Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Water use characteristics of different pioneer shrubs at different ages in western Chinese Loess Plateau: Evidence from δ2H offset correction

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Arid Land Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Caragana korshinskii Kom. and Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. are pioneer shrubs for water and soil conservation, and for windbreak and sand fixation in arid and semi-arid areas. Understanding the water use characteristics of different pioneer shrubs at different ages is of great importance for their survival when extreme rainfall occurs. In recent years, the stable isotope tracing technique has been used in exploring the water use strategies of plants. However, the widespread δ2H offsets of stem water from its potential sources result in conflicting interpretations of water utilization of plants in arid and semi-arid areas. In this study, we used three sets of hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope data (δ2H and δ18O, corrected δ2H_c1 based on SW-excess and δ18O, and corrected δ2H_c2 based on −8.1‰ and δ18O) as inputs for the MixSIAR model to explore the water use characteristics of C. korshinskii and T. ramosissima at different ages and in response to rainfall. The results showed that δ2H_c1 and δ18O have the best performance, and the contribution rate of deep soil water was underestimated because of δ2H offset. During the dry periods, C. korshinskii and T. ramosissima at different ages both obtained mostly water from deeper soil layers. After rainfall, the proportions of surface (0–10 cm) and shallow (10–40 cm) soil water for C. korshinskii and T. ramosissima at different ages both increased. Nevertheless, there were different response mechanisms of these two plants for rainfall. In addition, C. korshinskii absorbed various potential water sources, while T. ramosissima only used deep water. These flexible water use characteristics of C. korshinskii and T. ramosissima might facilitate the coexistence of plants once extreme rainfall occurs. Thus, reasonable allocation of different plants may be a good vegetation restoration program in western Chinese Loess Plateau.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allen S T, Kirchner J W, Braun S, et al. 2019. Seasonal origins of soil water used by trees. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 23(2): 1199–1210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antunes C, Díaz-Barradas M C, Zunzunegui M, et al. 2018. Water source partitioning among plant functional types in a semi-arid dune ecosystem. Journal of Vegetation Science, 29(4): 671–683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asbjornsen H, Shepherd G, Helmers M, et al. 2008. Seasonal patterns in depth of water uptake under contrasting annual and perennial systems in the corn belt region of the Midwestern U.S. Plant and Soil, 308(1–2): 69–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai Y, Han X, Wu J, et al. 2004. Ecosystem stability and compensatory effects in the Inner Mongolian grassland. Nature, 431(7005): 181–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbeta A, Jones S P, Clavé L, et al. 2019. Unexplained hydrogen isotope offsets complicate the identification and quantification of tree water sources in a riparian forest. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 23(4): 2129–2146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barbeta A, Burlett R, Martín-Gómez P, et al. 2022. Evidence for distinct isotopic composition of sap and tissue water in tree stems: consequences for plant water source identification. New Phytologist, 233(3): 1121–1132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowling D R, Schulze E S, Hall S J. 2017. 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, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1771.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks J R, Barnard H R, Coulomb R, et al. 2010. Ecohydrologic separation of water between trees and streams in a Mediterranean climate. Nature Geoscience, 3(2): 100–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brum M, Vadeboncoeur M A, Ivanov V, et al. 2019. Hydrological niche segregation defines forest structure and drought tolerance strategies in a seasonal Amazon forest. Journal of Ecology, 107(1): 318–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brunel J P, Walker G R, Kennett-Smith A K. 1995. Field validation of isotopic procedures for determining sources of water used by plants in a semi-arid environment. Journal of Hydrology, 167(1–4): 351–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang E, Li P, Li Z, et al. 2019. Using water isotopes to analyze water uptake during vegetation succession on abandoned cropland on the Loess Plateau, China. CATENA, 181: 104095, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2019.104095.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen H, Hu K, Nie Y, et al. 2017. Analysis of soil water movement inside a footslope and a depression in a Karst catchment, Southwest China. Scientific Reports, 7(1): 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y, Helliker B R, Tang X, et al. 2020. Stem water cryogenic extraction biases estimation in deuterium isotope composition of plant source water. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(52): 33345–33350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Z, Wang G, Pan Y, et al. 2021. Water use patterns differed notably with season and slope aspect for Caragana korshinskii on the Loess Plateau of China. CATENA, 198: 105028, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.105028.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chimner R A, Cooper D J. 2004. Using stable oxygen isotopes to quantify the water source used for transpiration by native shrubs in the San Luis Valley, Colorado USA. Plant and Soil, 260(1–2): 225–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Craig H. 1961. Isotopic variations in meteoric waters. Science, 133(3465): 1702–1703.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui Y Q, Ma J Y, Sun W, et al. 2015. A preliminary study of water use strategy of desert plants in Dunhuang, China. Journal of Arid Land, 7(1): 73–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai Y, Zheng X J, Tang L S, et al. 2015. Stable oxygen isotopes reveal distinct water use patterns of two Haloxylon species in the Gurbantonggut Desert. Plant and Soil, 389(1–2): 73–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson T E, Ehleringer J R. 1991. Streamside trees that do not use stream water. Nature, 350(6316): 335–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson T E, Pate J S. 1996. Seasonal water uptake and movement in root systems of Australian phraeatophytic plants of dimorphic root morphology: a stable isotope investigation. Oecologia, 107: 13–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duan D Y, Hua Q Y, Song M H, et al. 2008. Water sources of dominant species in three alpine ecosystems on the Tibetan Plateau, China. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 50(3): 257–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eggemeyer K D, Awada T, Harvey F E, et al. 2009. Seasonal changes in depth of water uptake for encroaching trees Juniperus virginiana and Pinus ponderosa and two dominant C4 grasses in a semiarid grassland. Tree Physiology, 29(2): 157–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehleringer J R, Dawson T E. 1992. Water uptake by plants: perspectives from stable isotope composition. Plant, Cell and Environment, 15(9): 1073–1082.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellsworth P Z, Williams D G. 2007. Hydrogen isotope fractionation during water uptake by woody xerophytes. Plant and Soil, 291(1–2): 93–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evaristo J, Jasechko S, McDonnell J J. 2015. Global separation of plant transpiration from groundwater and streamflow. Nature, 525(7567): 91–94.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang X W, Turner N C, Xu D H, et al. 2013. Limits to the height growth of Caragana korshinskii resprouts. Tree Physiology, 33(3): 275–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao X, Wu P, Zhao X, et al. 2011. Soil moisture variability along transects over a well-developed gully in the Loess Plateau, China. CATENA, 87(3): 357–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao X, Zhao X, Li H, et al. 2018. Exotic shrub species (Caragana korshinskii) is more resistant to extreme natural drought than native species (Artemisia gmelinii) in a semiarid revegetated ecosystem. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 263: 207–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geris J, Tetzlaff D, McDonnell J J, et al. 2017. Spatial and temporal patterns of soil water storage and vegetation water use in humid northern catchments. Science of the Total Environment, 595: 486–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldsmith G R, Allen S T, Braun S, et al. 2019. Spatial variation in throughfall, soil, and plant water isotopes in a temperate forest. Ecohydrology, 12(2): e2059, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2059.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hannes D D, Hervé-Fernández P, Stahl C, et al. 2018. Liana and tree below-ground water competition-evidence for water resource partitioning during the dry season. Tree Physiology, 38(7): 1071–1083.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heras M, Espigares T, Merino-Martín L, et al. 2011. Water-related ecological impacts of rill erosion processes in Mediterranean-dry reclaimed slopes. CATENA, 84(3): 114–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huo G, Zhao X, Gao X, et al. 2018. Seasonal water use patterns of rainfed jujube trees in stands of different ages under semiarid plantations in China. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 265(26): 392–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jia Z, Zhu Y, Liu L. 2012. Different water use strategies of juvenile and adult Caragana intermedia plantations in the Gonghe Basin, Tibet Plateau. PLoS ONE, 7(9): e45902, doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0045902.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landwehr J M, Coplen T B. 2006. Line-conditioned excess: a new method for characterizing stable hydrogen and oxygen isotope ratios in hydrologic systems. In: International Conference on Isotopes in Environmental Studies. Monte Carlo: International Atomic Energy Agency, 132–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landwehr J M, Coplen T B, Stewart D W. 2014. 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.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leen J B, Berman E S F, Liebson L, et al. 2012. Spectral contaminant identifier for off-axis integrated cavity output spectroscopy measurements of liquid water isotopes. Review of Scientific Instruments: 83(4): 044305, doi: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4704843.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li C, Guo J H, Zeng F, et al. 2015. Shoot and root architectural variance and adaptability of Tamarix ramosissimain different ages. Journal of Desert Research, 35(2): 365–372. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Y, Ma Y, Song X, et al. 2021. A δ2H offset correction method for quantifying root water uptake of riparian trees. Journal of Hydrology, 593: 125811, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125811.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin G, Sternberg L Da S L. 1993. Hydrogen isotopic fractionation by plant roots during water uptake in coastal wetland plants. In: Harold A M. Stable Isotopes and Plant Carbon-water Relations. California: Academic Press, 497–510.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Martín-Gómez P, Serrano L, Ferrio J P. 2017. Short-term dynamics of evaporative enrichment of xylem water in woody stems: Implications for ecohydrology. Tree Physiology, 37(4): 511–522.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moreno-Gutiérrez C, Dawson T E, Nicolás E, et al. 2012. Isotopes reveal contrasting water use strategies among coexisting plant species in a mediterranean ecosystem. New Phytologist, 196(2): 489–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nie Y P, Chen H S, Wang K L, et al. 2011. Seasonal water use patterns of woody species growing on the continuous dolostone outcrops and nearby thin soils in subtropical China. Plant and Soil, 341(1–2): 399–412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oerter E J, Siebert G, Bowling D R, et al. 2019. Soil water vapour isotopes identify missing water source for streamside trees. Ecohydrology, 12(4): e2083, doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.2083.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogle K, Reynolds J F. 2004. Plant responses to precipitation in desert ecosystems: Integrating functional types, pulses, thresholds, and delays. Oecologia, 141(2): 282–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Porporato A, Daly E, Rodriguez-Iturbe I. 2004. Soil water balance and ecosystem response to climate change. The American Naturalist, 164(5): 625.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rossatto D R, de Carvalho Ramos Silva L, Villalobos-Vega R, et al. 2012. Depth of water uptake in woody plants relates to groundwater level and vegetation structure along a topographic gradient in a neotropical savanna. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 77: 259–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • 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.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schenk H J. 2008. Soil depth, plant rooting strategies and species’ niches. New Phytologist, 178(2): 223–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schultz N M, Griffis T J, Lee X, et al. 2011. Identification and correction of spectral contamination in 2H/1H and 18O/16O measured in leaf, stem, and soil water. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 25(21): 3360–3368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sprenger M, Leistert H, Gimbel K, et al. 2016. Illuminating hydrological processes at the soil-vegetation-atmosphere interface with water stable isotopes. Reviews of Geophysics, 54(3): 674–704.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sprenger M, Tetzlaff D, Soulsby C. 2017. Soil water stable isotopes reveal evaporation dynamics at the soil-plant-atmosphere interface of the critical zone. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 21(7): 3839–3856.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stock B C, Semmens B X. 2013. MixSIAR GUI User Manual. Version 3.1, 1–42. [2021-10-11]. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.47719.1.

  • Su P Y, Zhang M J, Qu D Y, et al. 2020. Contrasting water use strategies of Tamarix ramosissima in different habitats in the northwest of loess plateau, China. Water, 12(10): 2791.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun S J, Meng P, Zhang J S, et al. 2011. Variation in soil water uptake and its effect on plant water status in Juglans regia L. during dry and wet seasons. Tree Physiology, 31(12): 1378–1389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vargas A I, Schaffer B, Li Y H, et al. 2017. Testing plant use of mobile vs immobile soil water sources using stable isotope experiments. New Phytologist, 215(2): 582–594.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Fu B J, Lu N, et al. 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: 27–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Lu N, Fu B J. 2019. Inter-comparison of stable isotope mixing models for determining plant water source partitioning. Science of the Total Environment, 666: 685–693.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Williams D G, Ehleringer J R. 2000. Intra- and inter-specific variation for summer precipitation use in pinyon-juniper woodlands. Ecological Monographs, 70(4): 517–537.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu L, Su S, Wang H. 2006. Preliminary investigation into plant and vegetation types in afforestation region in southern and northern mountains of Lanzhou City. Journal of Desert Research, 26(4): 564–568. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang B, Wen X, Sun X. 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.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang L, Wei W, Chen L, et al. 2014. Response of temporal variation of soil moisture to vegetation restoration in semi-arid Loess Plateau, China. CATENA, 115: 123–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao J, Chen Y, Zhao Y, et al. 2020. Climatic and associated atmospheric water cycle changes over the Xinjiang, China. Journal of Hydrology, 585: 124823, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.124823.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Q, Yang J, Wang W, et al. 2021. Climatic warming and humidification in the arid region of Northwest China: multi-scale characteristics and impacts on ecological vegetation. Journal of Meteorological Research, 35(1): 113–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Zhang M J, Qu D Y, et al. 2020. Water use strategies of dominant species (Caragana korshinskii and Reaumuria soongorica) in natural shrubs based on stable isotopes in the Loess Hill, China. Water, 12(7): 1923.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou H, Zhao W, He Z. 2017. Water sources of Nitraria sibirica and response to precipitation in two desert habitats. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 28(7): 2083–2092. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41771035, 42071047), the Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars of Gansu Province (20JR10RA112), the Northwest Normal University (NWNU-LKZD2021-04), and the Department of Education of Gansu Province: “Innovation Star” Program of Excellent Postgraduates (2021CXZX-217).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Yu Zhang, Mingjun Zhang, Deye Qu, Shengjie Wang, Jiaxin Wang & Ye Yang

  2. Key Laboratory of Resource Environment and Sustainable Development of Oasis, Gansu Province, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Yu Zhang, Mingjun Zhang, Deye Qu, Shengjie Wang, Jiaxin Wang & Ye Yang

  3. Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, Department of Physics, University of Patras, GR-26500, Patras, Greece

    Athanassios A. Argiriou

Authors
  1. Yu Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mingjun Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Deye Qu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Shengjie Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Athanassios A. Argiriou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jiaxin Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Ye Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mingjun Zhang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhang, Y., Zhang, M., Qu, D. et al. Water use characteristics of different pioneer shrubs at different ages in western Chinese Loess Plateau: Evidence from δ2H offset correction. J. Arid Land 14, 653–672 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-022-0018-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-022-0018-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation