Soil-water interacting use patterns driven by Ziziphus jujuba on the Chenier Island in the Yellow River Delta,China |
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Authors: | Jinfang Zhu Jingtao Liu Zhaohua Lu Jiangbao Xia Jingkuan Sun Hongbo Shao |
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Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Restoration Ecology, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, China;2. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for the Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, Shandong, China;3. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for the Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou, Shandong, China;4. Institute of Agro-biotechnology, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing, China;5. Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai, China |
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Abstract: | The determination of water use patterns of plants in a coastal ecosystem is critical to our understanding of local eco-hydrological processes and predicting trends in ecological succession under the background of global climate change. The water use patterns of Ziziphus jujuba, the dominant species on the Chenier Island in the Yellow River Delta, were examined following summer rainfall events. Stable oxygen isotope analysis was employed to analyze the effects of rainfall on the stable isotopic composition in potential water sources in Z. jujuba. The IsoSource model was used to estimate the contributions of potential water sources for xylem water in Z. jujuba. The results showed heavy rainfall could recharge both soil and groundwater but contributed little to the δ18O values in deep soil water (60–100 cm) and groundwater. Light rainfall had an effect only on surface soil water (0–40 cm). Z. jujuba mainly absorbed deep soil water on non-rainy days. Rainwater became the predominant water source for Z. jujuba during and immediately after heavy rainfall. Switching the plant’s main water source between deep soil water and rainwater provided Z. jujuba with a competitive advantage and improved the water use efficiency of Z. jujuba in this coastal ecosystem. |
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Keywords: | Soil water content δ18O stable oxygen isotopes water use patterns Yellow River Delta |
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