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Growth dynamics of Chinese wingnut (Pterocarya stenoptera) seedlings and its effects on soil chemical properties under simulated water change in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of Yangtze River

  • Processes and Environmental Quality in the Yangtze River System
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Abstract

Pterocarya stenoptera is a native deciduous tree species and a candidate for reforestation in the riparian zones of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of Yangtze River in China. Water treatments of continuous flooding (CF) and periodic flooding–drought (PF) were applied to examine the growth dynamics of 4-month-old P. stenoptera seedlings and its effects on soil chemical properties. Results showed that P. stenoptera seedlings in both CF and PF significantly decreased leaf biomass accumulation and the height and diameter growth as compared to that in control (CK; treatment with well-watered, well-drained soil), respectively. There was no significant difference in stem biomass among the three groups, but root biomass in PF showed severe reduction compared to that in both CK and CF. Total biomass in PF was significantly decreased compared to that in CK, but comparable to that in CF. Furthermore, no significant difference was found between CF and CK in total biomass. Water treatments in the unplanted soil pots significantly influenced soil pH, soil organic matter (OM), total nitrogen (TN), and alkali hydrolysable nitrogen (AN) contents, in contrast to no significant effects in total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) contents. In P. stenoptera soils, there were significant effects by water treatment, time, and treatment × time in the eight tested soil chemical properties, except treatment in TK and time effect in OM content. Compared to unplanted soils, the growth of P. stenoptera seedlings significantly increased soil pH value and OM, TN, TP, and TK contents, while decreasing AN, AP, and AK contents in CK group, augmented the mean value of each of the tested soil chemical properties with an exception of AK content in CF group, and increased soil pH value and TN, AN, TP, and AP contents with no significant differences in OM, TK, and AK contents in PF group. Given the fact that TN and TP contents significantly increased in P. stenoptera soils as compared to those in unplanted soils, growth of P. stenoptera seedlings should be a successful candidate for restoration within the highly dynamic hydrologic zone of the riparian zones of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region.

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Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the National Forestry Public Welfare Industry Research Special (no. 201004039), the Ministry of Science and Technology (no. 2011DFG32780), the Key Project of Chongqing Natural Science Foundation Program (CSTC-2013JJB00004), the Basic Research Fund for Central Universities (program number: XDJK2013A011), and the Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Overseas Students (2010-1561). Special thanks to Dr. Yumin Liu for offering the electric muffle furnace. We are also indebted to Ye Zhang, Ming Lei, Chaoying Wang, Jun Ma, Ye Ma, Lili Li, and other students for laboratory assistances, and to Bridget Gohmann, Xai Vang, and Aaron Stolte for the language improvement on earlier drafts. The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable suggestions that helped us to improve our manuscript significantly.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory for the Eco-Environment of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People’s Republic of China

    Yujing Yang & Changxiao Li

  2. State Key Laboratory of the Seedling Bioengineering, Ningxia Forestry Institute, Yinchuan, 750004, People’s Republic of China

    Yujing Yang, Changxiao Li & Jian Li

  3. Department of Natural Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA

    Rebecca Schneider

  4. College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University, Collegeville, MN, 56321, USA

    William Lamberts

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  1. Yujing Yang
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  2. Changxiao Li
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  4. Rebecca Schneider
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Correspondence to Changxiao Li.

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Yang, Y., Li, C., Li, J. et al. Growth dynamics of Chinese wingnut (Pterocarya stenoptera) seedlings and its effects on soil chemical properties under simulated water change in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region of Yangtze River. Environ Sci Pollut Res 20, 7112–7123 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-1878-4

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