Seasonal changes in the water use strategies of three co‐occurring desert shrubs |
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| Authors: | Yu Wu Hai Zhou Xin‐Jun Zheng Yan Li Li‐Song Tang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. State Key Lab of Oasis and Desert Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China;2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China |
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| Abstract: | Water is a major limiting factor in desert ecosystems. In order to learn how plants cope with changes in water resources over time and space, it is important to understand plant–water relations in desert region. Using the oxygen isotopic tracing method, our study clarified the seasonal changes in the water use strategies of three co‐occurring desert shrubs. During the 2012 growing season, δ18O values were measured for xylem sap, the soil water in different soil layers between 0 and 300 cm depth and groundwater. Based on the similarities in δ18O values for the soil water in each layer, three potential water sources were identified: shallow soil water, middle soil water and deep soil water. Then we calculated the percentage utilization of potential water sources by each species in each season using the linear mixing model. The results showed that the δ18O values of the three species showed a clear seasonal pattern. Reaumuria songarica used shallow soil water when shallow layer was relatively wet in spring, but mostly took up middle soil water in summer and autumn. Nitraria tangutorum mainly utilized shallow and middle soil water in spring, but mostly absorbed deep soil water in summer and autumn. Tamarix ramosissima utilized the three water sources evenly in spring and primarily relied on deep soil water in summer and autumn. R. songarica and N. tangutorum responded quickly to large rainfall pulses during droughts. Differential root systems of the three species resulted in different seasonal water use strategies when the three competed for water. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
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| Keywords: | seasonal change water use strategies water resource co‐occurring desert shrubs northwest China |
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