Variation of soil-plant-atmosphere continuum stable isotope and water source in Qinghai spruce forest of the eastern Qilian Mountains

Understanding the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope composition and characteristics of different water bodies in soil-plant-atmosphere continuum is of significance for revealing regional hydrological processes and water cycle mechanisms.In this study,we analyzed the stable isotopic composition,relationship and indicative significance of precipitation,soil water(0~100 cm depth)and xylem water of Qinghai spruce(Picea crassifolia)forest in the eastern Qilian Mountains,and explored the circulation process among different water bodies.The results show that the stable isotopes of precipitation vary greatly during the entire observation period.The values ofδ2H andδ^(18)O in the precipitation in the warm season are richer than those in the cold season,and the slope and intercept of local meteoric water line(LMWL,δ2H=6.79δ18O+7.13)are both smaller than global meteoric water line(GMWL,δ2H=8.17δ18O+10.56).The stable isotopes of soil water at different depths underwent different degrees of evaporative fractionation,and theδ18O andδ2H of shallow soil water varied greatly,while the deep soil water tended to be similar.The topsoil(0~10 cm)can respond quickly to precipitation,and the response of the deep soil has a time lag.In the whole growing season,0~30 cm and 60~100 cm soil water are the main water sources of Qinghai spruce.The water source of Qinghai spruce was from all soil layers in May and September,mainly from the shallow soil layer(0~30 cm)in August and October,and mainly from the deep soil layer(60~100 cm)in June and July.

Ecohydrological advances and applications in plant–water relations research:a review

Aims The field of ecohydrology is providing new theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches for understanding the complex interactions and feedbacks between vegetation and hydrologic flows at multiple scales.Here we review some of the major scientific and technological advances in ecohydrology as related to understanding the mechanisms by which plant–water relations influence water fluxes at ecosystem,watershed and landscape scales.Important Findings We identify several cross-cutting themes related to the role of plant–water relations in the ecohydrological literature,including the contrasting dynamics of water-limited and water-abundant ecosystems,transferring information about water fluxes across scales,understanding spatiotemporal heterogeneity and complexity,ecohydrological triggers associated with threshold behavior and shifts between alternative stable states and the need for long-term data sets at multiple scales.We then show how these themes are embedded within three key research areas where improved understanding of the linkages between plant–water relations and the hydrologic cycle have led to important advances in the field of ecohydrology:upscaling water fluxes from the leaf to the watershed and landscape,effects of plant–soil interactions on soil moisture dynamics and controls exerted by plant water use patterns and mechanisms on streamflow regime.In particular,we highlight several pressing environmental challenges facing society today where ecohydrology can contribute to the scientific knowledge for developing sound management and policy solutions.We conclude by identifying key challenges and opportunities for advancing contributions of plant–water relations research to ecohydrology in the future.