CollectHomepage AdvertisementContact usMessage

Arid Land Geography ›› 2021, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (3): 708-717.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000–6060.2021.03.13

• Ecology and Environment of Tarim River Basin • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of ecological water conveyance on NPP of natural vegetation in the lower reaches of Tarim River

ZHANG Jingjing1,2,3(),HAO Haichao1,2,3,HAO Xingming1,2(),FAN Xue1,2,4,LI Yuanhang1,2,4   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China
    2. National Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Akesu Oasis Farmland Ecosystem, Aksu 843017, Xinjiang, China
    3. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    4. College of Life Sciences, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi 830054, Xinjiang, China
  • Received:2021-01-03 Revised:2021-02-27 Online:2021-05-25 Published:2021-06-01
  • Contact: Xingming HAO E-mail:zhangjingjing19@mails.ucas.ac.cn;haoxm@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Abstract:

Vegetation net primary production (NPP) is a key parameter of the carbon cycle and energy flow in terrestrial ecosystems that characterizes the quality the latter. This article estimated the spatiotemporal of the NPP natural vegetation over the last 20 years under the condition of ecological water conveyance in the lower reaches of Tarim River, Xinjiang, China based on the CASA model. Meanwhile, the impact of ecological water conveyance projects on the growth of natural vegetation in the lower reaches of Tarim River was analyzed from the perspectives of spatiotemporal distribution, vegetation type, and cumulative water transfer through slope trend and Pearson correlation analyses. Several interesting results were obtained. (1) The NPP of natural vegetation in the lower reaches of Tarim River showed an overall upward trend, with an average growth rate of 0.40 g C∙m-2∙a-1. Extremely significant increases, significant increases, and insignificant changes in the areas accounting for 31.93% (P<0.01), 11.49% (P<0.05), and 52.03%, respectively. (2) Horizontally, the NPP of natural vegetation in the lower reaches of Tarim River decreased as the distance from the river channel increased in the following order: 0-1000 m>1000-2000 m>2000-10000 m. From top to bottom along the river channel, the NPP of natural vegetation decreased in the following order: upper section (28.21 g C∙m-2) > middle section (18.70 g C∙m -2)>lower section (13.55 g C∙m-2), with the largest increase of 61.39% in the middle segment. (3) In terms of vegetation type, the NPP of natural vegetation decreased in the following order: Tamarix community (57.37 g C∙m -2)>Populus euphratica community (29.29 g C∙m-2)>herbal community (23.23 g C∙m-2). Among the vegetation types studied, the Tamarix community showed the greatest increase in NPP (350.20%) during ecological water conveyance. However, the characteristics of NPP changes in the Tamarix, P. euphratica, and herbal communities, the growth period of which is April-October, during the year were similar: NPP increased slowly from April to July but rose quickly from July to September. (4) Groundwater depth and the NPP of natural vegetation were significantly correlated with the accumulated ecological water volume over 3 years, with correlation coefficients of -0.70 (P<0.01) and 0.62 (P<0.01), respectively. The correlation between annual ecological water and groundwater depth in the next year was significantly higher than that in the current year. In addition, as the groundwater depth steadily increased, the correlation between the NPP of natural vegetation and groundwater depth increased significantly from 2010 to 2019 (R 2=0.62). This paper systematically analyzed variations in the NPP of natural vegetation in the lower reaches of Tarim River since the implementation of ecological water conveyance and provides a scientific reference for further water conveyance and ecological restoration plans in the river.

Key words: inland river basins, groundwater depth, CASA model, desert riparian forest