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Experimental study on water transport observations of desert riparian forests in the lower reaches of the Tarim River in China

International Journal of Biometeorology volume 61, pages 1055–1062 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Studying the water use processes of desert riparian vegetation in arid regions and analyzing the response and adaptation strategies of plants to drought stress are of great significance for developing ecological restoration measures. Based on field monitoring and test analyses of physiological ecological indicators of dominant species (Populus euphratica and Tamarix chinensis) in the desert riparian forest in the lower reaches of the Tarim River, the water relations of P. euphratica and T. chinensis under drought stress are discussed and some water use strategies put forward. The results show that (1) concerning plant water uptake, desert riparian forests depend mainly on groundwater to survive under long-term water stress. (2) Concerning plant water distribution, the survival of P. euphratica and nearby shallow root plants is mainly due to the hydraulic lift and water redistribution of P. euphratica under drought stress. (3) Concerning plant water transport, P. euphratica sustains the survival of competitive and advantageous branches by improving their ability to acquire water while restraining the growth of inferior branches. (4) Concerning plant transpiration, the sap flow curves of daily variations of P. euphratica and T. chinensis were wide-peak sin and narrower-peak respectively. T. chinensis has better environmental adaptability.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported financially by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2014BAC15B02), Pioneer Initiative Program of Chinese Academy of Science (Grant No. TSS-2015-014-FW-2-3), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41271006).

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Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi, Xinjiang, 830011, China

    Yaning Chen, Weihong Li, Honghua Zhou, Yapeng Chen,  XinmingHao, Aihong Fu & Jianxin Ma

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  1. Yaning Chen
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  2. Weihong Li
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  3. Honghua Zhou
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  4. Yapeng Chen
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  5. XinmingHao
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  6. Aihong Fu
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  7. Jianxin Ma
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Correspondence to Yaning Chen.

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Chen, Y., Li, W., Zhou, H. et al. Experimental study on water transport observations of desert riparian forests in the lower reaches of the Tarim River in China. Int J Biometeorol 61, 1055–1062 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-016-1285-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-016-1285-x

Keywords

  • Desert riparian forest
  • Hydraulic lift
  • Water source
  • Water transport
  • Tarim River basin