Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Root biomass distribution of planted Haloxylon ammodendron in a duplex soil in an oasis: desert boundary area

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Ecological Research

Abstract

Duplex soils, consisting of a sandy surface soil (A-horizon) and silty-clay subsoil (B-horizon), occur in a boundary area between oasis and desert in northwestern China and create a challenging habitat for restoration of plant growth. We conducted an experiment in a 10-year-old H. ammodendron plantation forest to determine the influence of physical properties of duplex soil on water infiltration and plant root growth. We used a trenching method to assess root biomass, and classified roots into two diameter classes: fine (<2 mm) and coarse (>2 mm). Following a 26.7 mm rain event, water infiltrated to the B- horizon; further deep percolation was hindered by low hydraulic conductivity, so that B horizon remained at high available soil moisture for an extended period of time. Root biomass increased rapidly in, or very close to the B horizon, especially for coarse roots. The subsoil formed a barrier to root penetration, but may also reflect the accumulation of water resources at the boundary between the A- and B-horizon. Shoot growth and root distribution, shrub height and canopy area, and total root biomass were negatively correlation with depth to the B horizon, and that was reflected by quadratic functions. We conclude that the texture and structure of duplex soils influenced the soil environment for water infiltration and storage, indicating that the B-horizon underlying sand in duplex soils is advantageous for the growth, and development of planted sand-stabilizing vegetation. These results have important implications for sustainable development of sand-fixing plantations in desert ecosystems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adiku SGK, Rose CW, Braddock R, Ozier-Lafontaine H (2000) On the simulation of root water extraction: examination of a minimum energy hypothesis. Soil Sci 165:226–236

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arthur E, Moldrup P, Schjonning P, Jonge LW (2012) Linking particle and pore size distribution parameters to soil gas transport properties. Soil Sci Soc Am J 76:18–27

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bell DL, Sultan SE (1999) Dynamic phenotypic plasticity for root growth in Polygonum: a comparative study. Am J B 86:807–819

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Burgess SSO, Adams MA, Turner NC, White DA, Ong CK (2001) Tree roots: conduits for deep recharge of soil water. Oecologia 126:158–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burke IC, Lauenroth WK, Coffin DP (1995) Soil organic-matter recovery in semiarid grasslands: implications for the conservation reserve program. Ecol Appl 5:793–801

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng X, An S, 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 Ecol 184:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chittleborough DJ (1992) Formation and pedology of duplex soils. Aust J Exp Agr 32:815–825

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • David TS, Pinto CA, Nadezhdina N, Kurz-Besson C, Henriques MO, Quilhó T, Cermak J, Chaves MM, Pereira JS, David JS (2013) Root functioning, tree water use and hydraulic redistribution in Quercus suber trees: a modeling approach based on root sap flow. Forest Ecol Manag 307:136–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dodd MB, Lauenroth WK, Welker JM (1998) Differential water resource use by herbaceous and woody plant life-forms in a shortgrass steppe community. Oecologia 117:504–512

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donovan LA, Ehleringer JR (1994) Water stress and use of summer precipitation in a Great Basin shrub community. Funct Ecol 8:289–297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eamus D, Chen X, Kelley G, Hutley LB (2002) Root biomass and root fractal analyses of an open Eucalyptus forest in a savanna of north Australia. Aust J Bot 50:31–41

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eltahir EAB (1998) A soil moisture-rainfall feedback mechanism: 1.Theory and observations. Water Resour Res 34:765–776

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fravolini A, Hultine K, Brugnoli E, Gazal R, English N, Williams D (2005) Precipitation pulse use by an invasive woody legume: the role of soil texture and pulse size. Oecologia 144:618–627

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garner W, Steinberger Y (1989) A proposed mechanism for the formation of ‘fertile islands’ in the desert ecosystem. J Arid Environ 16:257–262

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon WS, Jackson RB (2000) Nutrient concentrations in fine roots. Ecology 81:275–280

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gutiérrez JR, Meserve PL, Contreras LC, Vásquez H, Jaksic FM (1993) Spatial distribution of soil nutrients and ephemeral plants underneath and outside the canopy of Porlieria chilensis shrubs (Zygophyllaceae) in arid coastal Chile. Oecologia 95:347–352

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamerlynck EP, McAuliffe JR, McDonald EV, Smith SD (2002) Ecological responses of two Mojave Desert shrubs to soil horizon development and soil water dynamics. Ecology 83:768–779

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillel D, Talpaz H (1977) Simulation of soil water dynamics in layered soils. Soil Sci 123:54–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson RB, Schenk HJ, Jobbagy EG, Canadell J, Colello GD, Dickinson RE, Kicklighter DW (2000) Belowground consequences of vegetation change and their treatment in models. Ecol Appl 10(2):470–483

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jarvis N, Koestel J, Messing I, Moeys J, Lindahl A (2013) Influence of soil, land use and climatic factors on the hydraulic conductivity of soil. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 17:5185–5195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komiyama A, Ogino K, Aksornkoae S, Sabhasri S (1987) Root biomass of a mangrove forest in southern Thailand. 1. Estimation by the trench method and the zonal structure of root biomass. J Trop Ecol 3:97–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laclau JP, Arnaud M, Bouillet JP, Ranger J (2001) Spatial distribution of eucalyptus roots in a deep sandy soil in the congo: relationships with the ability of the stand to take up water and nutrients. Tree Physiol 21:129–136

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lal R (2000) Soil management in the developing countries. Soil Sci 165:57–72

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lebron I, Madsen MD, Chandler DG, Robinson DA, Wendroth O, Belnap J (2007) Ecohydrological controls on soil moisture and hydraulic conductivity within a pinyon-juniper woodland. Water Resour Res 43:42–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li YL, Cui JY, Zhang TH, Okuro T, Drake S (2009) Effectiveness of sand-fixing measures on desert land restoration in Kerqin Sandy Land, northern China. Ecol Eng 35:118–127

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin H (2010) Earth’s critical zone and hydropedology: concepts, characteristics, and advances. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 14:25–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu HL, Tao Y, Qiu D, Zhang DY, Zhang YK (2013) Effects of artificial sand fixing on community characteristics of a rare desert shrub. Conserv Biol 27:1011–1019

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lu S, Ren T, Gong Y, Horton R (2008) Evaluation of three models that describe soil water retention curves from saturation to oven dryness. Soil Sci Soc Am J 72:1542–1546

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma QL, Wang JH, Zhu ShJ (2007) Effects of precipitation, soil water content and soil crust on artificial Haloxylon ammodendron forest. Acta Ecol Sin 27:5057–5067

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macinnis-Ng CMO, Fuentes S, Grady APO, Palmer AR, Taylor D, Whitley RJ, Yunusa I, Zeppel MJB, Eamus D (2010) Root biomass distribution and soil properties of an open forest on a duplex soil. Plant Soil 327:377–388

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Messier C, Coll L, Poitras-Larivière A, Bélanger N, Brisson J (2009) Resource and non-resource root competition effects of grasses on early-versus late-successional trees. J Ecol 97:548–554

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Plante PM, Rivest D, Vézina A, Vanasse A (2014) Root distribution of different mature tree species growing on contrasting textured soils in temperate windbreaks. Plant Soil 380:429–439

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ren J, Tao L, Liu XM (2002) Effect of different microhabitats and stand age on survival of introduced sand-fixing plants. J Arid Environ 51:413–421

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds WD, Elrick DE (2002) Constant head soil core (tank) method. In: Dane JH, Topp CG (eds) Methods of soil analysis. Part. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, pp 804–808

    Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds JF, Virginia RA, Kemp PR, Amrita GS, Tremmel DC (1999) Impact of drought on desert shrubs: effects of seasonality and degree of resource island development. Ecol Monogr 69:69–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saxton KE, Rawls WJ (2006) Soil water characteristic estimates by texture and organic matter for hydrological solutions. Soil Sci Soc Am J 70:1569–1578

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schenk HJ (2008) Soil depth, plant rooting strategies and species’ niches. New Phytol 178:223–225

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schenk HJ, Jackson RB (2002) Rooting depths, lateral root spreads and below-ground/above-ground allometries of plants in water-limited ecosystems. J Ecol 90:480–494

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwinning S, Ehleringer JR (2001) Water use trade-offs and optimal adaptations to pulse-driven arid ecosystems. J Ecol 89:464–480

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shen Q, Gao G, Fu B, Lü Y (2014) Soil water content variations and hydrological relations of the cropland-treebelt-desert land use pattern in an oasis-desert ecotone of the Heihe River Basin, China. Catena 123:52–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sudmeyer RA, Speijers J, Nicholas BD (2004) Root distribution of Pinus pinaster, P. radiata, Eucalyptus globulus and E. kochii and associated soil chemistry in agricultural land adjacent to tree lines. Tree Physiol 24:1333–1346

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tennant D, Scholz G, Dixon J, Purdie B (1992) Physical and chemical characteristics of duplex soils and their distribution in the south-west of Western Australia. Aust J Exp Agr 328:27–43

    Google Scholar 

  • Tobe K, Li XM, Omasa K (2000) Effects of sodium chloride on seed germination and growth of two Chinese desert shrubs, Haloxylon ammodendron and H. persicum (Chenopodiaceae). Aust J Bot 48:455–460

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Van Genuchten MT (1980) A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 44:892–898

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang T (2000) Land use and sandy desertification in the north China. Chin J Desert Res 20:103–113 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang G, Zhao W, Liu H, Zhang G, Li F (2015) Changes in soil and vegetation with stabilization of dunes in a desert–oasis ecotone. Ecol Res 30:639–650

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weijschede J, Martinkova J, de Kroon H, Huber H (2006) Shade avoidance in Trifolium repens: costs and benefits of plasticity in petiole length and leaf size. New Phytol 172:655–666

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wijesinghe DA, Hutchings MJ (1999) The effects of environmental heterogeneity on the performance of Glechoma hederacea: the interactions between patch contrast and patch scale. J Ecol 87:860–872

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu H, Li Y (2006) Water-use strategy of three central Asian desert shrubs and their responses to rain pulse events. Plant Soil 285:5–17

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu GQ, Li Y (2008) Rooting depth and leaf hydraulic conductance in the xeric tree Haloxyolon ammodendron growing at sites of contrasting soil texture. Funct Plant Biol 35:1234–1242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu H, Li Y, Xu GQ, Zou T (2007) Ecophysiological response and morphological adjustment of two Central Asian desert shrubs towards variation in summer precipitation. Plant, Cell Environ 30:399–409

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yang QY, Zhao WZ, Liu B, Lu H (2014) Physiological responses of Haloxylon ammodendron to rainfall pulses in temperate desert regions, Northwestern China. Trees-Struct Funct 28:709–722

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang TH, Zhao HL, Li SG, Li FR, Shirato Y, Ohkuro T, Taniyama I (2004) A comparison of different measures for stabilizing moving sand dunes in the Horqin Sandy Land of Inner Mongolia, China. J Arid Environ 58:202–213

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu Z, Liu S (1988) Human factors and desertification. In: Zhu Z, Yang Y (eds) Desertification and rehabilitation in China, The International Center for Education and Research on Desertification Control, Lanzhou, China, pp 40–65

Download references

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Funds of China (Grant No. 41501577) and the Key Project of Chinese National Programs (973 Program) for Fundamental Research and Development (Grant No. 2013CB429903). The authors are very grateful to the anonymous reviewers and editors for their critical review and comments which helped to improve the manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, Laboratory of Inland River Ecohydrology, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 320, Donggang West Road, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Hai Zhou, Wenzhi Zhao & Qiyue Yang

Authors
  1. Hai Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wenzhi Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Qiyue Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wenzhi Zhao.

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhou, H., Zhao, W. & Yang, Q. Root biomass distribution of planted Haloxylon ammodendron in a duplex soil in an oasis: desert boundary area. Ecol Res 31, 673–681 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-016-1376-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-016-1376-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation