Transdisciplinary research for supporting the integration of ecosystem services into land and water management in the Tarim River Basin,Xinjiang,China

There is a growing need for both science and practice domains to collaboratively and systematically seek knowledge-based strategies for sustainable development.In recent years,transdisciplinary research has emerged as a new approach that enables joint problem solving among scientists and stakeholders in various fields. In this paper,we aim to introduce transdisciplinary research for supporting the integration of the concept of ecosystem services into land and water management in the Tarim River Basin,Xinjiang,Northwest China.While a large number of ecosystem service studies have helped to raise the awareness for the value of nature in China,a number of challenges remain,including an improved understanding of the relationships between ecosystem structure, functions and services,and the interaction of the various ecosystem services.A meaningful valuation of ecosystem services also requires the consideration of their strong spatial heterogeneity.In addition,ways to introduce the concept of ecosystem services into decision-making in China need to be explored.Thus,successful integration of the concept of ecosystem services into actual land and water management requires a broad knowledge base that only a number of scientific disciplines and stakeholders can provide jointly,via a transdisciplinary research process.We regard transdisciplinary research as a recursive process to support adaptive management that includes joint knowledge generation and integration among scientists and stakeholders.System,target,and transformation knowledge are generated and integrated during the process of(1)problem(re)definition,(2)problem analysis and strategy development,and(3)evaluation of the impact of the derived strategy.Methods to support transdisciplinary research comprise participatory modelling(actor-based modelling and Bayesian Networks modelling)and participatory scenario development.Actor-based modelling is a semi-quantitative method that is based on the analysis of problem perspectives of individual stakeholders as depicted in perception graphs.With Bayesian Networks,complex problem fields are modelled probabilistically in a simplified manner,using both quantitative data and qualitative expert judgments.These participatory methods serve to integrate diverse scientific and stakeholder knowledge and to support the generation of actually implementable management strategies for sustainable development.For the purpose of integrating ecosystem services in land and water management in the Tarim River Basin through transdisciplinary research,collaboration among scientists and institutional stakeholders from different sectors including water,agriculture,forestry,and nature conservation is required.The challenge is to adapt methods of transdisciplinary research to socio-cultural conditions in China,particularly regarding ways of communication and decision-making.     

Uncertainty assessment of potential evapotranspiration in arid areas,as estimated by the Penman-Monteith method

The Penman-Monteith(PM)method is the most widely used technique to estimate potential worldwide evapotranspiration.However,current research shows that there may be significant errors in the application of this method in arid areas,although questions remain as to the degree of this estimation error and how different surface conditions may affect the estimation error.To address these issues,we evaluated the uncertainty of the PM method under different underlying conditions in an arid area of Northwest China by analyzing data from 84 meteorological stations and various Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS)products,including land surface temperature and surface albedo.First,we found that when the PM method used air temperature to calculate the slope of the saturation vapor pressure curve,it significantly overestimated the potential evapotranspiration;the mean annual and July–August overestimation was 83.9 and 36.7 mm,respectively.Second,the PM method usually set the surface albedo to a fixed value,which led to the potential evapotranspiration being underestimated;the mean annual underestimation was 27.5 mm,while the overestimation for July to August was 5.3 mm.Third,the PM method significantly overestimated the potential evapotranspiration in the arid area.This difference in estimation was closely related to the underlying surface conditions.For the entire arid zone,the PM method overestimated the potential evapotranspiration by 33.7 mm per year,with an overestimation of 29.0 mm from July to August.The most significant overestimation was evident in the mountainous and plain nonvegetation areas,in which the annual mean overestimation reached 5%and 10%,respectively;during July,there was an estimation of 10%and 20%,respectively.Although the annual evapotranspiration of the plains with better vegetation coverage was slightly underestimated,overestimation still occurred in July and August,with a mean overestimation of approximately 5%.In order to estimate potential evapotranspiration in the arid zone,it is important that we identify a reasonable parameter with which to calibrate the PM formula,such as the slope of the saturation vapor pressure curve,and the surface albedo.We recommend that some parameters must be corrected when using PM in order to estimate potential evapotranspiration in arid regions.     

SOC storage and potential of grasslands from 2000 to 2012 in central and eastern Inner Mongolia,China

Grassland ecosystem is an important component of the terrestrial carbon cycle system. Clear comprehension of soil organic carbon(SOC) storage and potential of grasslands is very important for the effective management of grassland ecosystems. Grasslands in Inner Mongolia have undergone evident impacts from human activities and natural factors in recent decades. To explore the changes of carbon sequestration capacity of grasslands from 2000 to 2012, we carried out studies on the estimation of SOC storage and potential of grasslands in central and eastern Inner Mongolia, China based on field investigations and MODIS image data. First, we calculated vegetation cover using the dimidiate pixel model based on MODIS-EVI images. Following field investigations of aboveground biomass and plant height, we used a grassland quality evaluation model to get the grassland evaluation index, which is typically used to represent grassland quality. Second, a correlation regression model was established between grassland evaluation index and SOC density. Finally, by this regression model, we calculated the SOC storage and potential of the studied grasslands. Results indicated that SOC storage increased with fluctuations in the study area, and the annual changes varied among different sub-regions. The SOC storage of grasslands in 2012 increased by 0.51×1012 kg C compared to that in 2000. The average carbon sequestration rate was 0.04×1012 kg C/a. The slope of the values of SOC storage showed that SOC storage exhibited an overall increase since 2000, particularly for the grasslands of Hulun Buir city and Xilin Gol League, where the typical grassland type was mainly distributed. Taking the SOC storage under the best grassland quality between 2000 and 2012 as a reference, this study predicted that the SOC potential of grasslands in central and eastern Inner Mongolia in 2012 is 1.38×1012 kg C. This study will contribute to researches on related methods and fundamental database, as well as provide a reference for the protection of grassland ecosystems and the formulation of local policies on sustainable grassland development.     

Metapopulation approach for landscape level management of western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus, in Texas (Hemiptera, Miridae)

Insect source-sink dynamics are vital to ecologically intensive pest management. Maintaining sink plant hosts, or "trap crops", and destroying alternate hosts or breeding places adjacent to the field crop are effective pest management strategies for some arthropods. However, determining whether a host acts as a source or a sink is challenging, especially when the pest species is highly mobile and polyphagous. The western tarnished plant bug, Lygus hesperus, is highly polyphagous, and can utilize >300 hosts. Its presence has been documented in 26 roadside weed hosts in the Texas High Plains. Previous studies demonstrated that L. hesperus prefer alfalfa over cotton and several alternate weed hosts. A four-year project involved surveying and sampling for L. hesperus in the agricultural landscapes of several sub-regions of the southwestern United States, including the Texas High Plains. In Texas, geographic information of the landscape vegetation complex was compiled from a 150 km radius in the Texas High Plains. In one study, fifty irrigated cotton fields representing the crop diversity within this region were sampled via sweep-net for 10 weeks. This effort also included sampling of up to six non-cotton insect habitats within a 3 km radius of each field. Seasonal average L. hesperus abundance data were regressed with 27 field characteristics (variables), including habitat-specific land cover, distance between focal cotton fields and non-cotton habitats, longitude, latitude, elevation, habitat heterogeneity index, and several environmental/ecological variables. Significant variables were selected using a stepwise regression at 15% probability rate. A 10-parameter linear model explained 93% of the variation in the data. Major parameters contributing significantly to variation in L. hesperus abundance in cotton were corn and sunflower acreages, focal cotton field distances from several non-cotton hosts, and habitat heterogeneity index. In addition, field marking-and-capture studies were conducted using protein markers and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to characterize L. hesperus intercrop movement behavior. The field marking-and-capture approach can be used to study the effects of various crop management practices on L. hesperus intercrop movement and can potentially be applied to other pests and cropping systems.     

Hydraulic resistance partitioning between shoot and root system and plant water status of Haloxyolon ammodendron growing at sites of contrasting soil texture

Hydraulic resistance components and water relations were studied on Haloxyolon ammoden-dron,a small xeric tree,growing at sites significantly differed in soil texture.Soil water content,leaf water potential(ψl),xylem water potential(ψx),root water potential(ψroot),leaf transpiration rate(TR) and stomatal conductance(gs) were measured at the two sites during the growing season of 2005 and 2006.Leaf spe-cific hydraulic resistance(Rplant) during the whole growing season,hydraulic resistance of plants(Rp),shoots(Rshoot) and roots(Rroot) in the August of both years were calculated and expressed on leaf area basis.The results showed the proportion of the hydraulic resistance of the aerial part(Rshoot) to the Rp was the same to the proportion of the hydraulic resistance of the soil part(Rroot) to the Rp,indicating that both parts were equivalent important to plant water hydraulic system from soil to leaf.Positive significant corre-lations were found between Rp and Rroot,suggesting that root hydraulics resistance was a major determinant of plant hydraulic resistance(Rp) and transpiration rate.The integrated effect of stomatal control,hy-draulic regulation and morphology adjustment enabled plants at heavy soil site surviving the extreme water deficit period.     

Physiological responses of artificial moss biocrusts to dehydration-rehydration process and heat stress on the Loess Plateau,China

Ex-situ cultivation of biological soil crusts(biocrusts) is a promising technology to produce materials that can induce the recovery of biocrusts in the field for the purposes of preventing soil erosion and improving hydrological function in degraded ecosystems. However, the ability of artificially cultivated biocrusts to survive under adverse field conditions, including drought and heat stresses, is still relatively unknown. Mosses can bolster biocrust resistance to the stresses(e.g., drought and heat) and the resistance may be introduced prior to field cultivation. In this study, we subjected the well-developed artificial moss biocrusts(dominant species of Didymodon vinealis(Brid.) Zand.) that we cultivated in the phytotron to a dehydration-rehydration experiment and also a heat stress experiment and measured the activities of protective enzymes(including peroxidase(POD), superoxide dismutase(SOD), and catalase(CAT)) and the contents of osmoregulatory substances(including soluble proteins and soluble sugars) and malondialdehyde(MDA, an indicator of oxidative stress) in the stem and leaf fragments of mosses. The results showed that, during the dehydration process, the activities of protective enzymes and the contents of osmoregulatory substances and MDA gradually increased with increasing duration of drought stress(over 13 days). During the rehydration process, values of these parameters decreased rapidly after 1 d of rehydration. The values then showed a gradual decrease for 5 days, approaching to the control levels. Under heat stress(45°C), the activities of protective enzymes and the content of soluble proteins increased rapidly within 2 h of heat exposure and then decreased gradually with increasing duration of heat exposure. In contrast, the contents of soluble sugars and MDA always increased gradually with increasing duration of heat exposure. This study indicates that artificial moss biocrusts possess a strong drought resistance and this resistance can be enhanced after a gradual dehydration treatment. This study also indicates that artificial moss biocrusts can only resist short-term heat stress(not long-term heat stress). These findings suggest that short-term heat stress or prolonged drought stress could be used to elevate the resistance of artificial moss biocrusts to adverse conditions prior to field reintroduction.     

Change of lake area in the southeastern part of China’s Badain Jaran Sand Sea and its implications for recharge sources

Understanding the relationship between the changes in lake water volume and climate change can provide valuable information to the recharge sources of lake water. This is particularly true in arid areas such as the Badain Jaran Sand Sea, an ecologically sensitive area, where the recharge sources of lakes are heatedly debated. In this study, we determined the areas of 50 lakes(representing 70% of the total permanent lakes in this sand sea) in 1967, 1975, 1990, 2000 and 2010 by analyzing remote-sensing images using image processing and Ar GIS software. In general, the total lake area decreased from 1967 to 1990, remained almost unchanged from 1990 to 2000, and increased from 2000 to 2010. Analysis of the relationship between these changes and the contemporaneous changes in annual mean temperature and annual precipitation in the surrounding areas suggests that temperature has significantly affected the lake area, but that the influence of precipitation was minor. These results tend to support the palaeo-water recharge hypothesis for lakes of the Badain Jaran Sand Sea, considering the fact that the distribution and area of lakes are closely related to precipitation and the size of mega-dunes, but the contemporaneous precipitation can hardly balance the lake water.     

Coupling between the Grain for Green Program and a household level-based agricultural eco-economic system in Ansai,Shaanxi Province of China

The implementation of the Grain for Green Program(GGP)has changed the development track of the agricultural eco-economic system in China.In response to the results of a lag study that investigated the coupling between the GGP and the agricultural eco-economic system in a loess hilly region,we used a structural equation model to analyze the survey data from 494 households in Ansai,a district of Yan’an City in Shaanxi Province of China in 2015.The model clarified the direction and intensity of the coupling between the GGP and the agricultural eco-economic system.The coupling benefits were derived through linkages between the program and various chains in the agricultural eco-economic system.The GGP,the agroecosystem of Ansai and their potential coupling effects were in a state of general coordination.The agroecosystem directly affected the coupling effect,with the standardized path coefficient of 0.87,indicating that the agroecosystem in Ansai at this stage provided basic material support for the coupling between the GGP and the agricultural eco-economic system.The direct path coefficient of agroeconomic system impacted on the coupling effect was-0.76,indicating that partial contradictions occurred between the agroeconomic system and the coupling effect.Therefore,although the current agroecosystem in Ansai should be provided sufficient agroecological resources for the benign coupling between the program and the agricultural eco-economic system,agricultural development failed to effectively transform agroecological resources into agricultural economic advantages in this region,which resulted in a relative lag in the development of the agricultural economic system.Thus,the coupling between the GGP and the agricultural eco-economic system was poor.To improve the coupling and the sustainable development of the agricultural eco-economic system in cropland retirement areas,the industrial structure needs to be diversified,the agricultural resources(including agroecological resources,agricultural economic resources and agricultural social resources)need to be rationally allocated,and the chain structure of the agricultural eco-economic system needs to be continuously improved.     

Status and distribution of ungulates in Xinjiang, China

Based on a long-term field investigation and other research results,we reviewed the status and distribution of ungulates in Xinjiang,China. The ungulates in Xinjiang included 19 ungulate species(30 subspecies) from 6 families and 2 orders. Among them,3 species(2 subspecies) relate to Equidae(Perrisodactyla) ,and 16 species(28 subspecies) are from 5 families of Artiodactyla. In this paper,we analyzed the conservation status of most rare and important 13 ungulate species. Firstly,we proposed the protection of genetic diversity of Camelus ferus and the distribution areas of Moschus sifanicus,Procapra przewalskii and Saiga tatarica in Xinjiang. We found that Moschus sifanicus but not Procapra przewalskii distributed in Xinjiang. It was not clear whether the remnant populations of Saiga tatarica existed in Xinjiang and China-Kazakhstan border or not. We discussed that the protection level and rational use of Capra sibirica and enhancing protection level and enlarging monitoring and research projects for Pantholops hodgsoni and Gazella subgutturosa. And we would like to suggest Forestry Department to develop the captive breeding of Tibetan antelope for rational use. In addition,the captive breeding of Cervus elaphus in Xinjiang was reviewed. Local government should lessen strong control to Cervus elaphus because of many breeding centers' establishment.     

Responses of leaf water potential and gas exchange to the precipitation manipulation in two shrubs on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Regulation of leaf gas exchange plays an important role in the survival of trees and shrubs under future climate change. However, the responses of leaf water potential and gas exchange of shrubs in semi-arid areas to the precipitation alteration are not clear. Here, we conducted a manipulated experiment with three levels of precipitation, i.e., a control with ambient precipitation, 50% above ambient precipitation(irrigation treatment), and 50% below ambient precipitation(drought treatment), with two common shrubs, Salix psammophila C. Wang & C. Y. Yang(isohydric plant, maintaining a constant leaf water potential by stomatal regulation) and Caragana korshinskii Kom.(anisohydric plant, having more variable leaf water potential), on the Chinese Loess Plateau in 2014 and 2015. We measured the seasonal variations of predawn and midday leaf water potential(Ψpd and Ψmd), two parameters of gas exchange, i.e., light-saturated assimilation(An) and stomatal conductance(gs), and other foliar and canopy traits. The isohydric S. psammophila had a similar An and a higher gs than the anisohydric C. korshinskii under drought treatment in 2015, inconsistent with the view that photosynthetic capacity of anisohydric plants is higher than isohydric plants under severe drought. The two shrubs differently responded to precipitation manipulation. Ψpd, An and gs were higher under irrigation treatment than control for S. psammophila, and these three variables and Ψmd were significantly higher under irrigation treatment and lower under drought treatment than control for C. korshinskii. Leaf water potential and gas exchange responded to manipulated precipitation more strongly for C. korshinskii than for S. psammophila. However, precipitation manipulation did not alter the sensitivity of leaf gas exchange to vapor-pressure deficit and soil moisture in these two shrubs. Acclimation to long-term changes in soil moisture in these two shrubs was primarily attributed to the changes in leaf or canopy structure rather than leaf gas exchange. These findings will be useful for modeling canopy water-carbon exchange and elucidating the adaptive strategies of these two shrubs to future changes in precipitation.     

Assessment of river basin habitat quality and its relationship with disturbance factors: A case study of the Tarim River Basin in Northwest China

The status of regional biodiversity is determined by habitat quality.The effective assessment of habitat quality can help balance the relationship between economic development and biodiversity conservation.Therefore,this study used the InVEST model to conduct a dynamic evaluation of the spatial and temporal changes in habitat quality of the Tarim River Basin in southern Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China by calc ulating the degradation degree levels for habitat types that were caused by threat factors from 1990 to 2018(represented by four periods of 1990,2000,2010 and 2018).Specifically,we used spatial autocorrelation analysis and Getis-Ord Gi*analysis to divide the study area into three heterogeneous units in terms of habitat quality:cold spot areas,hot spot areas and random areas.Hemeroby index,population density,gross domestic product(GDP),altitude and distance from water source(DWS)were then chosen as the main disturbance factors.Linear correlation and spatial regression models were subsequently used to analyze the influences of disturbance factors on habitat quality.The results demonstrated that the overall level of habitat quality in the TRB was poor,showing a continuous degradation state.The intensity of the negative correlation between habitat quality and Hemeroby index was proven to be strongest in cold spot areas,hot spot areas and random areas.The spatial lag model(SLM)was better suited to spatial regression analysis due to the spatial dependence of habitat quality and disturbance factors in heterogeneous units.By analyzing the model,Hemeroby index was found to have the greatest impact on habitat quality in the studied four periods(1990,2000,2010 and2018).The research results have potential guiding significance for the formulation of reasonable management policies in the TRB as well as other river basins in arid areas.     

What makes Haloxylon persicum grow on sand dunes while H. ammodendron grow on interdune lowlands： a proof from reciprocal transplant experiments

Determining the mechanisms underlying the spatial distribution of plant species is one of the central themes in biogeography and ecology. However, we are still far from gaining a full understanding of the autecological processes needed to unravel species distribution patterns. In the current study, by comparing seedling recruitment, seedling morphological performance and biomass allocation of two Haloxylon species, we try to identify the causes of the dune/interdune distribution pattern of these two species. Our results show the soil on the dune had less nutrients but was less saline than that of the interdune; with prolonged summer drought, soil water availability was lower on the dune than on the interdune. Both species had higher densities of seedlings at every stage of recruitment in their native habitat than the adjacent habitat. The contrasting different adaptation to nutrients, salinity and soil water conditions in the seedling recruitment stage strongly determined the distribution patterns of the two species on the dune/interdune. Haloxylon persicum on the dunes had lower total dry biomass, shoot and root dry biomass, but allocated a higher percentage of its biomass to roots and possessed a higher specific root length and specific root area by phenotypic traits specialization than that of Haloxylon ammodendron on the interdune. All of these allowed H. persicum to be more adapted to water stress and nutrient shortage. The differences in morphology and allocation facilitated the ability of these two species to persist in their own environments.     

分子标记辅助选择小麦抗白粉病兼抗赤霉病聚合体

 Sumai 3, a wheat variety resistant to Fusarium head blight(FHB), was crossed with Neimai 9, a commercial wheat cultivar with the resistance to powdery mildew.The SCAR(sequence characterized amplified region) markers of powdery mildew resistance gene Pm21 and four SSR(simple sequence repeats)markers flanking the major FHB resistance QTL(Qfhs.ndsu-3BS) in Sumai 3 were used to detect the resistance loci by marker assisted selection(MAS) in the plants of the F₂ population.Identification of resistance to both powdery mildew and FHB in field showed that 12 plants resistant to both diseases were obtained.In addition, the agronomic traits of these plants were better than those of Sumai 3, and are perhaps the excellent parental materials for wheat breeding.     

Species-specific traits determine shrub-annual interactions during a growing season

Stress gradient hypothesis predicted that facilitative interactions usually increase in intensity and are importance with abiotic stress.By contrast,facilitation may be lost in time,when it involves the growth of benefactors or beneficiaries.Less is known about which response pattern is more common in arid desert.We present an empirical study to explore shrub-annual interactions at the community and individual level along the course of a single growing season in a desert steppe in northwest China.Here the severity of drought stress may increase in time due to uneven precipitation during plant growing season.We assessed growth responses of annuals in understory where two dominant shrubs were removed.Annuals responses showed a switch from weakly positive to more strongly positive beneath Calligonum mongolicum,whereas from positive to negative beneath Nitraria sphaerocarpa during the growing season.Additionally,annual species with contrasting functional traits showed distinct growth responses to canopies removal.There was evidence of an increase in soil moisture below the canopy of shrubs,but a decrease in potential evaporation rate and photosynthetically active radiation,which can partly explain these species-specific responses.We conclude that the balance between competitive and facilitative effects in shrub-annual interactions is not only governed by the severity of stress but also determined by plant traits,such as canopy structure of shrubs and functional traits of their understory annuals.     

Changes in aggregate-associated organic carbon and nitrogen after 27 years of fertilization in a dryland alfalfa grassland on the Loess Plateau of China

Changes in the distribution of soil aggregate sizes and concentrations of aggregate-associated organic carbon(OC) and nitrogen(N) in response to the fertilization of grasslands are not well understood. Understanding these changes is essential to the sustainable development of artificial grasslands. For understanding these changes, we collected soil samples at 0–20 and 20–40 cm depths from a semi-arid artificial alfalfa grassland after 27 years of applications of phosphorus(P) and nitrogen+phosphorus+manure(NPM) fertilizers on the Loess Plateau of China. The distribution of aggregate sizes and the concentrations and stocks of OC and N in total soils were determined. The results showed that NPM treatment significantly increased the proportions of 2.0 mm and 2.0–0.25 mm size fractions, the mean geometric diameter(MGD) and the mean weight diameter(MWD) in the 0–20 cm layer. Phosphorous fertilizer significantly increased the proportion of 2.0 mm size fractions, the MGD and the MWD in the 0–20 cm layer. Long-term application of fertilization(P and NPM) resulted in the accumulation of OC and N in soil aggregates. The largest changes in aggregate-associated OC and N in the 0–20 cm layer were found at the NPM treatment, whereas the largest changes in the 20–40 cm layer were found at the P treatment. The results suggest that long-term fertilization in the grassland leads to the accumulation of OC and N in the coarse size fractions and the redistribution of OC and N from fine size fractions to coarse size fractions.     

Impact of agricultural development on variation in surface runoff in arid regions: a case of the Aksu River Basin

Located in the south of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region,the Tarim River is the longest inland river in China.Agricultural development,excessive exploitation and low surface water use efficiency in the headstream regions have led to a marked decrease in the water supply to the mainstream.This,in turn,has resulted in the drying-up of the watercourse in the lower reaches of the Tarim River and serious deterioration of the eco-environment.The Aksu River Basin,the most important headstream of the Tarim River,was selected as the research area in this study.Taking elastic coefficient,water demand coefficient and water utilization intensity as the indices,we studied the impact of agricultural development on decreasing surface runoff since the 1950s.The results indicated that(1) the increasing rate of consumption of surface runoff outstripped the rate of increase measured in the natural catchment discharge,resulting in ever diminishing stream discharge into the Tarim River.Agricultural irrigation and seepage loss in irrigation canal systems were the major sources for runoff consumption,taking 63.72% of the overall runoff consumption.What's more,agricultural water consumption took up more than 97% of the water used for long-term production;(2) the expansion of cultivated land,change of planting structure and comparatively low agricultural irrigation efficiency all contributed to the decrease in surface runoff of the Aksu River.The elasticity coefficient of surface runoff reduction corresponding to the increase in planted area was 0.34 in the 1950s,while in the 2000s it had increased to 7.87.This reflected a more sensitive response of runoff decrease to cultivated land expansion.The increase in cotton and fruit production,without widely-used scientific irrigation methods and water-saving technology,led to considerable waste of the water resources.Meanwhile,the irrigation efficiency was still quite low,characterized by the waste of water resources,and the decrease of surface runoff;(3) in different stages,cultivated land area,planting structure and agricultural water use efficiency exerted different effects on runoff decrease.In the early stage,agricultural development showed no obvious effect on runoff decrease.Since the 1960s,the expansion in cultivated land resulted in large consumption of surface runoff;since the 1990s,not only expansion in cultivated land expansion,but also planting structure exerted significant impact on the consumption of surface runoff.Recently,though agricultural water use efficiency has improved in some regions to reduce the consumption of runoff to a certain extent,overall agricultural water use efficiency is still quite low;(4) during the investigation period,water consumption by agricultural development reflected the unbalanced relationship between human activities and water resources.     

Origin and circulation of saline springs in the Kuqa Basin of the Tarim Basin,Northwest China

It is widely accepted that hydrogeochemistry of saline springs is extremely important to understand the water circulation and evolution of saline basins and to evaluate the potential of potassium-rich evaporites.The Kuqa Basin,located in the northern part of the Tarim Basin in Northwest China,is a saline basin regarded as the most potential potash-seeking area.However,the origin and water circulation processes of saline springs have yet to be fully characterized in this saline basin.In this study,a total of 30 saline spring samples and 11 river water samples were collected from the Qiulitage Structural Belt(QSB)of the Kuqa Basin.They were analyzed for major(K^+,Ca2^+,Na^+,Mg2^+,SO42-,Cl-and HCO3-)and trace(Sr2^+and Br-)ion concentrations,stable H-O-Sr isotopes and tritium concentrations in combination with previously published hydrogeochemical and isotopic(H-O)data in the same area.It is found that the water chemical type of saline springs in the study area belonged to the Na-Cl type,and that of river water belonged to the Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO4 type.The total dissolved solid(TDS)of saline springs in the QSB ranged from 117.77 to 314.92 g/L,reaching the brine level.On the basis of the general chemical compositions and the characteristics of the stable H-O-Sr isotopes of saline springs,we infer that those saline springs mainly originated from precipitation following river water recharging.In addition,we found that saline springs were not formed by evapo-concentration because it is unlikely that the high chloride concentration of saline springs resulted in evapo-concentration and high salinity.Therefore,we conclude that saline spring water may have experienced intense evapo-concentration before dissolving the salty minerals or after returning to the surface.The results show that the origin of salinity was mainly dominated by dissolving salty minerals due to the river water and/or precipitation that passed through the halite-rich stratum.Moreover,there are two possible origins of saline springs in the QSB:one is the infiltration of the meteoric water(river water),which then circulates deep into the earth,wherein it dissolves salty minerals,travels along the fault and returns to the surface;another is the mixture of formation water,or the mixture of seawater or marine evaporate sources and its subsequent discharge to the surface under fault conditions.Our findings provide new insight into the possible saltwater circulation and evolution of saline basins in the Tarim Basin.     

Effects of soil moisture on cotton root length density and yield under drip irrigation with plastic mulch in Aksu Oasis farmland

Effects of soil moisture on cotton root length density (total root length per unit soil volume) and yield under drip irrigation with plastic mulch were studied through field experiments. The results indicate that spatial distributions of root length density of cotton under various water treatments were basically similar. Horizontally, both root length densities of cotton in wide and narrow rows were similar, and higher than that between mulches. Vertically, root length density of cotton decreased with increasing soil depth. The distribution of root length density is different under different irrigation treatments. In conditions of over-irrigation, the root length density of cotton between mulches would increase. However, it would decrease in both the wide rows and narrow rows. The mean root length density of cotton increased with increasing irrigation water. Water stress caused the root length density to increase in lower soil layers. There is a significant correlation between root length density and yields of cotton at the flower-boll and wadding stages. The regression between irrigation amount and yield of cotton can be expressed as y = -0.0026x2+18.015x-24845 (R2 = 0.959). It showed that the irrigation volume of 3,464.4 m3/hm2 led to op-timal root length density. The yield of cotton was 6,360 .8 kg/hm2 under that amount of irrigation.     

Dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with desert ephemeral plants in Gurbantunggut Desert

Previous studies documented that most desert plants can be colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi,however,little is known about how the dynamics of AM fungi are related to ephemerals in desert ecosystems.The dynamics of AM fungi with desert ephemerals were examined to determine the effects of host plant life stages on the development of AM fungi.Mean colonization of ephemeral annual plants was 45% lower than that of ephemeral perennial plants.The colonizations were much higher in the early part of the growing season than in later parts,peaking at flowering times.The phenology of AM fungi in root systems varied among different ephemerals.The density of AM fungal spores increased with the development of ephemeral annual plants,reached its maximum at flowering times,and then plateaued about 20 days after the aboveground senescence.A significant positive correlation was found between AM fungi spore density and biomass of ephemeral annual plants.The life cycles of AM fungi associated with desert ephemerals were very short,being about 60-70 days.Soil temperature and water content had no direct influence on the development of AM fungal spores.We concluded that the development of AM fungi was in response to desert ephemeral phenology and life history strategy.