Throughfall and its spatial variability beneath xerophytic shrub canopies within water-limited arid desert ecosystems

2016 ◽  
Vol 539 ◽  
pp. 406-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-feng Zhang ◽  
Xin-ping Wang ◽  
Rui Hu ◽  
Yan-xia Pan
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Desert Ecosystems ◽  
Arid Desert

Variation of albedo to soil moisture for sand dunes and biological soil crusts in arid desert ecosystems

2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 1281-1288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-feng Zhang ◽  
Xin-ping Wang ◽  
Rui Hu ◽  
Yan-xia Pan ◽  
Hao Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Biological Soil Crusts ◽  
Desert Ecosystems ◽  
Soil Crusts ◽  
Arid Desert

scholarly journals A rainfall enrichment system suitable for open field experiments in arid and semi-arid ecosystems

Lilloa ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 54-71
Author(s):  
Zhiming Xin ◽  
Jianqiang Qian ◽  
Carlos A. Busso ◽  
Bo Wu ◽  
Yajuan Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Hydraulic Pressure ◽  
Desert Ecosystems ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Arid Desert ◽  
Semi Arid

The predicted changes in precipitation patterns because of global change have profound effects on terrestrial ecosystems. In the present study, the principle and design details of a rainfall enrichment system (RAINES) for open field experiments in semi-arid and arid ecosystems are shown. The rainfall intensity, validity and uniformity of this experimental facility were also tested. During the period from 2008 to 2010, our data showed that the RAINES was able to simulate rainfall events with different rainfall sizes, frequencies and timing. The greatest advantage of the RAINES was its high uniformity in rainfall distribution over a relatively large experimental surface area (>90 m2), which was important for experimental studies of semi-arid and arid ecosystems where vegetation distribution is sparse. The rainfall validity of RAINES was steadily at 66% or higher as long as the hydraulic pressure exceeded 1.4 KPa and the wind speed was below 2.5 m s-1. Since the RAINES is light-weight, inexpensive and versatile enough to be used to simulate various rainfall events with needed properties in remote fields, it is able to provide reliable simulated rainfall in the field for studying possible responses of soil and vegetation processes to rainfall change in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. The application of the RAINES will improve our understanding on the relationship between water availability and ecosystem processes in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, which will provide useful knowledge for the protection, restoration and sustainable management of semi-arid and arid desert ecosystems world.

scholarly journals Niche Differentiation and Co-Occurrence Network of Fungal Communities Associated with Host Affiliations in an Extremely Arid Desert Ecosystem

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiling Zuo ◽  
Xia Li ◽  
Jingya Yang ◽  
Jiaqiang Liu ◽  
Xueli He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endophytic Fungi ◽  
Sequence Similarity ◽  
Mutual Exclusion ◽  
Keystone Species ◽  
Fungal Communities ◽  
Desert Ecosystem ◽  
Desert Plants ◽  
Desert Ecosystems ◽  
Desert Shrubs ◽  
Arid Desert

Abstract Background: Desert shrubs represent high productivity and play essential roles in maintaining the biodiversity and stability of ecosystem functioning in arid desert ecosystems. These xerophytic plants provide specific biotic and abiotic conditions for the resident specialist microorganisms. However, a robust understanding of the structural composition of the fungal microbiome associated with desert plants and especially the relationship between above- and belowground communities is currently lacking. In this study, we examined the endophytic fungal communities associated with the root, stem, and leaf tissues of five desert shrubs using Illumina MiSeq sequencing of internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences.Results: A total of 337 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of endophytic fungi were identified at a 97% sequence similarity level. Pleosporales were dominant and played an irreplaceable role as keystone species in maintaining the connectivity and complexity of the fungal networks. Desert shrub identity significantly affected the community composition of the endophytic fungi in different tissues. Compared with the fungi in the aboveground tissues, root-associated fungi represented the most abundant reservoir of biodiversity in the desert habitat and displayed significantly high tissue specificity. Interestingly, the aboveground stems and leaves showed higher taxonomic overlap with underground root tissues than with each other. The root fungal network revealed the highest connectivity, and the interspecies relationships between desert fungal OTUs revealed a high percentage of co-presence rather than mutual exclusion. In addition, members of Hypocreales played a central role in connecting the above- and belowground fungal networks.Conclusions: This study represents the first example of research revealing plant-fungus endophytic associations in an extremely arid desert ecosystem with the simultaneous consideration and comparison of above- and belowground niches. Understanding the complex host-microbe interactions associated with desert plants could provide a basis for the exploitation of plant-fungus associations in the manipulation of the shrub microbiome for ecological restoration purposes.

Comparison of hydraulic behaviour of unvegetated and vegetation-stabilized sand dunes in arid desert ecosystems

Ecohydrology ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 264-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin-ping Wang ◽  
Gui-jing Quan ◽  
Yan-xia Pan ◽  
Rui Hu ◽  
Ya-feng Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Desert Ecosystems ◽  
Hydraulic Behaviour ◽  
Arid Desert

scholarly journals Differential intra-specific stemflow funnelling efficiencies of Caragana korshinskii within arid desert ecosystems

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1611-1623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya-feng Zhang ◽  
Xin-ping Wang ◽  
Rui Hu ◽  
Yan-xia Pan
Keyword(s):  
Northern China ◽  
Desert Ecosystem ◽  
Absolute Amount ◽  
Desert Ecosystems ◽  
Rainfall Events ◽  
Rainfall Condition ◽  
Caragana Korshinskii ◽  
Specific Variation ◽  
Morphological Differences ◽  
Arid Desert

Abstract Stemflow is known as a highly localized point input of rainwater and solutes around tree/shrub bases where roots are concentrated, thus having considerable effects on hydrology and biogeochemistry of vegetated ecosystems. Stemflow shows a pronounced inter-specific variation due to morphological differences among species, while the intra-specific variation of stemflow has been poorly explored. We systematically examined the effects of shrub morphological metrics on intra-specific funnelling efficiencies by quantifying the stemflow of nine shrubs of Caragana korshinskii within a water-limited arid desert ecosystem of northern China. Stemflow volume was used to compare the absolute amount of stemflow generated by shrubs of varying size, and funnelling ratio was used to assess their funnelling efficiencies. Both rainfall depth and shrub morphological metrics significantly affected stemflow volume, while funnelling ratio was more associated with shrub morphology. Under the same rainfall condition, smaller shrubs produced lower volumes of stemflow, while gaining access to rainfall via higher funnelling ratio than larger shrubs. Our findings highlight a large variation in funnelling efficiency among individual shrubs within the same species, and in particular, smaller shrubs might profit more from sporadic small rainfall events than larger shrubs.

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