Water use patterns of dominant species of riparian wetlands in arid areas
Lei Wang
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Guofeng Zhu
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Correspondence
Guofeng Zhu, College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, 967 East Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorXinrui Lin
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorYuwei Liu
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorKailiang Zhao
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorLiyuan Sang
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorWenhao Zhang
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorDongdong Qiu
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorZhuanxia Zhang
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorZhigang Sun
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorLei Wang
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Guofeng Zhu
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Correspondence
Guofeng Zhu, College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, 967 East Road, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorXinrui Lin
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorYuwei Liu
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorKailiang Zhao
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorLiyuan Sang
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorWenhao Zhang
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorDongdong Qiu
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorZhuanxia Zhang
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorZhigang Sun
College of Geography and Environment Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Shiyang River Ecological Environment Observation Station, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Water resource shortage in arid areas is the main cause of ecological problems. Understanding plant water use patterns is essential for understanding soil–plant interactions and assessing the adaptability of plants in ecosystems with limited water resources. Riparian wetlands are functional transition areas connecting aquatic ecosystems and terrestrial ecosystems. Wetland vegetation restoration is of great significance to water conservation and ecological balance. Using isotope tracing method, our study clarified the water use patterns of dominant plants in typical riparian wetlands in arid areas. The results showed that the dominant herbal species of Salsola affinis mainly used 0–60 cm soil water (48.96%). Salsola affinis, which continuously obtains water from shallow soil, may be difficult to survive in extreme drought conditions. If it withered significantly aged in the dry season, it would have a negative ecological impact. The dominant tree species of Salix matsudana Koidz mainly used 20–100 cm soil water (43.99%) and groundwater (23.16%). With increasing water stress, S. matsudana Koidz had a greater degree of ecological plasticity and can use water from deeper soils. However, S. matsudana Koidz can continuously obtained water from deep soil and groundwater, which may weaken the water and soil conservation capacity of the wetland. In addition, the lc-excess value of soil water showed that the soil evaporation intensity of grassland was higher than that of forest land, and the surface evaporation depth reached 60 cm. Our findings will help better understand the impact of vegetation restoration plan (artificial forest land and natural grassland) on the hydrological process of riparian wetland in arid areas, and provide reference for plant species selection and water resources management.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. Stable isotope data are not publicly available due to privacy.
REFERENCES
- Austin, A. T., Yahdjian, L., Stark, J. M., Belnap, J., Porporato, A., Norton, U., Ravetta, D. A., & Schaeffer, S. M. (2004). Water pulses and biogeochemical cycles in arid and semiarid ecosystems. Oecologia, 141(2), 221–235.
- Bowling, D. R., Schulze, E. S., & Hall, S. J. (2016). Revisiting streamside trees that do not use stream water: Can the two water worlds hypothesis and snowpack isotopic effects explain a missing water source? Ecohydrology, 10(1), e1771.
- Chen, H. S., Shao, M. G., & Li, Y. Y. (2008). Soil desiccation in the loess plateau of China. Geoderma, 143(1–2), 91–100.
- Chen, L. D., Wang, J. P., Wei, W., Fu, B.-J., & Wu, D. (2010). Effects of landscape restoration on soil water storage and water use in the loess plateau region, China. Forest Ecology and Management, 259(7), 1291–1298.
- Cheng, X. L., An, S. Q., Li, B., Chen, J., Lin, G., Liu, Y., Luo, Y., & Liu, S. (2006). Summer rain pulse size and rainwater uptake by three dominant desert plants in a desertified grassland ecosystem in northwestern China. Plant Ecology, 184(1), 1–12.
- Dawson, T. E. (1993). Hydraulic lift and water use by plants: Implications for water balance, performance and plant-plant interactions. Oecologia, 95(4), 565–574.
- Dawson, T. E., Mambelli, S., Plamboeck, A. H., Templer, P. H., & Tu, K. P. (2002). Stable isotopes in plant ecology. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 33(1), 507–559.
10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.33.020602.095451 Google Scholar
- Deng, W. A., Jia, G. D., Liu, Y. Q., Chen, Q., Huang, J. H., Wen, L. S., Zhang, L., Liu, X. J., Jia, J. B., & Peng, S. L. (2021). Long-term study on the seasonal water uptake of Platycladus orientalis in the Beijing mountain area, northern China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 307, 108–531.
- Ellsworth, P. Z., & Williams, D. G. (2007). Hydrogen isotope fractionation during water uptake by woody xerophytes. Plant and Soil, 29(1–2), 93–107.
- Gazis, C., & Feng, X. H. (2004). A stable isotope study of soil water: Evidence for mixing and preferential flow paths. Geoderma, 119(1), 97–111.
- Goebel, T. S., Lascano, R. J., Paxton, P. R., & Mahan, J. R. (2015). Rainwater use by irrigated cotton measured with stable isotopes of water. Agricultural Water Management, 158, 17–25.
- Gu, D., Zhang, Z., Mallik, A., Zhou, A., Mo, L., He, C., & Huang, Y. (2015). Seasonal water use strategy of Cyclobalanopsis glauca in a karst area of southern China. Environmental Earth Sciences, 74, 1007–1014.
- Hajek, P., Hertel, D., & Leuschner, C. (2014). Root order- and root age-dependent response of two poplar species to belowground competition. Plant and Soil, 377, 337–355.
- Hasselquist, N. J., Benegas, L., Roupsard, O., Malmer, A., & Ilstedt, U. (2018). Canopy cover effects on local soil water dynamics in a tropical agroforestry system: Evaporation drives soil water isotopic enrichment. Hydrological Processes, 32(8), 11482.
- Holdo, R. M., & Timberlake, J. (2008). Rooting depth and aboveground community composition in Kalahari sand woodlands in western Zimbabwe. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 24, 169–176.
- Hrach, D. M., Petrone, R. M., Green, A., & Khomik, M. (2022). Analysis of growing season carbon and water fluxes of a subalpine wetland in the Canadian Rocky Mountains: Implications of shade on ecosystem water use efficiency. Hydrological Processes, 36(1), 14425.
- IPCC-Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2019). The physical science basis. Cambridge University Press.
- Jian, S. Q., Zhao, C. Y., Fang, S. M., & Yu, K. (2015). Effects of different vegetation restoration on soil water storage and water balance in the Chinese loess plateau. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 206, 85–96.
- Jiao, W. Z., Wang, L. X., Smith, W. K., Chang, Q., Wang, H., & D'Odorico, P. (2021). Observed increasing water constraint on vegetation growth over the last three decades. Nature Communications, 12, 37–77.
- Landwehr, J. M., Coplen, T. B., & Stewart, D. W. (2015). Spatial, seasonal, and source variability in the stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic composition of tap waters throughout the USA. Hydrological Processes, 28(21), 5382–5422.
- Li, E. G., Tong, Y. Q., Huang, Y. M., Li, X., Wang, P., Chen, H., & Yang, C. (2019). Responses of two desert riparian species to fluctuating groundwater depths in hyperarid areas of Northwest China. Ecohydrology, 12(3), e2078.
- Lin, G., & Sternberg, L. (1993). Hydrogen isotopic fractionation by plant roots during water uptake in coastal wetland plants. In Stable isotopes and plant carbon-water relations (pp. 497–510). Academic Press.
- Liu, X., Zhuang, Q. L., Lai, L. M., Zhou, J., Sun, Q., Yi, S., Liu, B., & Zheng, Y. (2021). Soil water use sources and patterns in shrub encroachment in semiarid grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 308-309(6), 108–579.
- Liu, Z. Q., Yu, X. X., Jia, G. D., Jia, J., Lou, Y., & Lu, W. (2017). Contrasting water sources of evergreen and deciduous tree species in rocky mountain area of Beijing, China. Catena, 150, 108–115.
- Mackay, D. S., Savoy, P. R., Grossiord, C., Tai, X., Pleban, J. R., Wang, D. R., McDowell, N. G., Adams, H. D., & Sperry, J. S. (2019). Conifers depend on established roots during drought: Results from a coupled model of carbon allocation and hydraulics. New Phytologist, 22(2), 679–692.
- Mares, R., Barnard, H. R., Mao, D., Revil, A., & Singha, K. (2016). Examining diel patterns of soil and xylem moisture using electrical resistivity imaging. Journal of Hydrology, 536, 327–338.
- Ogle, K., & Reynolds, J. (2004). Plant responses to precipitation in desert ecosystems: Integrating functional types, pulses, thresholds, and delays. Oecologia, 141, 282–294.
- O'Grady, A. P., Eamus, D., Cook, P. G., & Lamontagne, S. (2006). Groundwater use by riparian vegetation in the wet-dry tropics of northern Australia. Australian Journal of Botany, 54(2), 145–154.
- Penna, D., Brocca, L., Borga, M., & Dalla Fontana, G. (2013). Soil moisture temporal stability at different depths on two alpine hillslopes during wet and dry periods. Journal of Hydrology, 477, 55–71.
- Phillips, D. L., & Gregg, J. W. (2003). Source partitioning using stable isotopes: Coping with too many sources. Oecologia, 136, 261–269.
- Phillips, D. L., Newsome, S. D., & Gregg, J. W. (2005). Combining sources in stable isotope mixing models: Alternative methods. Oecologia, 144, 520–527.
- Qian, J., Zheng, H., Wang, P., Liao, X., Wang, C., Hou, J., Ao, Y., Shen, M., Liu, J., & Li, K. (2017). Assessing the ecohydrological separation hypothesis and seasonal variations in water use by Ginkgo biloba L. in a subtropical riparian area. Journal of Hydrology, 553, 486–500.
- Rossatto, D. R., Silva, L., Villalobos-Vega, R., Sternberg, L., & Franco, A. (2012). Depth of water uptake in woody plants relates to groundwater level and vegetation structure along a topo-graphic gradient in a neotropical savanna. Environmental & Experimental Botany, 77(2), 259–266.
- Rothfuss, Y., & Javaux, M. (2017). Reviews and syntheses: Isotopic approaches to quantify root water uptake: A review and comparison of methods. Biogeosciences, 14(8), 2199–2224.
- Schenk, H. J. (2008). Soil depth, plant rooting strategies and species' niches. New Phytologist, 178, 223–225.
- Shan, L. S., Su, M., Zhang, Z. Z., Wang, Y., Wang, S., & Li, Y. (2018). Vertical distribution pattern of mixed root systems of desert plants Reaumuria soongarica and Salsola passerina under different environmental gradients. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 42(4), 475–486.
10.17521/cjpe.2017.0300 Google Scholar
- Si, J. H., Feng, Q., Cao, S. K., Yu, T., & Zhao, C. (2014). Water use sources of desert riparian Populus euphratica forests. Environmental Monitoring & Assessment, 186(9), 5469–5477.
- Singer, M. B., Stella, J. C., Dufour, S., Piégay, H., Wilson, R., & Johnstone, L. (2012). Contrasting water uptake and growth responses to drought in co-occurring riparian tree species. Ecohydrology, 6(3), e1283.
- Smith, S. D., Wellington, A. B., Nachlinger, J. L., & Fox, C. A. (1991). Functional responses of riparian vegetation to stream flow diversion in the eastern Sierra Nevada. Ecological Applications, 1, 89–97.
- Snyder, K. A., & Williams, D. G. (2000). Water sources used by riparian trees varies among stream types on the San Pedro River, Arizona. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 105(1–3), 227–240.
- Sperenger, M., Tetzlaff, D., Tunaley, C., Dick, J., & Soulsby, C. (2017). Evaporation fractionation in a peatland drainage network affects stream water isotope composition. Water Resources Research, 53(1), 851–866.
- Sprenger, M., Leistert, H., Gimbel, K., & Weiler, M. (2017). Illuminating hydrological processes at the soil-vegetation-atmosphere interface with water stable isotopes. Reviews of Geophysics, 54(3), 674–704.
- Stratton, L. C., Goldstein, G., & Meinzer, F. C. (2000). Temporal and spatial partitioning of water resources among eight woody species in a Hawaiian dry forest. Oecologia, 124, 309–317.
- Sun, Z. Y., Long, X., & Ma, R. (2016). Water uptake by saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) in a desert riparian forest: Responses to intra-annual water table fluctuation. Hydrological Processes, 30(9), 1388–1402.
- Tiemuerbieke, B., Min, X. J., Zang, Y. X., Xing, P., Ma, J. Y., & Sun, W. (2018). Water use patterns of co-occurring C3 and C4 shrubs in the Gurbantonggut desert in northwestern China. Science of the Total Environment, 634(SEP.1), 341–354.
- Vargas, A. I., Schaffer, B., Li, Y. H., & Sternberg, L. D. S. L. (2017). Testing plant use of mobile vs immobile soil water sources using stable isotope experiments. New Phytologist, 215(2), 582–594.
- Wang, J., Fu, B. J., Lu, N., & Zhang, L. (2017). Seasonal variation in water uptake patterns of three plant species based on stable isotopes in the semi-arid loess plateau. Science of the Total Environment, 609(31), 27–37.
- Wang, L., D'Odorico, P., Evans, J. P., Eldridge, D. J., McCabe, M. F., Caylor, K. K., & King, E. G. (2012). Dryland ecohydrology and climate change: Critical issues and technical advances. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 16(8), 2585–2603.
- Wang, L., Zhu, G. F., Qiu, D. D., Liu, Y., Zhao, K., Sang, L., Zhang, Z., Sun, Z., Yong, L., & Jiao, Y. (2022). The use of stable isotopes to determine optimal application of irrigation-water to a maize crop. Plant and Soil, 481, 1–18.
- Wang, Q. X., Fan, X. H., Qin, Z. D., & Wang, M. B. (2012). Change trends of temperature and precipitation in the loess plateau region of China, 1961-2010. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 92-93(3–4), 138–147.
- Wang, Y. Q., Shao, M. A., Zhu, Y. J., & Liu, Z. (2011). Impacts of land use and plant characteristics on dried soil layers in different climatic regions on the loess plateau of China. Forest Ecology and Management, 151(4), 437–448.
- Wu, H., Li, X. Y., Jiang, Z., Chen, H., Zhang, C., & Xiao, X. (2016). Contrasting water use pattern of introduced and native plants in an alpine desert ecosystem, Northeast Qinghai-Tibet plateau, China. Science of the Total Environment, 542, 182–191.
- Wu, H. W., Zhao, G. Q., Li, X. Y., Wang, Y., He, B., Jiang, Z., Zhang, S., & Sun, W. (2019). Identifying water sources used by alpine riparian plants in a restoration zone on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau: Evidence from stable isotopes. Science of the Total Environment, 697(20), 134092.
- Wu, Y., Zhou, H., Zheng, X. J., Li, Y., & Tang, L. S. (2014). Seasonal changes in the water use strategies of three co-occurring desert shrubs. Hydrological Processes, 28, 6265–6275.
- Xu, H., & Li, Y. (2006). Water-use strategy of three central Asian desert shrubs and their responses to rain pulse events. Plant and Soil, 285(1–2), 5–17.
- Yang, B., Wen, X. F., & Sun, X. M. (2015). Seasonal variations in depth of water uptake for a subtropical coniferous plantation subjected to drought in an east Asian monsoon region. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 201, 218–228.
- Yang, L., Wei, W., Chen, L., Chen, W., & Wang, J. (2014). Response of temporal variation of soil moisture to vegetation restoration in semi-arid loess plateau, China. Catena, 115, 123–133.
- Yang, T. H., Li, R. X., & Liu, C. L. (2013). Biomass allocation patterns of four shrubs in desert grassland. Journal of Desert Research, 33, 1340–1348.
- Zhang, W. H., Zhu, G. F., Qiu, D. D., Liu, Y., Sang, L., Lin, X., Ma, H., Zhao, K., & Xu, Y. (2022). Effects of agricultural activities on hydrochemistry in the Shiyang River basin, China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30, 1–14.
- Zhang, Z. Q., Evaristo, J., Li, Z., Si, B. C., & McDonnell, J. J. (2017). Tritium analysis shows apple trees may be transpiring water several decades old. Hydrological Processes, 31(5), 1196–1201.
- Zhu, G. F., Guo, H. W., Qin, D. H., Pan, H., Zhang, Y., Jia, W., & Ma, X. (2018). Contribution of recycled moisture to precipitation in the monsoon marginal zone: Estimate based on stable isotope data. Journal of Hydrology, 569, 423–435.
- Zhu, G. F., Liu, Y. W., Shi, P. J., Jia, W., Zhou, J., Liu, Y., Ma, X., Pan, H., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Z., Sun, Z., Yong, L., & Zhao, K. (2022). Stable water isotope monitoring network of different water bodies in Shiyang River basin, a typical arid river in China. Earth System Science Data, 148, 3773–3789.
- Zhu, G. F., Zhang, Y., Ma, H. Y., Wan, Q., Zhang, Z., Sang, L., Liu, Y., & Xu, Y. (2021). Effects of a chain of reservoirs on temporal and spatial variation in water chemistry within an endorheic basin. Ecological Indicators, 125(3), 107–523.
- Zhu, J. F., Liu, J. T., Sun, J. K., Zhao, Y.-Y., Lu, Z.-H., & Li, J.-S. (2017). Water sources for Tamarix chinensis Lour. in different habitats on Chenier Island. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 36(8), 2367–2374.
- Zhu, Y. J., Lu, Q., Wu, B., Li, Y. H., Yao, B., & Zhang, J. X. (2013). Effects of increased precipitation on the water use of Nitraira tangutorum at southeast edge of Baddain Jaran Desert in China. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 24(1), 41–48.
