Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Water use strategies of natural Pinus sylvestris var. Mongolica trees of different ages in Hulunbuir Sandy Land of Inner Mongolia, China, based on stable isotope analysis

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Trees Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Key message

Natural Mongolian pine trees of different ages consistently use shallow water throughout the main growing season; therefore, water stored in the shallow soil layer is vital for maintaining their viability.

Abstract

Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantations in sandy regions often experience dieback after 30–35 years of growth due to water deficiency, whereas natural Mongolian pine forests remain healthy during the same growth stage. However, the water use strategies of natural Mongolian pines remains unclear. Therefore, δ2H and δ18O in twig xylem water, soil water and groundwater were analyzed in 10–20, 20–30 and 30–50-year-old natural Mongolian pine trees to identify their water sources. In addition, needle δ13C was measured simultaneously to assess water use efficiency. Results showed that pine trees of different ages utilized soil water from the same depth. During the growing season (June–August), all pine trees utilized water from 0 to 20 cm soil depth, regardless of the soil water condition. During the end of growing season (September and October), even though soil moisture content in the 0–20 cm depth was higher, pine trees of different ages utilized water from the 0–60 cm soil depth in September and switched to utilize water from the 20–80 cm soil depth in October. There were no significant differences in needle δ13C among the sampling dates for trees in each age group, indicating that pine trees can absorb sufficient water to satisfy their water requirements regardless of age. These findings suggest that water stored in the shallow soil layer (0–20 cm) plays an important role in supporting tree transpiration during the growing season (June–August). Therefore, the stability of shallow soil is vital for maintaining the viability of natural Mongolian pine forests.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Asbjornsen H, Mora G, Helmers MJ (2007) Variation in water uptake dynamics among contrasting agricultural and native plant communities in the Midwestern US. Agric Ecosyst Environ 121(4):343–356

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brendel O (2001) Does bulk-needle δ13C reflect short-term discrimination? Ann For Sci 58:135–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen ZJ, Zhang XL, Cui MX, He XY, Ding WH, Peng JJ (2012) Tree-ring based precipitation reconstruction for the forest-steppe ecotone in northern Inner Mongolia, China and its linkages to the Pacific Ocean variability. Glob Planet Chang 86–87:45–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • David TS, Pinto CA, Nadezhdina N, Kurz-Besson C, Henriques MO, Quilhó T, Cermak J, Chaves MM, Pereira JS, David JS (2013) Root functioning, tree water use and hydraulic redistribution in Quercus suber trees: a modeling approach based on root sap flow. For Ecol Manag 307:136–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson TE, Mambelli S, Plamboeck AH, Tempter PH, Tu KP (2002) Stable isotopes in plant ecology. Ann Rev Ecol Syst 33:507–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eggemeyer KD, Awada T, Harvey FE, Wedin DA, Zhou X, Zanner CW (2009) Seasonal changes in depth of water uptake for encroaching trees Juniperus virginiana and Pinus ponderosa and two dominant C4 grasses in a semiarid grassland. Tree Physiol 29:157–169

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ehleringer JR, Dawson TE (1992) Water uptake by plants: perspectives from stable isotope composition. Plant Cell Environ 15:1073–1082

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ehleringer JR, Roden J, Dawson TE (2000) Assessing ecosystem-level water relations through stable isotope ratio analyses. In: Sala OE, Jackson R, Mooney HA, Howarth R (eds) Methods in ecosystem science. Springer, New York, pp 181–198

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ellsworth PZ, Williams DG (2007) Hydrogen isotope fractionation during water uptake by woody xerophytes. Plant Soil 291:93–107

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Farquhar GD, Richards RA (1984) Isotopic composition of plant carbon correlates with water-use efficiency of wheat genotypes. Funct Plant Biol 11:539–552

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Farquhar GD, Ehleringer JR, Hubick KT (1989) Carbon isotope discrimination and photosynthesis. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 40:503–537

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gao HB, Ryan MC, Li CY, Sun B (2017) Understanding the role of groundwater in a remote transboundary lake (Hulun Lake, China). Water 9:363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giuggiola A, Bugmann H, Zingg A, Dobbertin M, Rigling A (2013) Reduction of stand density increases drought resistance in xeric Scots pine forests. For Ecol Manag 310:827–835

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldsmith GR, Muñoz-Villers LE, Holwerda F, McDonnell JJ, Asbjornsen H, Dawson TE (2012) Stable isotopes reveal linkages among ecohydrological processes in a seasonally dry tropical montane cloud forest. Ecohydrology 5(6):779–790

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang L, Zhang ZS (2015) Stable isotopic analysis on water utilization of two xerophytic shrubs in a revegetated desert area: Tengger Desert, China. Water 7(3):1030–1045

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang FQ, Cao CY, Zeng DH, Guan WB, Wu XY, Zheng YR (2002) Degradation and restoration of ecosystems on Keerqin sandy land. Chinese Forestry Press, Beijing (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiao SR (2001) Report on the causes of the early decline of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica shelterbelt and its preventative and control measures in Zhanggutai of Liaoning province. Sci Silvae Sin 37:131–138 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kozlowski TT (1987) Soil moisture and absorption of water by roots. J Arboric 13(2):39–46

    Google Scholar 

  • Li XM, Zhang XM (2003) Water condition and restoration of natural vegetation in the southern margin of the Taklimakan Desert. Acta Ecol Sin 23:1450–1453 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li SG, Romero-Saltos H, Tsujimura M, Sugimoto A, Sasaki L, Davaa G, Oyunbaatar D (2007) Plant water sources in the cold semiarid ecosystem of the upper Kherlen river catchment in Mongolia: a stable isotope approach. J Hydrol 333:109–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin GH, Sternber LSL (1993) Hydrogen isotopic fractionation by plant roots during water uptake in coastal wetland plants. In: Stable isotopes and plant carbon/water relations. Academic Press, New York, pp 497–510

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Liu SB, Chen YN, Chen YP, Friedman JM, Hati JHA, Fang GH (2015) Use of 2H and 18O stable isotopes to investigate water sources for different ages of Populus euphratica along the lower Heihe River. Ecol Res 30(4):581–587

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu ZQ, Yu XX, Jia GD, Jia JB, Lou YH, Lu WW (2017) Contrasting water sources of evergreen and deciduous tree species in rocky mountain area of Beijing, China. Catena 150:108–115

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mao L (2009) The stand spatial structure of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica and its regeneration succession rules in Honghuaerji. MS Dissertation. Beijing Forestry University. China

  • Martínez-Vilalta J, Vanderklein D, Mencuccini M (2007) Tree height and age-related decline in growth in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). Oecologia 150:529–544

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell NG, Licata J, Bond BJ (2005) Environmental sensitivity of gas exchange in different sized trees. Oecologia 145:9–20

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nie YP, Chen HS, Wang KL, Yang J (2012) Water source utilization by woody plants growing on dolomite outcrops and nearby soils during dry seasons in karst region of southwest China. J Hydrol 420–421:264–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ogée J, Barbour MM, Wingate L, Bert D, Bosc A, Stievenard M, Lambrot C, Pierre M, Bariac T, Dewar RC (2009) A single-substrate model to interpret intra-annual stable isotope signals in tree-ring cellulose. Plant Cell Environ 32:1071–1090

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Penna D, Oliviero O, Assendelft R, Zuecco G, Meerveld IH, Anfodillo T, Carraro V, Borga M, Fontana GD (2013) Tracing the water sources of trees and streams: isotopic analysis in a small pre-alpine catchment. Proc Environ Sci 19:106–112

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips DL, Gregg JW (2003) Source partitioning using stable isotopes: coping with too many sources. Oecologia 136:261–269

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips DL, Newsome SD, Gregg JW (2005) Combining sources in stable isotope mixing models: alternative methods. Oecologia 144:520–527

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Retzlaff WA, Blaisdell GK, Topa MA (2001) Seasonal changes in water source of four families of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Trees 15:154–162

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rong L, Chen X, Chen X, Wang S, Du X (2011) Isotopic analysis of water sources of mountainous plant uptake in a karst plateau of southwest China. Hydrol Process 25(23):3666–3675

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schulze ED, Mooney HA, Sala OE, Jobbagy E, Buchmann N, Bauer G, Canadell J, Jackson PB, Loreti J, Oesterheld M, Ehleringer JR (1996) Rooting depth, water availability, and vegetation cover along an aridity gradient in Patagonia. Oecologia 108:503–511

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song LN, Zhu JJ, Li MC, Yu ZY (2014) Water utilization of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica in a sparse wood grassland in the semiarid sandy region of Northeast China. Trees 28:971–982

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song LN, Zhu JJ, Yan QL, Li MC, Yu GQ (2015) Comparison of intrinsic water use efficiency between different aged Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica wide windbreaks in semiarid sandy land of northern China. Agrofor Syst 89(3):477–489

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song LN, Zhu JJ, Li MC, Zhang JX (2016a) Water use patterns of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica trees of different ages in a semiarid sandy lands of Northeast China. Environ Exp Bot 129:94–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song LN, Zhu JJ, Li MC, Zhang JX, Lv LY (2016b) Sources of water used by Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica trees based on stable isotope measurements in a semiarid sandy region of Northeast China. Agric Water Manag 164:281–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song LN, Li MC, Zhu JJ, Zhang JX (2017) Comparisons of radial growth and tree-ring cellulose δ13C for Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica in natural and plantation forests on sandy lands. J For Res JPN 22(3):160–168

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Su H, Li YG, Liu W, Xu H, Sun OJX (2014) Changes in water use with growth in Ulmus pumila in semiarid sandy land of northern China. Trees 28(1):41–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu JE, Liu WJ, Chen CF (2016) Below-ground interspecific competition for water in a rubber agroforestry system may enhance water utilization in plants. Sci Rep 6:19502

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu Q, Li HB, Chen JQ, Cheng XL, Liu SR, An SQ (2011) Water use patterns of three species in subalpine forest, Southwest China: the deuterium isotope approach. Ecohydrol 4:236–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu H, Wiegand T, Yang XH, Ci LJ (2009) The impact of fire and density-dependent mortality on the spatial patterns of a pine forest in the Hulun Buir sandland, Inner Mongolia, China. For Ecol Manag 257:2098–2107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yusuf HM, Treydte AC, Sauerborn J (2015) Managing semi-arid rangelands for carbon storage: grazing and woody encroachment effects on soil carbon and nitrogen. PLoS One 10(10):e0109063

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang PD, Wang X, Chen BR, Xin XP (2014) CO2 release characteristics from Stipa baicalensis meadow steppe in the Hulunbeir region, Inner Mogolia, China. Chin J Appl Ecol 25(2):387–393 (in Chinese with English abstract)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao XL, Li WY (1963) Mongolian Pine. Agricultural Press, Beijing (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng X, Zhu JJ, Yan QL, Song LN (2012) Effects of land usechanges on the groundwater table and the decline of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations in southern Horqin Sandy Land, Northeast China. Agric Water Manag 109:94–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou H, Zhao WZ, Zheng XJ, Li SJ (2015) Root distribution of Nitraria sibirica with seasonally varying water sources in a desert habitat. J Plant Res 128:613–622

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu JJ, Fan ZP, Zeng DH, Jiang FQ, Matsuzaki T (2003) Comparison of stand structure and growth between artificial and natural forests of Pinus sylvestiris var. mongolica on sandy land. J For Res 14(2):103–111

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu JJ, Kang HZ, Tan H, Xu ML, Wang J (2005) Natural regeneration characteristics of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica forests on sandy land in Honghuaerji, China. J For Res 16(4):253–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu JJ, Li FQ, Xu ML, Kang HZ, Xu DY (2008) The role of ectomycorrhizal fungi in alleviating pine decline in semiarid sandy soil of northern China: an experimental approach. Ann For Sci 65(3):1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Grants from the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, CAS (QYZDJ-SSW-DQC027) and the National Nature Science Foundation of China (31770757, 41371511 and 31025007). We thank Dr. Lizhong Yu, Dr. Qiaoling Yan, Dr. Kai Yang, Dr. Xiao Zheng, Dr. Tian Gao and Dr. Yirong Sun in Division of Ecology and Management for Secondary Forest of Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China for their helpful discussion on this manuscript. We also thank Yuxiang Ge, Lizhi Zhang and Xiaolin Zhang in Honghuaerji Forestry Administration of Inner Mongolia for providing help and support in the field.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Lining Song, Jiaojun Zhu, Mingcai Li & Jinxin Zhang

  2. Qingyuan Forest CERN, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Lining Song, Jiaojun Zhu, Mingcai Li & Jinxin Zhang

  3. Liaoning Key Laboratory for Management of Non-commercial Forests, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Lining Song, Jiaojun Zhu, Mingcai Li & Jinxin Zhang

  4. Honghuaerji Forestry Administration of Inner Mongolia, Ewenke Banner, 021112, China

    Dabo Li

Authors
  1. Lining Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jiaojun Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mingcai Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jinxin Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Dabo Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiaojun Zhu.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Communicated by A. Gessler.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Song, L., Zhu, J., Li, M. et al. Water use strategies of natural Pinus sylvestris var. Mongolica trees of different ages in Hulunbuir Sandy Land of Inner Mongolia, China, based on stable isotope analysis. Trees 32, 1001–1011 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-018-1691-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-018-1691-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation