Spatial patch structure and adaptive strategy for desert shrub of Reaumuria soongorica in arid ecosystem of the Heihe River Basin

In many arid ecosystems, vegetation frequently occurs in high-cover patches interspersed in a matrix of low plant cover. However, theoretical explanations for shrub patch pattern dynamics along climate gradients remain unclear on a large scale. This context aimed to assess the variance of the Reaumuria soongorica patch structure along the precipitation gradient and the factors that affect patch structure formation in the middle and lower Heihe River Basin (HRB). Field investigations on vegetation patterns and heterogeneity in soil properties were conducted during 2014 and 2015. The results showed that patch height, size and plant-to-patch distance were smaller in high precipitation habitats than in low precipitation sites. Climate, soil and vegetation explained 82.5% of the variance in patch structure. Spatially, R. soongorica shifted from a clumped to a random pattern on the landscape towards the MAP gradient, and heterogeneity in the surface soil properties (the ratio of biological soil crust (BSC) to bare gravels (BG)) determined the R. soongorica population distribution pattern in the middle and lower HRB. A conceptual model, which integrated water availability and plant facilitation and competition effects, was revealed that R. soongorica changed from a flexible water use strategy in high precipitation regions to a consistent water use strategy in low precipitation areas. Our study provides a comprehensive quantification of the variance in shrub patch structure along a precipitation gradient and may improve our understanding of vegetation pattern dynamics in the Gobi Desert under future climate change.

     

Spatial and temporal patterns of stable water isotopes along the Yangtze River during two drought years

Changes in the level of the Yangtze River caused by anthropogenic water regulation have major effects on the hydrological processes and water cycle in surrounding lakes and rivers. In this study, we obtained isotopic evidence of changes in the water cycle of Yangtze River during the two drought years of 2006 and 2013. Isotopic evidence demonstrated that the δ¹⁸O and δD levels in Yangtze River exhibited high spatial heterogeneity from the upper to lower reaches, which were controlled by atmospheric precipitation, tributary/lake water mixing, damming regulation, and water temperature. Both the slope and intercept of Yangtze River evaporative line (δD = 7.88 δ¹⁸O + 7.96) were slightly higher than those of local meteoric water line of Yangtze River catchment (δD = 7.41 δ¹⁸O + 6.01). Most of the river isotopic values were located below the local meteoric water line, thereby implying that the Yangtze River water experienced a certain degree of evaporative enrichment on isotopic compositions of river water. The high fluctuations in the isotopic composition (e.g., deuterium excess [d‐excess]) in the middle to lower reaches during the initial stage of operation for the Three Gorges Dams (2003–2006) were due to heterogeneous isotopic signatures from the upstream water. In contrast to the normal stage (after 2010) characterized by the maximum water level and largest water storage, a relatively small variability in the deuterium excess was found along the middle to lower reaches because of the homogenization of reservoir water with a longer residence time and complete mixing. The effects of water from lakes and tributaries on the isotopic compositions in mainstream water were highlighted because of the high contributions of lakes water (e.g., Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake) efflux to the Yangtze River mainstream, which ranged from 21% to 85% during 2006 and 2013. These findings suggest that the retention and regulation of the Three Gorges Dams has greatly buffered the isotopic variability of the water cycle in the Yangtze catchment, thereby improving our understanding of the complex lake–river interactions along the middle to lower reaches in the future.     

Improvement of a simplified process‐based model for estimating transpiration under water‐limited conditions

Plant transpiration depends on environmental conditions, and soil water availability is its primary control under water deficit conditions. In this study, we improve a simplified process‐based model (hereafter “BTA”) by including soil water potential (ψ_soil) to explicitly represent the dependence of plant transpiration on root‐zone moisture conditions. The improved model is denoted as the BTA‐ψ model. We assessed the performance of the BTA and BTA‐ψ models in a subtropical monsoon climate and a Mediterranean climate with different levels of water stress. The BTA model performed reasonably in estimating daily and hourly transpiration under sufficient water conditions, but it failed during dry periods. Overall, the BTA‐ψ model provided a significant improvement for estimating transpiration under a wide range of soil moisture conditions. Although both models could estimate transpiration (sap flow) at night, BTA‐ψ was superior to BTA in this regard. Species differences in the calibrated parameters of both models were consistent with leaf‐level photosynthetic measurements on each species, as expected given the physiological basis of these parameters. With a simplified representation of physiological regulation and reasonable performance across a range of soil moisture conditions, the BTA‐ψ model provides a useful alternative to purely empirical models for modelling transpiration.     

大风天气老哈河下游迎风侧谷坡的风速脉动特征

基于春季大风天气野外实地风速观测数据,从平均风速、风速脉动、风速脉动强度3个方面对老哈河下游迎风侧谷坡坡脚和坡顶的风速脉动特征进行了分析.结果表明:(1)在距地表0.50 m高度以上,坡脚和坡顶风速在时间序列上波动各自具有均一性;(2)风速脉动幅度随着距地表高度的增加而逐渐加大,其最大值超过4.00 m·s^-1.坡脚和坡顶的风速脉动频率各自具有一致性,但脉动频率不稳定;(3)风速脉动强度基本一致,随高度增加而逐渐增大.在0.50 m高度以上,风速脉动相对值(阵性度)基本稳定,但坡顶的阵性因谷坡的干扰而相对减弱.     

亚热带樟树树干液流通量变化规律

采用热脉冲技术于2013―2015 年连续测定了樟树的树干液流,并同步监测了环境因子,分析了樟树树干液流日变化和季节变化特征以及对不同环境条件的响应。结果表明：樟树树干液流速率晴天日变化为典型的单峰型曲线,季节变化明显,液流速率峰值夏季＞春季＞秋季＞冬季,峰宽随季节变化存在“窄→宽→窄”的逐步变化过程。樟树存在微弱的夜间液流,且生长季较其他月份活跃。液流启动时间夏季最早,冬季最晚,液流结束（进入夜间低值）时间夏季晚于冬季约1~2 h。上下午液流量比值均＜1,平均值为0.74。同月不同天气条件下,液流速率和液流量均为晴天＞阴天＞雨天。干旱环境下,樟树树干液流峰值下降了约95%,与2014 年相比,同期内液流总量减少了约47.8%,在干旱中液流量与气温、水汽压亏缺呈显著负相关,改变了常年中（没有干旱）液流量与气温和水汽压亏缺呈显著正相关的关系。干旱显著降低了樟树的树干液流量,也反映了樟树对干旱的适应过程。