CollectHomepage AdvertisementContact usMessage

Arid Land Geography ›› 2022, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (4): 1212-1223.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2021.495

• Biology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Differences in water use strategies of Caragana korshinskii at different slopes in the east sandy land of the Yellow River in Ningxia

GAO Yang1(),HAN Lei1,2,3(),LIU Lili1,WANG Nana1,PENG Ling4,ZHOU Peng4,ZHAN Xiuli1   

  1. 1. School of Geography and Planning, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    2. Joint International Research Laboratory of China-Arab Featured Resources and Environmental Governance in Arid Region, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    3. Ningxia Key Laboratory of Resource Assessment and Environment Regulation in Arid Region, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
    4. School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, Yinchuan 750021, Ningxia, China
  • Received:2021-10-26 Revised:2022-02-22 Online:2022-07-25 Published:2022-08-11
  • Contact: Lei HAN E-mail:gao15121994088@163.com;layhan@163.com

Abstract:

We investigated the differences and applicability of IsoSource and MixSIAR models in resolving the water use strategies of Caragana korshinskii in the east sandy land of the Yellow River in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. Under the context of global climate change, we used IsoSource and MixSIAR models to analyze the use of each potential water source by Caragana korshinskii on different slopes (6°, 10°, 16°, and 24°) during different periods of the growing season. We then applied hydrogen-oxygen stable isotope technique and direct comparison method to evaluate the effectiveness of both models for plant water traceability. The results showed seasonal differences in the use of soil water by Caragana korshinskii at different soil depths. With the increasing slope, the use of soil water by Caragana korshinskii in the middle layer first increased and then decreased at the beginning of the growing season. In the middle of the growing season, the main source of water for Caragana korshinskii shifted from deep to shallow soils. Later in the growing season, the main source of water for Caragana korshinskii shifted from shallow to deep soils. On the basis of the qualitative results of the direct comparison method, both models were applicable for calculating the utilization rate of the main water source of Caragana korshinskii in the small sites on 6°, 10°, and 16° samples. The MixSIAR model was more reliable than the IsoSource model in calculating the main water source of Caragana korshinskii and its contribution rate on the large slope samples. Therefore, the IsoSource model was suitable for analyzing the water use strategies of Caragana korshinskii on small slope (6° and 16°) samples, whereas the MixSIAR model was suitable for analyzing the water use strategies of Caragana korshinskii on large slope (10° and 24°) samples. The results of this study provide a scientific reference for the selection of methods to identify plant water sources in arid zones in China.

Key words: IsoSource model, MixSIAR model, stable isotope, water use strategy, east sandy land of the Yellow River in Ningxia