Abstract: In order to understand the responses of different types of vegetation in Anhui Province of East China to climate elements, this paper analyzed the recent ten years spatiotemporal variation patterns of the vegetations and their correlations with air temperature and precipitation, based on the monthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the daily temperature/precipitation data from 80 meteorological stations, and the land cover data in 2000-2009. The results showed that in recent ten years, the vegetation index of different land cover types in the Province had different change trends. The vegetation index increased significantly in crop planting area and cities, but had less change in other areas. Forestland had the highest average vegetation index, followed by crop planting area, and then, urban area. The monthly variation of the vegetation index presented a doublepeak pattern in crop planting area, but a singlepeak pattern for other land cover types. The monthly average NDVI in the Province had a significant positive linear correlation with the monthly mean temperature, and a positive nonlinear correlation with the monthly total precipitation. A threshold value of precipitation existed in its effect on NDVI. There was a weak positive correlation between the NDVI and the inter-annual change of temperature/precipitation. The partial correlation coefficient between vegetation index and air temperature was the maximum in forestland and the minimum in crop planting area, and was larger in natural vegetation area than in artificial vegetation area. The partial correlation coefficient between vegetation index and precipitation was contrary. In the majority area of middle Huaibei plain and northern Jianghuai (nonirrigable land), the vegetation was co-driven by air temperature and precipitation; in some minority middle Huaibei plain grids and water grids, the vegetation was solely driven by precipitation; and in the other areas, the vegetation was solely driven by air temperature, except in some water grids, it was driven by nonclimate factors.

Key words: thermal dissipation probe, sap flow, riparian poplar plantation., shallow groundwater, soil water