Responses of stem sap flow of Haloxylon ammodendron to rainfall pulses in Ulan Buh Desert

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2023.0168

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Quantifying the responses of eco-hydrological processes of desert plants to rainfall pulses is the key to understand the impact of climate change in dryland ecosystem. Our objective was to explore the responses of stem sap flow of Haloxylon ammodendron to rainfall pulses in a H. ammodendron plantation in the Ulan Buh Desert.

Methods From June to October 2020, the stem sap flow of H. ammodendron, micrometeorological factors and soil moisture in the plantation were continuously observed by thermal diffusion probes as well as the hydrometeorological methods, to analyze the characteristics of stem sap flux density (SFD) of H. ammodendron and its response to rainfall.

Important findings (1) The average daily SFD was 0.044 g·cm^-2·min^-1 after the rain, which was 1.16 times of that before the rain among the selected 17 rainfall events during the study period. The diurnal variation of SFD were changed from “bimodal pattern” before rain to “unimodal pattern” after rain for 9 of the all events. The characteristic value of daily SFD fluctuation were obviously changed after the other 8 rains. For example, the initiation time of SFD after rain were earlier from 8:00 before rain to 7:00 in the morning. And its peak values of daily SFD were also increased from 0.067 g·cm^-2·min^-1 before rain to 0.085 g·cm^-2·min^-1, and the duration of the peak interval was significantly extended. (2) The impacts of rainfall pulses on the sap flow of H. ammodendron could be well described with the threshold delay model (T-D model). And the lowest rainfall threshold and the lag time of SFD responded to rain were 0.8 mm and 1.71 d, respectively, indicating that the sap flow of this shrub species was sensitive to rainfall pulses and had a certain lag. (3) The SFD of H. ammodendron was significantly positive correlated with atmospheric temperature, vapor pressure deficit, solar radiation, wind speed and soil volumetric water content, and significantly negative correlated with the relative humidity, but no significant correlated with rainfall, suggesting that SFD of H. ammodendronwould be indirectly affected by rainfall pulses by changing the physiological characteristics of the species as well as soil water condition. Our results are helpful to further understand the water use characteristics of desert plants and their response to climate change, and are of great significance for the sustainable management of artificial sand-fixation forests in future.

Key words: rainfall pulses, Haloxylon ammodendron, sap flow, soil moisture, threshold-delay model

HAN Yu-Qing, XIONG Wei, WU Bo, LU Qi, YANG Wen-Bin, LIU Ya-Li, ZHANG Jing-Bo, XIN Zhi-Ming, MA Ying-Bin, LIAN Hong-Lin, WANG Si-Han. Responses of stem sap flow of Haloxylon ammodendron to rainfall pulses in Ulan Buh Desert[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2024, 48(9): 1172-1179.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2023.0168

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2024/V48/I9/1172

Figures/Tables 7

Table 1 Characteristics of sample trees for sap flow measurement in a fixed plot of Haloxylon ammodendron plantation in the Ulan Buh Desert

编号 Number	株高 Plant height (m)	平均地径 Mean DGH (cm)	平均冠幅 Mean crown width (m)
1	3.5	9.0	5.1
2	3.6	8.5	4.9
3	3.6	5.2	4.0
4	3.4	10.8	4.5
5	2.7	10.0	3.0
6	2.0	7.5	2.2
7	2.8	4.6	2.7
8	2.9	4.0	3.1
9	1.8	2.8	1.2

Fig. 1 Frequency distribution of rainfall classes and rainfall intensities in a fixed plot of Haloxylon ammodendron plantation in the Ulan Buh Desert during June to October 2020.

Fig. 2 Variation of rainfall and soil volumetric water content (SVWC) at different layers during the study period in a fixed plot of Haloxylon ammodendron plantation in the Ulan Buh Desert.

Fig. 3 Correlation between soil volumetric water content in each layer and rainfall within five days after rain in a fixed plot of Haloxylon ammodendron plantation in the Ulan Buh Desert.

Fig. 4 Comparison of the daily mean and the maximum of stem sap flux density of Haloxylon ammodendron before and after rain in a fixed plot of H. ammodendron plantation in the Ulan Buh Desert (mean ± SE).

Fig. 5 Two different response modes of diurnal variation of stem sap flux density of Haloxylon ammodendron to rainfall pulses in a fixed plot of H. ammodendron plantation in the Ulan Buh Desert (mean ± SE). A, Peak pattern changes. B, Characteristic values changes.

Table 2 Correlation between sap flux density of Haloxylon ammodendron and environmental factors and soil volumetric water content at different depths in a fixed plot of H. ammodendron plantation in the Ulan Buh Desert

	环境因子 Environmental factor	相关系数 Correlation coefficient
微气象因子 Meteorological factor	降雨量 P	0.108
	温度 T	0.624^**
	相对湿度 RH	-0.471^**
	饱和水汽压差 VPD	0.738^**
	太阳辐射 R	0.812^**
	风速 WS	0.302^**
土层深度 Soil depth (cm)	0-20	0.182^**
	20-40	0.606^**
	40-60	0.537^**
	60-80	0.487^**
	80-100	0.557^**
	100-200	0.601^**

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