Sap flow characteristics and physiological adjustments of two dominant tree species in pure and mixed plantations in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China

It is essential to understand the water consumption characteristics and physiological adjustments of tree species under drought conditions, as well as the effects of pure and mixed plantations on these characteristics in semi-arid regions. In this study, the normalized sap flow (SF_n), leaf water potential, stomatal conductance (g_s), and photosynthetic rate (P_r) were monitored for two dominant species, i.e., Pinus tabuliformis and Hippophae rhamnoides, in both pure and mixed plantations in a semi-arid region of Chinese Loess Plateau. A threshold-delay model showed that the lower rainfall thresholds (R^L) for P. tabuliformis and H. rhamnoides in pure plantations were 9.6 and 11.0 mm, respectively, and the time lags (τ) after rainfall were 1.15 and 1.76 d for corresponding species, respectively. The results indicated that P. tabuliformis was more sensitive to rainfall pulse than H. rhamnoides. In addition, strong stomatal control allowed P. tabuliformis to experience low g_s and P_r in response to drought, while maintaining a high midday leaf water potential (Ψ_m). However, H. rhamnoides maintained high g_s and P_r at a low Ψ_m expense. Therefore, P. tabuliformis and H. rhamnoides can be considered as isohydric and anisohydric species, respectively. In mixed plantation, the values of R^L for P. tabuliformis and H. rhamnoides were 6.5 and 8.9 mm, respectively; and the values of τ were 0.86 and 1.61 d for corresponding species, respectively, which implied that mixed afforestation enhanced the rainfall pulse sensitivity for both two species, especially for P. tabuliformis. In addition, mixed afforestation significantly reduced SF_n, g_s, and P_r for P. tabuliformis (P<0.05), while maintaining a high leaf water potential status. However, no significant effect of mixed afforestation of H. rhamnoides was observed at the expense of leaf water potential status in response to drought. Although inconsistent physiological responses were adopted by these species, the altered water consumption characteristics, especially for P. tabuliformis indicated that the mixed afforestation requires further investigation.