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Chinese Journal of Ecology ›› 2022, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (7): 1266-1275.doi: 10.13292/j.1000-4890.202207.025

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Stable isotope analysis of water use sources of Phragmatis australis in heterogeneous water-salt habitats in the Yellow River Delta.

SONG Tie-hong1, GE Min-jia1,2, YANG Jin-mei3, ZHANG Dong3, LI Yun-zhao4, LIU Jing-tao5, YU Jun-bao4, GUAN Bo2,4*   

  1. (1School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun 130118, China; 2Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation/Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, Shandong, China; 3School of Resources and Environment, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454000, Henan, China; 4The Institute for Advanced Study of Coastal Ecology, Ludong University, Yantai 264025, Shandong, China; 5Research Center for Eco-environmental Sciences Yellow River Delta, Binzhou University, Binzhou 256600, Shandong, China).
  • Online:2022-07-10 Published:2022-07-08

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Abstract: To clarify the effects of the historical diversion of Yellow River on the hydrological use sources of vegetation in the Yellow River estuary, we used stable isotope tracing techniques to monitor hydrogen and oxygen isotope abundances of rainwater, surface water, soil water in different soil layers, and Phragmatis australis in different water-salt habitats, including the intertidal Yellow River course (TC), the new area on the current banks of the Yellow River (NC), and the abandoned Yellow River course in 1996 (OC) during the growing season. We analyzed water sources of P. australis in different habitats using the Bayesian mixed model. The results showed that there were significant differences in soil salinity and water potential among the three habitats. The value of salinity followed an order of TC>OC>NC. There were significant differences in salinity between the surface soil (0-10 cm) and the subsurface soil in the OC habitat, but no differences in salinity among different soil layers in other two habitats. Water potential was greater in the NC than the other two habitats. Water use strategy of P. australis varied with habitats in different seasons. During the wet season (July-September), P. australis in the TC mainly used groundwater (25%), surface tidal water (25%) and soil water at 0-20 cm layer (23%). P. australis in the NC mainly used groundwater (26%), Yellow River water (25%), and topsoil water (24%). P. australis in the OC mainly used surface soil water (50%), as well as groundwater (27%). Increased rainfall enhanced soil water and surface runoff, dilution of soil surface salts, and water table, facilitating the water uptake of P. australis. In the dry season (May-June), P. australis in the TC mainly used deep soil water (more than 50%). The use of groundwater (24%), Yellow River water (23%) and soil water by P. australis in the NC was relatively evenly distributed across all layers. P. australis in the OC mainly used water from the 20-40 cm soil layer (86%), which was related to water source type and soil water retention capacity. In summary, water use strategies of P. australis are different in the water-salt heterogeneous habitats formed by the historical diversion of the Yellow River, which is also the physiological and ecological mechanism underlying the adaptation of P. australisto diversified water-salt environments.

Key words: stable isotope, Yellow River diversion, water-salt heterogeneity, Phragmites australis, water source.