Rooting depth and leaf hydraulic conductance in the xeric tree Haloxyolon ammodendron growing at sites of contrasting soil texture
G.-Q. Xu A B and Y. Li A CA Fukang Station of Desert Ecology and Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology and Desert Environment, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 40-3 South Beijing Road, Urumqi, Xinjiang 830011, PR China.
B Graduate School, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A, Yu-Quan Road, Beijing 100049, PR China.
C Corresponding author. Email: liyan@ms.xjb.ac.cn
Functional Plant Biology 35(12) 1234-1242 https://doi.org/10.1071/FP08175
Submitted: 21 June 2008 Accepted: 9 September 2008 Published: 16 December 2008
Abstract
An experiment was conducted on Haloxylon ammodendron C.A. Mey, a small xeric tree. Soil water content, soil evaporation, leaf water potential, leaf transpiration rate and stomatal conductance were measured at the two sites that contrast in soil texture: sandy and heavy textured, 8 km apart on the southern periphery of Gurbantonggut Desert, Central Asia, during the 2005 and 2006 growing seasons. Leaf specific hydraulic conductance was calculated from the measurements, and root distributions of plants grown at the two sites were quantified by whole-root system excavation. In general, plants grown in sandy soil experienced better water status than in heavy textured soil. Low soil evaporation loss is not the main reason for this better plant water status at sandy site. Plants in sandy soil developed much deeper root systems, larger root surface areas and higher root: leaf surface area ratio than in heavy textured soil, which facilitated plants acquiring more water and surviving the prolonged drought period. Plants growing at light textured sites should have an advantage in acclimatising to the changed water conditions of the future. Plants at the more sandy sites have a larger buffering capacity to excessive variation in ambient conditions.
Additional keywords: leaf water potential, morphological adjustment, root distribution, rooting volume, stomatal conductance, transpirational flux.
Acknowledgements
We thank all the staff at the Fukang Station of Desert Ecology for their excellent field and laboratory assistance with the current study. Financial support was from the ‘Knowledge Innovation Project’ of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZCX2-YW-431) and a grant from Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40725002).
Addington RN,
Donovan LA,
Mitchell RJ,
Vose JM,
Pecot SD,
Jack SB,
Hacke UG,
Sperry JS, Oren R
(2006) Adjustments in hydraulic architecture of Pinus palustris maintain similar stomatal conductance in xeric and mesic habitats. Plant, Cell & Environment 29, 535–545.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
PubMed |
Agrawal AA
(2001) Phenotypic plasticity in the interactions and evolution of species. Science 294, 321–326.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
PubMed |
Anderson TM,
Starmer WT, Thorne M
(2007) Bimodal root diameter distributions in Serengeti grasses exhibit plasticity in response to defoliation and soil texture: implications for nitrogen uptake. Functional Ecology 21, 50–60.
|
CAS |
Aranda I,
Gil L, Pardos JA
(2005) Seasonal changes in apparent hydraulic conductance and their implications for water use of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and sessile oak [Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl] in south Europe. Plant Ecology 179, 155–167.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Bell DL, Sultan SE
(1999) Dynamic phenotypic plasticity for root growth in Polygonum: a comparative study. American Journal of Botany 86, 807–819.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Cheng X,
An S,
Li B,
Chen J,
Lin G,
Liu Y,
Luo Y, Liu S
(2006) Summer rain pulse size and rainwater uptake by three dominant desert plants in a desertified grassland ecosystem in northwestern China. Plant Ecology 184, 1–12.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cohen Y,
Fuchs M, Cohen S
(1983) Resistance to water uptake in a mature citrus tree. Journal of Experimental Botany 34, 451–460.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Cohen Y,
Moreshet S, Fuchs M
(1987) Changes in hydraulic conductance of citrus trees following a reduction in wetted soil volume. Plant, Cell & Environment 10, 53–57.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Coleman M
(2007) Spatial and temporal patterns of root distribution in developing stands of four woody crop species grown with drip irrigation and fertilization. Plant and Soil 299, 195–213.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Crick JC, Grime JP
(1987) Morphological plasticity and mineral nutrient capture in two herbaceous species of contrasted ecology. New Phytologist 107, 403–414.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Denton MD,
Sasse C,
Tibbett M, Ryan MH
(2006) Root distributions of Australian herbaceous perennial legumes in response to phosphorus placement. Functional Plant Biology 33, 1091–1102.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Dodd MB, Lauenroth WK
(1997) The influence of soil texture on the soil water dynamics and vegetation structure of a shortgrass steppe ecosystem. Plant Ecology 133, 13–28.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ewers BE,
Oren R, Sperry JS
(2000) Influence of nutrient versus water supply on hydraulic architecture and water balance in Pinus taeda. Plant, Cell & Environment 23, 1055–1066.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Fitter AH,
Stickland TR,
Harvey ML, Wilson GW
(1991) Architectural analysis of plant root systems 1. Architectural correlates of exploitation efficiency. New Phytologist 118, 375–382.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Fravolini A,
Hultine K,
Brugnoli E,
Gazal R,
English N, Williams D
(2005) Precipitation pulse use by an invasive woody legume: the role of soil texture and pulse size. Oecologia 144, 618–627.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Griffith MT, Sultan ES
(2006) Plastic and constant developmental traits contribute to adaptive differences in co-occurring Polygonum species. Oikos 114, 5–14.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Gullo MA, Salleo S
(1993) Different vulnerabilities of Quercus ilex L. to freeze- and summer drought-induced xylem embolism: an ecological interpretation. Plant, Cell & Environment 16, 511–519.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hacke UG,
Sperry JS,
Ewers BE,
Ellsworth DS,
Schafer KVR, Oren R
(2000) Influence of soil porosity on water use in Pinus taeda. Oecologia 124, 495–505.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hamerlynck EP,
McAuliffe JR, Smith SD
(2000) Effects of surface and subsurface soil horizons on the seasonal performance of Larrea tridentata (creosotebush). Functional Ecology 14, 596–606.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Heschel MS,
Sultan SE,
Glover S, Sloan D
(2004) Population differentiation and plastic responses to drought stress in the generalist annual Polygonum persicaria. International Journal of Plant Sciences 165, 817–824.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hodge A
(2004) The plastic plant: root responses to heterogeneous supplies of nutrients. New Phytologist 162, 9–24.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hsiao TC, Xu L-K
(2000) Sensitivity of growth of roots versus leaves to water stress: biophysical analysis and relation to water transport. Journal of Experimental Botany 51, 1595–1616.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
PubMed |
Hubbard RM,
Ryan MG,
Stiller V, Sperry JS
(2001) Stomatal conductance and photosynthesis vary linearly with plant hydraulic conductance in ponderosa pine. Plant, Cell & Environment 24, 113–121.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hultine KR,
Koepke DF,
Pockman WT,
Fravolini A,
Sperry JS, Williams DG
(2006) Influence of soil texture on hydraulic properties and water relations of a dominant warm-desert phreatophyte. Tree Physiology 26, 313–323.
|
CAS |
PubMed |
Huxman TE,
Cable JM,
Ignace DD,
Eilts AJ,
English NB,
Weltzin J, Williams DG
(2004) Response of net ecosystem gas exchange to a simulated precipitation pulse in a semi-arid grassland: the role of native versus non-native grasses and soil texture. Oecologia 141, 295–305.
| PubMed |
Jackson RB,
Schenk HJ,
Jobbagy EG,
Canadell J, Colello GD , et al.
(2000) Belowground consequences of vegetation change and their treatment in models. Ecological Applications 10, 470–483.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Levin M,
Lemcoff JH,
Cohen S, Kapulnik Y
(2007) Low air humidity increases leaf-specific hydraulic conductance of Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh (Brassicaceae). Journal of Experimental Botany 58, 3711–3718.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
PubMed |
Li Y,
Xu H, Cohen S
(2005) Long-term hydraulic acclimation to soil texture and radiation load in cotton. Plant, Cell & Environment 28, 492–499.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Magnani F, Borghetti M
(1995) Interpretation of seasonal changes of xylem embolism and plant hydraulic resistance in Fagus sylvatica. Plant, Cell & Environment 18, 689–696.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Magnani F,
Grace J, Borghetti M
(2002) Adjustment of tree structure in response to the environment under hydraulic constraints. Functional Ecology 16, 385–393.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Martre P,
North GB,
Bobich EG, Nobel PS
(2002) Root deployment and shoot growth for two desert species in response to soil rockiness. American Journal of Botany 89, 1933–1939.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Mencuccini M
(2003) The ecological significance of long-distance water transport: short-term regulation, long-term acclimation and the hydraulic costs of stature across plant life forms. Plant, Cell & Environment 26, 163–182.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Ogle K, Reynolds JF
(2004) Plant responses to precipitation in desert ecosystems: integrating functional types, pulses, thresholds, and delays. Oecologia 141, 282–294.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Picotte J,
Rosenthal D,
Rhode J, Cruzan M
(2007) Plastic responses to temporal variation in moisture availability: consequences for water use efficiency and plant performance. Oecologia 153, 821–832.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Qian W, Zhu Y
(2001) Climate change in China from 1880 to 1998 and its impact on the environmental condition. Climatic Change 50, 419–444.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Rosenthal DM,
Ludwig F, Donovan LA
(2005) Plant responses to an edaphic gradient across an active sand dune/desert boundary in the Great Basin Desert. International Journal of Plant Sciences 166, 247–255.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Sala OE,
Lauenroth WK,
Parton WJ, Trlica MJ
(1981) Water status of soil and vegetation in a shortgrass steppe. Oecologia 48, 327–331.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Schenk HJ, Jackson RB
(2002) Rooting depths, lateral root spreads and below-ground/above-ground allometries of plants in water-limited ecosystems. Journal of Ecology 90, 480–494.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Schwinning S, Ehleringer JR
(2001) Water use trade-offs and optimal adaptations to pulse-driven arid ecosystems. Journal of Ecology 89, 464–480.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Singh JS,
Milchunas DG, Lauenroth WK
(1998) Soil water dynamics and vegetation patterns in a semiarid grassland. Plant Ecology 134, 77–89.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Sperry JS, Hacke UG
(2002) Desert shrub water relations with respect to soil characteristics and plant functional type. Functional Ecology 16, 367–378.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Sperry JS,
Adler FR,
Campbell GS, Comstock JP
(1998) Limitation of plant water use by rhizosphere and xylem conductance: results from a model. Plant, Cell & Environment 21, 347–359.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Sultan SE
(2003) Phenotypic plasticity in plants: a case study in ecological development. Evolution & Development 5, 25–33.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Tognetti R, Borghetti M
(1994) Formation and seasonal occurrence of xylem embolism in Alnus cordata. Tree Physiology 14, 241–250.
| PubMed |
Tognetti R,
Longobucco A, Raschi A
(1998) Vulnerability of xylem to embolism in relation to plant hydraulic resistance in Quercus pubescens and Quercus ilex co-occurring in a Mediterranean coppice stand in central Italy. New Phytologist 139, 437–447.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Tsuda M, Tyree MT
(2000) Plant hydraulic conductance measured by the high pressure flow meter in crop plants. Journal of Experimental Botany 51, 823–828.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
PubMed |
Tyree MT,
Alexander J, Machado J-L
(1992) Loss of hydraulic conductivity due to water stress in intact juveniles of Quercus rubra and Populus deltoides. Tree Physiology 10, 411–415.
| PubMed |
Weijschede J,
Martinkova J,
de Kroon H, Huber H
(2006) Shade avoidance in Trifolium repens: costs and benefits of plasticity in petiole length and leaf size. New Phytologist 172, 655–666.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Xu H, Li Y
(2006) Water-use strategy of three central Asian desert shrubs and their responses to rain pulse events. Plant and Soil 285, 5–17.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
Xu H,
Li Y,
Xu G, Zou T
(2007) Ecophysiological response and morphological adjustment of two Central Asian desert shrubs towards variation in summer precipitation. Plant, Cell & Environment 30, 399–409.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
PubMed |
Ye Y,
Wong YS, Tam NFY
(2005) Acclimation of a dominant mangrove plant (Kandelia candel) to soil texture and its response to canopy shade. Hydrobiologia 539, 109–119.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
CAS |
