a limited water supply. Therefore, it is important to determine WUE variation trends in this ecologically fragile region. In this paper, we used MODIS remote sensing datasets, meteorological data and land cover data to analyze the spatiotemporal changes in vegetation water use efficiency in the southwest karst region from 2001 to 2017. We also further quantitatively analyzed the impact of climate change and human activities on the spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation WUE in the study area. The main conclusions were as follows. (1) From 2001 to 2017, in terms of temporal characteristics, the interannual variation in WUE fluctuated greatly, ranging from 1.33 to 1.51 g C kg-1 H2O, with a multiyear average of 1.43 g C kg-1 H2O and an average rate of change of -0.0046 g C kg-1 H2O yr-1. In terms of spatial characteristics, areas with a higher WUE were concentrated in central Sichuan and northeastern Yunnan. (2) There were also certain differences in the WUE for different vegetation types. The annual average WUE of each vegetation type decreased in the following order: evergreen coniferous forest> evergreen broad-leaved forest> mixed forest> deciduous broad-leaved forest> cultivated land> deciduous coniferous forest> grassland> cultivated land and natural vegetation> shrub forest. (3) The vegetation WUE of 70.66% in this area was positively correlated with temperature. Additionally, 79.68% of the vegetation WUE was negatively correlated with precipitation. The relative contribution rates of climate change and human activities to the change trend in WUE were 15% and 85%, respectively. These results provide scientific support for local vegetation restoration and protection policies.

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“…Currently, δ l3 C has been used to assess plant intrinsic water use efficiency (WUE) because there is a significant positive correlation between the two (Liu et al., 2020; Ma et al., 2018). WUE is also a critical indicator that indicates the ability of plants to adjust to water deficits, and it reflects the coupling relationship or trade‐offs between water and carbon cycles in the ecosystem (Bai et al., 2020; Verlinden et al., 2015). Foliar δ l3 C not only offers a comprehensive insight into how plant species interplay with and respond to their biotic and abiotic environments but also reveals the resource acquisition strategies of plant species throughout the growth period (Cao et al., 2020; Fu et al., 2020; Ma et al., 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of two dominant desert plant species to the changes in groundwater depth in hinterland natural oasis, Tarim Basin

Imin

Dai

Shi

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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Variation in ecosystem water use efficiency along a southwest-to-northeast aridity gradient in China

Cited by 43 publications

References 68 publications

Dynamic Changes in Plant Resource Use Efficiencies and Their Primary Influence Mechanisms in a Typical Desert Shrub Community

Dynamic Changes in Plant Resource Use Efficiencies and Their Primary Influence Mechanisms in a Typical Desert Shrub Community

Changes in water use efficiency and driving forces of the karst vegetation ecosystem in Southwest China

Responses of two dominant desert plant species to the changes in groundwater depth in hinterland natural oasis, Tarim Basin

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