Moisture, Temperature, and Salinity of a Typical Desert Plant ( Haloxylon ammodendron ) in an Arid Oasis of Northwest China

Li Zhao, Wanjing Li, Guang Yang, Ke Yan, Xinlin He, Fadong Li, Yongli Gao and Lijun Tian
Additional contact information
Li Zhao: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Wanjing Li: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Guang Yang: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Ke Yan: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Xinlin He: College of Water and Architectural Engineering, Shihezi University, Shihezi 832000, China
Fadong Li: Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Yongli Gao: Center for Water Research, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
Lijun Tian: Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-17

Abstract: The physical and chemical characteristics of soil and water sources affect desert plants’ growth, which is essential for the ecological protection in arid areas. The typical patch patterns of Haloxylon ammodendron in the oasis-desert ecotone in the southern margin of the Manas River Basin consists of bare patches (BP) and vegetation patches (VP). The water sources of H. ammodendron were studied using stable isotope technology, and the soil physical and chemical properties were monitored and analyzed. The results showed that the soil moisture presented a reversed “S” type curve, and the total salt content of the soil presented an “S” type curve. A “wet island” and “cold island” were formed in the low salt area with H. ammodendron at the center. NaCl was most abundant in the BP soil, and the milligram equivalent of Cl ? was 80–90%, while CaSO 4 was most abundant in the VP soil, in which the milligram equivalent of SO 4 2? was 80–100%. Before the rain, H. ammodendron mainly relied on the soil water from a deeper layer (?60 cm) to maintain its growth. However, after the rain, H. ammodendron mainly relied on shallow soil water (<60 cm) to maintain its growth.

Keywords: hydrogeology; desert soils; water resources; Xinjiang China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/1908/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/4/1908/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:4:p:1908-:d:497613

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().