Responses of root growth of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. (Fabaceae) to different simulated groundwater depths in the southern fringe of the Taklimakan Desert, China

Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. （Fabaceae） is a spiny, perennial herb. The species grows in the salinized, arid regions in North China. This study investigated the response characteristics of the root growth and the dis- tribution of one-year-old A. sparsifolia seedlings to different groundwater depths in controlled plots. The eco- logical adaptability of the root systems of A. sparsifolia seedlings was examined using the artificial digging method. Results showed that： （1） A. sparsifolia seedlings adapted to an increase in groundwater depth mainly through increasing the penetration depth and growth rate of vertical roots. The vertical roots grew rapidly when soil moisture content reached 3%-9%, but slowly when soil moisture content was 13%-20%. The vertical roots stopped growing when soil moisture content reached 30% （the critical soil moisture point）. （2） The morphological plasticity of roots is an important strategy used by A. sparsifolia seedlings to obtain water and adapt to dry soil conditions. When the groundwater table was shallow, horizontal roots quickly expanded and tillering increased in order to compete for light resources, whereas when the groundwater table was deeper, vertical roots developed quickly to exploit space in the deeper soil layers. （3） The decrease in groundwater depth was probably respon- sible for the root distribution in the shallow soil layers. Root biomass and surface area both decreased with soil depth. One strategy of A. sparsifolia seedlings in dealing with the increase in groundwater depth is to increase root biomass in the deep soil layers. The relationship between the root growth/distribution of A. sparsifolia and the depth of groundwater table can be used as guidance for harvesting A. sparsifolia biomass and managing water resources for forage grasses. It is also of ecological significance as it reveals how desert plants adapt to arid environments.

Spatio-temporal variation of depth to groundwater level and its driving factors in arid and semi-arid regions of India

Climate change and increasing anthropogenic activities,such as over-exploitation of groundwater,are exerting unavoidable stress on groundwater resources.This study investigated the spatio-temporal variation of depth to groundwater level(DGWL)and the impacts of climatic(precipitation,maximum temperature,and minimum temperature)and anthropogenic(gross district product(GDP),population,and net irrigated area(NIA))variables on DGWL during 1994-2020.The study considered DGWL in 113 observation wells and piezometers located in arid western plains(Barmer and Jodhpur districts)and semi-arid eastern plains(Jaipur,Ajmer,Dausa,and Tonk districts)of Rajasthan State,India.Statistical methods were employed to examine the annual and seasonal patterns of DGWL,and the generalized additive model(GAM)was used to determine the impacts of climatic and anthropogenic variables on DGWL.During 1994-2020,except for Barmer District,where the mean annual DGWL was almost constant(around 26.50 m),all other districts exhibited increase in DGWL,with Ajmer District experiencing the most increase.The results also revealed that 36 observation wells and piezometers showed a statistically significant annual increasing trend in DGWL and 34 observation wells and piezometers exhibited a statistically significant decreasing trend in DGWL.Similarly,32 observation wells and piezometers showed an statistically significant increasing trend and 37 observation wells and piezometers showed a statistically significant decreasing trend in winter;33 observation wells and piezometers indicated a statistically significant increasing trend and 34 had a statistically significant decreasing trend in post-monsoon;35 observation wells and piezometers exhibited a statistically significant increasing trend and 32 observation wells and piezometers showed a statistically significant decreasing trend in pre-monsoon;and 36 observation wells and piezometers reflected a statistically significant increasing trend and 30 observation wells and piezometers reflected a statistically significant decreasing trend in monsoon.Interestingly,most of the observation wells and piezometers with increasing trends of DGWL were located in Dausa and Jaipur districts.Furthermore,the GAM analysis revealed that climatic variables,such as precipitation,significantly affected DGWL in Barmer District,and DGWL in all other districts was influenced by anthropogenic variables,including GDP,NIA,and population.As a result,stringent regulations should be implemented to curb excessive groundwater extraction,manage agricultural water demand,initiate proactive aquifer recharge programs,and strengthen sustainable management in these water-scarce regions.

Changes in groundwater levels and the response of natural vegetation to transfer of water to the lower reaches of the Tarim River

Restoration and reconstruction of the degraded Tarim River ecosystem is an important challenge. A goal of an ecological water conveyance project is to protect and restore the natural vegetation in the lower reaches of Tadm River by transferring water from Bosten Lake, through the river channel, to the lower reaches. This study describes the changes in groundwater depth during the water transfer and the respondence of riparian vegetation to alterations in groundwater levels. The results indicate that groundwater depth along the Tarim River channel has a significant spatial-temporal component. Groundwater levels closest to the river channel show the most immediate and pronounced changes as a response to water transfer while those further away respond more slowly, although the observed change appears to be longer in duration. With a rise in the groundwater level, natural vegetation responded with higher growth rates, biomass and biodiversity. These favorable changes show that it is feasible to protect and restore the degraded natural vegetation by raising the groundwater depth. Plant communities are likely to reflect the hysteresis phenomenon, requiting higher water levels to initiate and stimulate desired growth than what may be needed to maintain the plant community. Because different species have different ecologies, including different root depths and densities and water needs, their response to increasing water availability will be spatially and temporally heterogenous. The response of vegetation is also influenced by microtopography and watering style. This paper discusses strategies for the protection and restoration of the degraded vegetation in the lower reaches of the Tarim River and provides information to complement ongoing theoretical research into ecological restoration in add or semi-arid ecosystems.

Influence of groundwater depth on species composition and community structure in the transition zone of Cele oasis

The paper analyzes the hypothesis that the distribution of dominant plant species and characteristics of plant communities are related to groundwater depth. The results showed that variations of groundwater depth impacted distributions and characteristics of dominant plant communities. However, besides groundwater depth, the community composition and species diversity were also influenced by physiognomy of the habitat. Based on the similarity coefficient, the differences between dominant plant communities were significant at different groundwater depths. Compared with other results relating to desert vegetation and groundwater depth, variations of community distribution were similar at the large spatial scale. However, in this extremely arid region, there were significant differences in community type and community succession when compared with other arid regions, especially in relationship to deep groundwater depth. With groundwater depth from deep to shallow, communities transformed with the sequence of Alhagi communities, Tamarix spp. communities, Populus communities, Phragmites communities, and Sophora communities. At groundwater depth of less than 6.0 m, the community type and composition changed, and the species diversity increased. Among these dominant species, Tamarix exhibited the biggest efficiency in resource utilization according to niche breadth, which means it possessed the best adaptability to environmental conditions at the oasis margins.

Assessment of Soil Water Content in Field with Antecedent Precipitation Index and Groundwater Depth in the Yangtze River Estuary

To better understand soil moisture dynamics in the Yangtze River Estuary （YRE） and predict its variation in a simple way, a field monitoring experiment was carried out along the north branch of the Yangtze River, where seawater intrusion was strong and salt-water variation is one of the limiting factors of local agriculture. In present paper, relation between antecedent precipitation index （API） and soil water content is studied, and effects of groundwater depth on soil water content was analyzed. A relatively accurate prediction result of soil water content was reached using a neural network model. The impact analysis result showed that the variation of the API was consistent with soil water content and it displayed significant correlations with soil water content in both 20 and 50 cm soil layer, and higher correlation was observed in the layer of 20 cm. Groundwater impact analysis suggested that soil moisture was affected by the depth of groundwater, and was affected more greatly by groundwater at depth of 50 cm than that at 20 cm layer. By introducing API, groundwater depth and temperature together, a BP artificial network model was established to predict soil water content and an acceptable agreement was achieved. The model can be used for supplementing monitoring data of soil water content and predicting soil water content in shallow groundwater areas, and can provide favorable support for the research of water and salt transport in estuary area.

The Effects of Groundwater Depth on the Soil Evaporation in Horqin Sandy Land, China

The interactions between groundwater depth and soil hydrological processes, play an important role in both arid and semi-arid ecosystems. The effect of groundwater depth on soil water variations were neglected or not explicitly treated. In this paper, we combine a simulation experiment and a water flow module of HYDRUS-1D model to study the variation in soil evaporation under different groundwater depth conditions and the relationship between groundwater depth and evaporation efficiency in Horqin Sandy Land, China.The results showed that with an increase in groundwater depth, the evaporation of soil and the recharge of groundwater decrease. In this study, the groundwater recharge did not account for more than 21% of the soil evaporation for the depths of groundwater examined. The soil water content at 60 cm was less affected by the evaporation efficiency when the mean groundwater depth was 61 cm during the experimental period. In addition, the evaporation efficiency(the ratio of actual evaporation to potential evaporation) decreases with the increase in groundwater depth during the experiment. Furthermore, the soil evaporation was not affected by groundwater when the groundwater depth was deeper than 239 cm.

Temporal and spatial variations of net primary productivity and its response to groundwater of a typical oasis in the Tarim Basin, China

Net primary productivity (NPP) of the vegetation in an oasis can reflect the productivity capacity of a plant community under natural environmental conditions. Owing to the extreme arid climate conditions and scarce precipitation in the arid oasis regions, groundwater plays a key role in restricting the development of the vegetation. The Qira Oasis is located on the southern margin of the Taklimakan Desert (Tarim Basin, China) that is one of the most vulnerable regions regarding vegetation growth and water scarcity in the world. Based on remote sensing images of the Qira Oasis and daily meteorological data measured by the ground stations during the period 2006-2019, this study analyzed the temporal and spatial patterns of NPP in the oasis as well as its relation with the variation of groundwater depth using a modified Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) model. At the spatial scale, NPP of the vegetation decreased from the interior of the Qira Oasis to the margin;at the temporal scale, NPP of the vegetation in the oasis fluctuated significantly (ranging from 29.80 to 50.07 g C/(m2•month)) but generally showed an increasing trend, with the average increase rate of 0.07 g C/(m2•month). The regions with decreasing NPP occupied 64% of the total area of the oasis. During the study period, NPP of both farmland and grassland showed an increasing trend, while that of forest showed a decreasing trend. The depth of groundwater was deep in the south of the oasis and shallow in the north, showing a gradual increasing trend from south to north. Groundwater, as one of the key factors in the surface change and evolution of the arid oasis, determines the succession direction of the vegetation in the Qira Oasis. With the increase of groundwater depth, grassland coverage and vegetation NPP decreased. During the period 2008-2015, with the recovery of groundwater level, NPP values of all types of vegetation with different coverages increased. This study will provide a scientific basis for the rational utilization and sustainable management of groundwater resources in the oasis.

Comprehensive evaluation on the ecological function of groundwater in the Shiyang River watershed

With an arid climate and shortage of water resources,the groundwater dependent ecosystems in the oasis-desert ecotone of the Shiyang River Watershed has been extremely damaged,and the water crisis in the oasis has become a major concern in the social and the scientific community.In this study,the degene-ration characteristics of the groundwater ecological function was identified and comprehensive evaluated,based on groundwater depth data,vegetation quadrat and normalized difference vegetation index(NDVI)from Landsat program.The results showed that(1)the suitable groundwater depth for sustainable ecology in the Shiyang River Watershed is about 2-4 m;(2)the terms of degenerative,qualitative and disastrous stages of the groundwater ecological function are defined with the groundwater depths of about 5 m,7 m and 10 m;(3)generally,the groundwater ecological function in the oasis-desert ecotone of the lower reaches of Shiyang River Watershed is weak with an area of 1397.9 km2 identified as the severe deterioration region,which accounted 74.7%of the total area.In the meantime,the percentages of the good,mild and moderate deterioration areas of groundwater ecological function are 3.5%,5.5%and 16.3%,respectively,which were mainly distributed in the Qingtu lake area and the southeastern area of the Shoucheng town;(4)the degradation and shrinkage of natural oasis could be attributed to the dramatic groundwater decline,which is generally caused by irrational use of water and soil resources.This study could provide theoretical basis and scientific support for the decision-making in environmental management and ecological restoration of the Shiyang River Watershed.

Increased salinity and groundwater levels lead to degradation of the Robinia pseudoacacia forest in the Yellow River Delta

Forest degradation is a worldwide problem,although its causes vary due to geographical and climatic differences and man-made causes.In recent years,the Robinia pseudoacacia forest in the Yellow River Delta has suffered severe degradation.The causative mechanisms were investigated in the field over two years,and the results show that increased forest degradation was reflected by increased tree mortality,high leaf and soil sodium salt levels and groundwater depth.Average tree diameters decreased,and leaf chlorophyll and soil microbial contents decreased.Redundancy discriminate analysis(RDA)showed that degradation of the forest was correlated positively with soil salt content,but negatively with groundwater depth.Correlation analysis showed that 0.79%–0.95%soil salt content and above 1.20 m groundwater depth caused the death of R.pseudoacacia trees due to localized anthropogenic economic activities,such as rice farming,that disrupted the original water–salt balance.Measures are recommended to prevent further degradation and restore degraded forests.

Optimal root system strategies for desert phreatophytic seedlings in the search for groundwater

Desert phreatophytes are greatly dependent on groundwater, but how their root systems adapt to different groundwater depths is poorly understood. In the present study, shoot and root growths of Alhagi sparsifolia Shap. seedlings were studied across a gradient of groundwater depths. Leaves, stems and roots of different orders were measured after 120 days of different groundwater treatments. Results indicated that the depth of soil wetting front and the vertical distribution of soil water contents were highly controlled by groundwater depths. The shoot growth and biomass of A. sparsifolia decreased, but the root growth and rooting depth increased under deeper groundwater conditions. The higher ratios of root biomass, root/shoot and root length/leaf area under deeper groundwater conditions implied that seedlings of A. sparsifolia economized carbon cost on their shoot growths. The roots of A. sparsifolia distributed evenly around the soil wetting fronts under deeper groundwater conditions. Root diameters and root lengths of all orders were correlated with soil water availabilities both within and among treatments. Seedlings of A. sparsifolia produced finer first- and second-order roots but larger third- and fourth-order roots in dry soils. The results demonstrated that the root systems of desert phreatophytes can be optimized to acquire groundwater resources and maximize seedling growth by balancing the costs of carbon gain.

Microcoring and dendrometer-detected intra-annual wood formation of Populus euphratica in the Ejina Oasis,northwestern China

Seasonal stem radial growth and wood formation of trees have become research hotspots because of their significance for dendroclimatological and dendroecological studies. However, until recently, these studies concentrated on coniferous tree species in high-altitude and high-latitude regions,while detailed information on arid-zone riparian forests is scarce. The main focus of this study is to monitor the intra-annual dynamics of radial growth and tree ring formation in a deciduous species, Populus euphratica. In 2013, we combined the dendrometer and microcoring methods to study this species in the riparian forest of the Ejina Oasis, in arid northwestern China. Vessel enlargement began in early May, and the maximum rate of cell production occurred in early June. The cell division then ceased from early to mid-July. The dendrometer method failed to reliably detect the date of growth initiation and cessation, but succeeded to detect the time of maximum growth rate just like the microcoring method did. We found that weekly stem radial increment data described xylem growth more accurately than daily datasets. Based on correlation analysis among climatic and hydrologic variables, and weekly stem radial increment, weekly ring width increase dataset, the depth to groundwater was the main factor that limited tree ring growth. From a practical perspective, such studies of intra-annual wood formation can provide empirical guidance for seasonal water allocations within a river basin.

Distribution and evolution features of salinized soil in Hebei Plain

In order to study the distribution and evolution features of saline soil, the correlations between the groundwater depth, salinity and salinization of soil are examined through analyzing the hydrometeorological data and distribution maps of saline soil, groundwater depth and salinity in 1957 and 2005. The results show that the area of salinization has generally decreased. The area of salinization decreases with the increasing groundwater depth, and the dynamic evolution characteristics appeared between the groundwater depth and area of salinization. The area of heavy salinization is greatest when the groundwater salinity is > 5 g/L, the area of moderate salinization is greatest when the groundwater salinity is between 2-5 g/L, the area of light salinization is greatest when the groundwater salinity is 1-2 g/L and the area of non-salinization is greatest when the groundwater salinity is <1 g/L. The area of heavy salinization was characterized with groundwater depth <2.5 m and salinity >1.8 g/L. The area of non-salinization was characterized with groundwater depth >4.0 m and salinity 0.2-1.5 g/L.

The variation in soil moisture and the appropriate groundwater table for desert riparian forest along the Lower Tarim River

Based on data collected over five years of monitoring the Lower Tarim River,we analyzed the variability of soil moisture content （SMC） and the relationship between SMC,groundwater table depth （GWD） and vegetation by using the methods of coefficient of variation （Cv）,Pearson correlation and regression. The results of the variability of SMC indicate that it rose with increase in depth of soil layer -SMC in the soil layer of 0-60 cm was relatively small compared to SMC in the soil layer of 100-260 cm which showed a significant increase in variability. SMC and GWD before and after ecological water diversions exhibited significant differences at the site of the Yingsu transect and its vicinity of the watercourse,especially SMC in the soil layer of 100-260 cm increased significantly with a significant rise of GWD and reached maximum values at a GWD of about 4 m. Plant coverage and species diversity significantly improved with increases in SMC in the soil layer of 100-260 cm,both of them approached the maximum values and 92.3% of major plant species were able to grow when SMC was 〉 10%. To restore the ecosystem of desert riparian forest along the Lower Tarim River,the GWD must be maintained at 〈 4 m in the vicinity of the watercourse and at about 4 m for the rest of this arid region.

Effect of groundwater depth on riparian plant diversity along riverside-desert gradients in the Tarim River

Aims Riparian plant diversity is sensitive to changes in groundwater in arid regions.However,little is known about how plant diversity responds to changes in environment along riverside-desert gradi-ents in riparian ecosystem.Our objectives were to(i)identify ri-parian plant diversity along riverside-desert gradients in Tarim desert riparian forests,(ii)analyze the impact of environment variables on plant diversity,(iii)determine the optimum groundwater depth for different plant life-forms.Methods Six transects 90 quadrats(with each size 100 m×100 m)distributed vertically to river bed along riverside-desert gradients~30 km in length were surveyed.At each quadrat,the morphological features of riparian plant communities were measured,and the groundwater depth,soil water,soil salinity,soil nutrient were also monitored at same sites.Important Finding Three distinct vegetation communities were identified based on cover and richness in the tree,shrub and herb layers:the riparian zone,the transitional zone and the desert margin zone.Twelve spe-cies were indicators of the three vegetation communities.Riparian plant diversity was influenced by groundwater depth,distance from river,soil moisture content,soil salinity and soil nutrient by redundancy analysis.In response to groundwater depth,the op-timal groundwater depths for species diversity,evenness and shrub cover were 2.8,2.7 and 3.7 m,respectively.Therefore,maintaining high plant diversity requires managers to ensure stable groundwater depth for different plant life-forms rather than for some of them.