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- Title
Water source segregation along successional stages in a degraded karst region of subtropical China.
- Authors
Nie, Yun‐peng; Chen, Hong‐song; Ding, Ya‐li; Wang, Ke‐lin; Pugnaire, Francisco
- Abstract
Questions: Water source segregation among plant species has been widely observed in a variety of ecosystems. However, whether correlated segregation occurs at a community level and its relationship to successional stages has rarely been studied. Location: Open shrubland, dense shrubland and secondary forest on adjacent rocky karst hill slopes, southwest China. Methods: Plant samples of the five most dominant species from each community type were collected seven times throughout the growing season. Dynamics of stem water isotope values (SWIVs) for the five species within each community were examined using a regression analysis of the averaged isotope value of each species v sampling time. Overall variation of SWIVs was compared among communities. Similarities between communities were further distinguished by comparing the dynamics of SWIVs for the species shared by different communities and studying their relationship to rainwater. Results: The fitted regression line for each community was statistically significant (p < 0.05), with all species falling between the upper and lower limit lines of the 95% prediction interval of stem water isotopic composition; these convergent dynamics point toward a similar water source for different species within each community. The common species from the secondary forest exhibited fewer fluctuations in SWIVs than those from the open shrubland, which was consistent with the significantly smaller overall variation in SWIVs for the secondary forest. As smoother dynamic of SWIVs over time is related to using rainwater received over a longer period of time, the secondary forest was estimated to be less dependent on rainwater received within short time spans than the other two communities. Conclusions: Our study revealed community‐level water source segregation in a karst region. Early successional plant communities were more dependent on recent rainwater received within short time spans and thus were potentially more vulnerable to reduced rainfall frequency than late successional stage communities. Dominant species from the same community on karst rocky hill slope relied on a similar main water source and exhibited convergent dynamics of stem water isotope values over time. Moreover, early successional plant communities were more dependent on recent rainwater received within short time spans than late successional ones.
- Subjects
PLANT species; ECOSYSTEMS; SHRUBLAND ecology; GROWING season; RAINWATER
- Publication
Journal of Vegetation Science, 2018, Vol 29, Issue 5, p933
- ISSN
1100-9233
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/jvs.12678