Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Groundwater use by plants in a semi-arid coal-mining area at the Mu Us Desert frontier

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The hydrogen isotope (deuterium-\( \delta D \)) composition at natural abundance levels of xylem water, soil water, groundwater, river water, and rainwater was used to evaluate whether adult plant species use groundwater and to detect seasonal shifts (dry/wet season) in water sources for plants growing in a semi-arid coal-mining area (located at the frontier of the Mu Us Desert). A direct inference approach and the IsoSource mixing model were used to estimate the contributions of different sources to the plant xylem water. The results showed that (1) the \( \delta D \) values of rainfall fluctuated considerably, while those of groundwater were generally constant during the experimental period; (2) the \( \delta D \) patterns in plant xylem water suggest that groundwater was a significant source of water for transpiration in the dry season, while all five selected species reduced dependence on groundwater sources in the wet season; and (3) soil water from the deep layer (50–100 cm) was used largely by adult species possibly because of interspecific competition. These results indicated that coal mining would significantly affect plant growth by reducing the water supply if it leads to a water table decrease. Therefore, it is necessary to protect groundwater resources during the coal mining operations in the region.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Asbjornsen H, Mora G, Helmers MJ (2007) Variation in water uptake dynamics among contrasting agricultural and native plant communities in the Midwestern US. Agric Ecosyst Environ 121:343–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bell FG, Stacey TR, Genske DD (2000) Mining subsidence and its effect on the environment: some differing examples. Environ Geol 40:135–152

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bian ZF, Zhang YP (2006) Land use changes in Xuzhou coal mining area. Acta Geogr Sinica (in Chinese) 61:349–358

    Google Scholar 

  • Bian ZF, Lei SG, Inyang HI, Chang LQ, Zhang RC, Zhou CG, He X (2009) Integrated method of RS and GPR for monitoring the changes in the soil moisture and groundwater environment due to underground coal mining. Environ Geol 57:131–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks JR, Barnard HR, Coulombe R, McDonnell JJ (2010) Ecohydrologic separation of water between trees and streams in a Mediterranean climate. Nat Geosci 3:100–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen HS, Shao M, Li YY (2008a) The characteristics of soil water cycle and water balance on steep grassland under natural and simulated rainfall conditions in the Loess Plateau of China. J Hydrol 360:242–251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen XR, Huang MB, Shao MA (2008b) Relationship between fine roots distribution and soil water consumption of Populus simonii and Caragana korshinkii plantation on sandy land. Sci Soil Water Conserv 6:77–83 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen JS, Liu XY, Wang CY, Rao WB, Tan HB, Dong HZ, Sun XS, Wang YS, Su ZG (2012) Isotopic constraints on the origin of groundwater in the Ordos Basin of northern China. Environ Earth Sci 66:505–517

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark I, Fritz P (1997) Environmental isotopes in hydrogeology. Lewis, New York, p 328

    Google Scholar 

  • Craig H (1961) Isotopic variations in the meteoric water. Science 133:1702–1703

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson TE (1993) Hydraulic lift and water use by plants: implications for water balance, performance and plant–plant interactions. Oecologia 95:565–574

    Google Scholar 

  • Dawson TE, Ehleringer JR (1991) Streamside trees that do not use stream water. Nature 350:335–337

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson TE, Ehleringer JR (1993) Isotopic enrichment of water in the ‘woody’ tissues: implications for plant water source, water uptake, and other studies which use the stable isotopic composition of cellulose. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 57:3487–3492

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson TE, Pate JS (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 

  • Dawson TE, Mambelli S, Plamboeck AH, Templer PH, Tu KP (2002) Stable isotopes in plant ecology. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 33:507–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ehleringer JR, Roden J, Dawson TE (2000) Assessing ecosystem-level water relations through stable isotope ratio analyses. In: Sala OE (ed) Methods in ecosystem science. Springer, New York, pp 181–214

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ellsworth PZ, Williams DG (2007) Hydrogen isotope fractionation during water uptake by woody xerophytes. Plant Soil 291:93–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan LM (2005) Discussing on coal mining under water-containing condition. Coal Geol Exploit 33:50–53

    Google Scholar 

  • Flanagan LB, Ehleringer JR (1991) Stable isotope composition of stem and leaf water: applications to the study of plant water use. Funct Ecol 5:270–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gammons CH, Poulson SR, Pellicori DA, Reed PJ, Roesler AJ, Petrescu EM (2006) The hydrogen and oxygen isotopic composition of precipitation, evaporated mine water, and river water in Montana, USA. J Hydrol 328:319–330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gazis C, Feng XH (2004) A stable isotope study of soil water: evidence for mixing and preferential flow paths. Geoderma 119:97–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ingraham NL (1998) Isotopic variations in precipitation. In: Kendall C (ed) Isotope tracers in catchment hydrology. Elsevier, New York, pp 87–118

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Jury WA, Horton R (2004) Soil physics, 6th edn. Wiley, London, pp 1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Li SG, Romero-Saltos H, Tsujimura M, Sugimoto A, Sasaki L, Davaa G, Oyunbaatar D (2007) Plant water sources in the cold semiarid ecosystem of the upper Kherlen River catchment in Mongolia: a stable isotope approach. J Hydrol 333:109–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu X, Song XF, Xia J, Yu JJ, Zhang XC (2007) Characteristics of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes and preliminary analysis of vapor origin for precipitation at Chabagou Catchment, Loess Plateau. Resour Sci (in Chinese) 29:59–66

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu X, Song XF, Zhang YH, Xia J, Zhang XC, Yu JG, Long D, Li FD, Zhang B (2010) Spatial-temporal variations of d2H and d18O in precipitation and shallow groundwater in the Hilly Loess Region of the Loess Plateau, China. Environ Earth Sci 63:1105–1118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Longinelli A, Selmo E (2003) Isotopic composition of precipitation in Italy: a first overall map. J Hydrol 270:75–88

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma LQ, Zhang DS, Zhao YF (2010) Practice and adaptable conditions classification of aquifer-protective mining in longwall coalface for shallow seam with thin bedrock. J Coal Sci Eng (CHINA) 16:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCole AA, Stern LA (2007) Seasonal water use patterns of Juniperus ashei on the Edwards Plateau, Texas, based on stable isotopes in water. J Hydrol 342:238–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nie YP, Chen HS, Wang KL, Tan W, Deng PY, Yang J (2011) Seasonal water use patterns of woody species growing on the continuous dolostone outcrops and nearby thin soils in subtropical China. Plant Soil 341:399–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oscar F (2006) Opportunity in the land of conflict: mining, peasants, and changing attitudes in Northern Peru. Bull Yale Trop Resour Inst 25:88–93

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips DL, Gregg JW (2003) Source partitioning using stable isotopes: coping with too many sources. Oecologia 136:261–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips DL, Newsome SD, Gregg JW (2005) Combining sources in stable isotope mixing models: alternative methods. Oecologia 144:520–527

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Querejeta JI, Estrada-Medina H, Allen MF, Jiménez-Osornio JJ (2007) Water source partitioning among trees growing on shallow karst soils in a seasonally dry tropical climate. Oecologia 152:26–36

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ripley EA, Redmann RE, Crowder AA (1996) Environmental effects of mining (Second Edition). St. Lucie Press, Delray Beach (Florida), pp 49–85

    Google Scholar 

  • Romero-Saltos H, Sternberg LSL, Moreira MZ, Nepstad DC (2005) Rainfall exclusion in an eastern Amazonian forest alters soil water movement and depth of water uptake. Am J Bot 92:443–455

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sekiya N, Yano K (2002) Water acquisition from rainfall and groundwater by legume crops developing deep rooting systems determined with stable hydrogen isotope compositions of xylem waters. Field Crops Res 78:133–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • The Compilation Committee of Shenmu County Annals (1990) Shenmu county annals. Economic Daily Press, Beijing, pp 52–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorburn PJ, Walker GR, Brunel J-P (1993) Extraction of water from Eucalyptus trees for analysis of deuterium and oxygen-18: laboratory and field techniques. Plant Cell Environ 16:269–277

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walker G, Brunel JP, Dighton J, Holland K, Leaney F, McEwan K, Mensforth L, Thorburn P, Walker C (2001) The use of stable isotopes of water for determining sources of water for plant transpiration. CSIRO Land and Water, Technical Report 05/01. http://www.clw.csiro.au/publications/technical2001/tr05-01pdf

  • Wang L, Wei SP, Wang QJ (2008) Effect of coal exploitation on groundwater and vegetation in the Yushenfu Coal Mine. J China Soc 33:1408–1414 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang ZQ, Liu BY, Liu G, Zhang YX (2009) Soil water depletion depth by planted vegetation on the Loess Plateau. Sci China Ser D Earth Sci 52:835–842

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West AG, Patrickson SJ, Ehleringer JR (2006) Water extraction times for plant and soil materials used in stable isotope analysis. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 20:1317–1321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West AG, Sperry JS, Bush SE, Ehleringer J (2008) Transpiration and hydraulic strategies in a pinon-juniper woodland. Ecol Appl 18:911–927

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White JWC, Cook ER, Lawrence JR, Broecker WS (1985) The D/H ratios of sap in trees: implications for water and tree ring D/H ratios. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 49:237–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu B, Ci L (1999) Developing stages and causes of desertification in the MU US sandland. Chin Sci Bull 44:845–849

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu X, Yu QC, Wang XG, Duan QW, Li XQ, Yang J, Bao YF (2006) Exploitation of coal resources under surface water body. Chin J Rock Mech Eng 25:1029–1036

    Google Scholar 

  • Xiao B, Zhao YG, Shao MA (2007) Effects of bio logical soil crust on saturated hydraulic conductivity in water-wind erosion crisscross region, North of Shaanxi Province, China. Transact Ions CSAE 23:35–40 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamanaka T, Tsujimura M, Oyunbaatar D, Davaa G (2007) Isotopic variation of precipitation over eastern Mongolia and its implication for the atmospheric water cycle. J Hydrol 333:21–34

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yin LH, Hou GC, Dou Y, Tao ZP, Li Y (2011) Hydrogeochemical and isotopic study of groundwater in the Habor Lake Basin of the Ordos Plateau, NW China. Environ Earth Sci 64:1575–1584

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zencich SJ, Froend RH, Turner JV, Gailitis V (2002) Influence of groundwater depth on the seasonal sources of water accessed by Banksia tree species on a shallow, sandy coastal aquifer. Oecologia 131:8–19

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang JC, Peng SP (2005) Water inrush and environmental impact of shallow seam mining. Environ Geol 48:1068–1076

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L, Dawesa WR, Slavich PG, Meyer WS, Thorburn PJ, Smith DJ, Walker GR (1999) Growth and ground water uptake responses of lucerne to changes in groundwater levels and salinity: lysimeter, isotope and modeling studies. Agric Water Manag 39:265–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L, Yue LP, Xia B (2003) The study of land desertification in transitional zones between the MU US Desert and the Loess Plateau using RS and GIS—a case study of the Yulin region. Environ Geol 44:530–534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zoltan G (2005) Unlikely alliances: treaty conflicts and environmental cooperation between Native American and Rural White Communities. Am Indian Cult Res J 29:21–43

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The study was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China (51239009), the CAS Action-plan for Western Development (KZCX2-XB3-13—the 3rd), and the “Western Light” Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (2007YB02). Great appreciation goes to the farmers in Shenmu County for their active participation in field sampling, and Dr. Ke Yuan (Chinese Academy of Forestry) for her help in measuring the \( \delta D \) values. Thanks also go to Dr. David Warrington from UK for his great help to the revised manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, No. 26, Xinong Road, Yangling, 712100, China

    Wang Li, Zhang Qingfeng & Zhang Xingchang

  2. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Science and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, China

    Wang Li & Zhang Xingchang

  3. College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China

    Mu Yan

Authors
  1. Wang Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mu Yan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Zhang Qingfeng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Zhang Xingchang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wang Li.

Additional information

This manuscript was edited by Dr. Paul Kretchmer who is a native-English speaker and soil scientist.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Li, W., Yan, M., Qingfeng, Z. et al. Groundwater use by plants in a semi-arid coal-mining area at the Mu Us Desert frontier. Environ Earth Sci 69, 1015–1024 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-2023-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-2023-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation