Arid Zone Research ›› 2019, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (2): 420-429.

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Photosynthetic Traits of Caragana microphylla and Populus spp. and Their Responses to Climate in the Horqin Sandy Land

BAO Yong-zhi1, LIU Ting-xi1,2, DUAN Li-min1,2, WANG Guan-li1,2, QI Xiu-jiao1, HUANG Tian-Yu1, LI Ming-Yang1   

  1. 1. College of Water Conservancy and Civil Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, Inner Mongolia, China; 2. Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Water Resources Conservation and Utilization, Hohhot 010018, Inner Mongolia, China

  • Received:2018-07-06 Revised:2018-09-12 Online:2019-03-15 Published:2019-03-12

Abstract:

In this paper, the photosynthetic traits of Caragana microphylla and Populus spp. were measured with LI-6400 in field. The adaptability of C.microphylla and Populus spp. and their response to drought and precipitation were lucubrated after comparing and analyzing the differences in photosynthetic traits of these two plant species and the relationship between their physiological characteristics and environmental factors under drought and after precipitation. The results are as follows: Under drought, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr) and the stomatal conductance (Gs) of the two mixed growing plants were decreased significantly, showing a significant midday depression, and the peak value occurred earlier. The midday depression of C.microphylla was disappeared after precipitation; Pn values of C.microphylla and Populus spp. were mainly affected by physiological factor (Gs) and environmental factor photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). The photosynthetic traits of C.microphylla was mainly affected by stomatal regulation (Gs) under drought, and it was mainly affected by environmental factors (PAR) after precipitation. The photosynthetic traits of Populus spp. were relatively stable under both drought and after precipitation, and they were mainly affected by environmental factors (PAR); To adapt drought environment, C.microphylla maintained a low Tr and a high water use efficiency (WUE), while Populus spp. adapted drought by high Pn and Tr and low WUE. After precipitation, the change of photosynthetic traits of C.microphylla was more significant than that of Populus spp. and the former was more sensitive to precipitation than the latter. In mixed community of C.microphylla and Populus spp., the adaptability of the two plant species to precipitation was significantly different, and C.microphylla had a higher adaptability to environment changes.

Key words: photosynthetic trait, Caragana microphylla, Populus spp., drought, precipitation, Horqin sandy land, Inner Mongolia