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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2021, Vol. 57 ›› Issue (7): 32-42.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.20210704

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Response of Hydraulic Architecture of Hemiptelea davidii to Soil Water Conditions in Horqin Sandy Land

Yu Cao1,3,4,Lin Chao2,Yuning An1,4,Dedong Wu1,3,4,Xueli Zhang1,3,4,Hong Li1,4,Yanyan Liu2,*   

  1. 1. Liaoning Institute of Sandy Land Control and Utilization Fuxin 123000
    2. Key Laboratory of Environment Change and Resources Use in Beibu Gulf of Ministry of Education Guangxi Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Intelligent Simulation, Institute of Geography and Oceanography, Nanning Normal University Nanning 530001
    3. Department of Horqin Sandy Land Ecosystem National Positioning Observatory, Zhanggutai, Liaoning Province Zhangwu 123203
    4. Institute of Sand-Fixation and Afforestation Research of Liaoning Province Fuxin 123000
  • Received:2020-02-22 Online:2021-07-25 Published:2021-09-02
  • Contact: Yanyan Liu

Abstract:

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the internal physiological mechanisms of Hemiptelea davidii adapting to different soil water environments by comparing the effect of microenvironments(interdune and upperdune) with different soil water conditions on the characteristics of xylem hydraulic architecture, leaf water relations and photosynthetic gas exchange of H.davidii, in order to provide a theoretical basis for windproof and sand fixation afforestation and vegetation restoration in Horqin sandy land. Method: In this study, the H.davidii inhabiting in the interdune and upperdune with different soil water conditionsin Horqin sandy land was targeted. The differences in water transport efficiency and safety of H. davidii in the two habitats were analyzed from the perspective of trees hydraulic architecture, and a comparative study on leaf water relation, photosynthetic gas exchange and xylem anatomical structure was conducted. Result: Soil water status in interdune was much better than that in upperdune, thus H. davidii growing in interdune presented the larger conduits, and significantly higher stem water transport efficiency(Ks) and leaf and stem water potential(P < 0.05). Although, there was no significant difference in leaf photosynthetic carbon assimilation rate between the two habitats, the stomatal conductance(gs) and intrinsic water use efficiency(WUEi) showed significantly different. gs of the upperdune was significantly lower(P < 0.05), and its WUEi was significantly higher(P < 0.05).Different soil water content in habitats also had significant impacts on the ratio of leaf area to sapwood area(LA/SA) of H. davidii, the value of LA/SA was significantly higher ininterdune than that of upperdune habitat(P < 0.05). Growth indicators such as basal diameter, tree height and aboveground biomass were also significantly higher in interdune than those of the upperdune habitat(P < 0.05). H. davidii in the upperdune showed higher wood density and stronger resistance to cavitation, and the hydraulic safety margin(HSM) was also wider(larger values of ΨS-md-P50 and ΨS-md-P80). Conclusion: Growing in the interdune habitat with less water-limited environment, H. davidii tends to have larger conduits which facilitate higher water transport efficiency and ensure higher growth rate and competitiveness. On the contrary, in the upperdune habitat with more water-limited environment, it tends to have smaller conduits. Although this strategy reduces the water transport efficiency of xylem, it helps to obtain stronger resistance to cavitation, thereby ensuring the long-term survival of plants undersevere water stress. The strategy of adjusting hydraulic architecture traits of H. davidii with different water conditions reflects its stronger drought resistance and adaptability.

Key words: Hemiptelea davidii, water transport, resistance to cavitation/embolism, vulnerability, hydraulic safety margin, water use efficiency

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