The Impacts of Groundwater Chemistry on Wetland Vegetation Distribution in the Northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Junju Zhou, Juan Xiang, Lanying Wang, Guoshuang Zhong, Guofeng Zhu, Chunfang Liu, Meihua Huang, Wei Feng, Qiaoqiao Li, Dongxiang Xue, Yaru Zhao and Li Lei
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Junju Zhou: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Juan Xiang: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Lanying Wang: The Administrative Center for China’s Agenda 21, Beijing 100038, China
Guoshuang Zhong: State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Guofeng Zhu: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Chunfang Liu: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Meihua Huang: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Wei Feng: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Qiaoqiao Li: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Dongxiang Xue: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Yaru Zhao: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou 730070, China
Li Lei: Management Bureau of Shiyang River Basin, Gansu Provincial Water Resources Bureau, Wuwei 733000, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: Groundwater chemistry has an important impact on the vegetation distribution in inland areas. An in-depth understanding of the impact of groundwater chemistry on vegetation can help in developing an effective management strategy to protect the inland ecosystem. The aim of this study was to identify the influence of groundwater chemicals on species diversity and the distribution characteristics of wetland plants at multiple scales based on the groundwater chemical data from 15 sampling points and the distribution data of 13 plants in the Sugan Lake Wetland in 2016. The results show that the groundwater of the Sugan Lake Wetland is weakly alkaline, with high salinity and hardness; the water chemical type is Na-SO 4 -Cl; the concentration of the major water chemical parameters is significantly different and is the highest in the northwest, followed by the southwest, and is the lowest in the east; with an increase in the groundwater depth, the concentration of major water chemical parameters first showed an increasing trend followed by a decreasing trend; Artemisia frigida Willd , Poa annua L. and Triglochin maritimum L. were adapted to the environment with a higher ion concentration of the groundwater, and their salt resistance was the strongest; Blysmus sinocompressus and Polygonum are more adapted to the environment with lower salinity and hardness of groundwater; Thermopsis lanceolata has stronger adaptability to the ion concentration, salinity, and hardness of groundwater; other plants are adapted to environments where the ion concentration, salinity, and hardness of the groundwater are moderate.

Keywords: inland wetland; groundwater; hydrochemistry; vegetation distribution patterns (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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