Hydraulic Lift Empirical Test among Native Plant Species in the Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18, Issue 4
Abstract
Hydraulic lift is the process by which some deep-rooting plants take in water from deep soil layers and exude that water into the upper, drier soil layers through the root system. It is favorable for plants that transport the water and may be an important water source for neighboring plants. Hydraulic lift increases the stability of plantation communities and improves the growth of plants on semiarid sandy soil. The objectives of this study were to examine the hydraulic lift ability of sandy plants and define the characteristic of this process in the Horqin Sandy Land. Growth boxes were used to cultivate examined plants, isolating the upper and the lower layers with Vaseline petroleum jelly. The soil water supply of topsoil in growth boxes was controlled during the examination period, and the hydraulic lift was confirmed by measuring the variations in soil water content in the topsoil in the growth boxes. Hydraulic lift was investigated in 21 native, deep-rooting plants in the Horqin Sandy Land. The hydraulic lift process may be common to deep-rooting psammophytes, and it mostly occurs from 2400 to 0600 hrs. The quantity of hydraulic lift water among the 19 species varied. The increment of soil water content lifted by each gram of root biomass within 24 h were between 4.86 and , with an average of . The species Artemisia wudanica, Artemisia gmelinii, Thermopsis lanceolata, and Bassia dasyphylla have the strongest hydraulic lift abilities among all examined species. No distinctive correlation was observed between the degree of drought in the topsoil and the total water lifted by the process. The hydraulic lift of psammophytes can be used to improve the water content of shallow soil, which may be significant in vegetation establishment on semiarid sandy land.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 30671723, 40971167).
References
A, L. M. S., Pei, T. F., and Jiang, D. M. (2005). “A study on soil moisture content and plantation fitness for artificial sand-fixation forest in Horqin sandy land.” Adv. Water Sci., 16(3), 426–431.
Baker, J. M., Barer, C. H. M., and Van Bavel, C. H. M. (1988). “Water transfer through cotton plants connecting soil regions of differing water potential.” Agron. J., 80(6), 993–997.
Baker, J. M., and van Bavel, C. H. M. (1986). “Resistance of plant roots to water loss.” Agron. J., 78(4), 641–644.
Brooks, J. R., Meinzer, F. C., and Coulombe, R. (2002). “Hydraulic redistribution of soil water during summer drought in two contrasting Pacific Northwest coniferous forests.” Tree Physiol., 22(15–16), 1107–1117.
Caldwell, M. M., Dawson, T. E., and Richards, J. H. (1998). “Hydraulic lift: Consequences of water efflux from the roots of plants.” Oecologia, 113(2), 151–161.
Caldwell, M. M., and Richards, J. H. (1989). “Hydraulic lift: Water efflux from upper roots improves effectiveness of water uptake by deep roots.” Oecologia, 79(1), 1–5.
Chen, Y. M., Fu, H., and Zhang, R. (2004). “The present situation and prospect of researches on hydraulic redistribution between the interface of root and soil.” Acta Ecol. Sinica, 24(5), 1040–1047.
Dawson, T. E. (1993). “Hydraulic lift and water use by plants: Implications for water balance, performance and plant interactions.” Oecologia, 95(4), 565–574.
Emerman, S. H., and Dawson, T. E. (1996). “Hydraulic lift and its influence on the water content of the rhizosphere: An example from sugar maple, Acer saccharum.” Oecologia, 108(2), 273–278.
Espeleta, J. F., West, J. B., and Donovan, L. A. (2004). “Species-specific patterns of hydraulic lift in co-occuring adult trees and grasses in a sandhill community.” Oecologia, 138(3), 341–349.
Fan, X. L., and Li, S. X. (1997). “Hydraulic lift of plant root system.” Acta Univ. Agric. Boreal.-Occident., 25(5), 75–81.
Fan, X. L., Shi, W. G., and Cao, X. H. (1995). “Hydraulic lift and its effect on soil water potential and nutrient availability, I. Hydraulic lift of millet and the effect of HL and root absorption on soil water content.” J. Soil Water Conserv., 9(4), 35–42.
He, W. M., and Zhang, X. S. (2001). “Water sharing in the roots of four shrubs of the Mu Us sandy desert.” Acta Phytoecol. Sinica, 25(5), 630–633.
He, X. D., and Gao, Y. B. (2003). “Discussion on ecological role of hydraulic lift in arid region.” Acta Ecol. Sinica, 23(5), 996–1002.
Jackson, R. B., Sperry, J. S., and Dawson, T. E. (2000). “Root water uptake and transport: Using physiological processes in global prediction.” Trends Plant Sci., 5(11), 482–488.
Jensen, R. D., Taylor, S. A., and Wiebe, H. H. (1961). “Negative transport and resistance to water flow through plant.” Plant Physiol., 36(5), 633–638.
Li, W., Ni, Y., and Hu, Z. Z. (2003). “Review on studies of hydraulic lift in root system.” Acta Bot. Boreal.-Occident. Sinica, 23(6), 1056–1062.
Liste, H. H., and White, J. C. (2008). “Plant hydraulic lift of soil water implications for crop production and land restoration.” Plant Soil, 313(1–2), 1–17.
Millikin, I. C., and Bledsoe, C. S. (2000). “Seasonal and diurnal patterns of soil water potential in the rhizosphere of blue oaks: Evidence for hydraulic lift.” Oecologia, 125(4), 459–465.
Moreira, M. Z., et al. (2003). “Hydraulic lift in a neotropical savanna.” Funct. Ecol. 17(5), 573–581.
Oliveira, R. S., Dawson, T. E., Burgess, S. S. O., and Nepstad, D. (2005). “Hydraulic redistribution in three Amazonian trees.” Oecologia, 145(3), 354–363.
Richards, J. H., and Caldwell, M. M. (1987). “Hydraulic lift: Substantial nocturnal water transport between soil layers by Artemisia tridentate roots.” Oecologia, 73(4), 486–589.
Sekiya, N., and Yano, K. (2004). “Do pigeon pea and Sesbania supply groundwater to intercropped maize through hydraulic lift? Hydrogen stable isotope investigation of xylem waters.” Field Crops Res., 86(2–3), 167–173.
Vetterlein, D., and Marschner, H. (1993). “Use of microtensiometer technique to study hydraulic lift in a sandy soil planted with pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum).” Plant Soil, 149(2), 275–282.
Wan, C. G., Sosebee, R. E., and Mcmichael, B. L. (1993). “Does hydraulic lift exist in shallow-rooted species? A quantitative examination with a half-shrub Gutierrezia sarothrae.” Plant Soil, 153(1), 11–17.
Wan, C. G., Xu, W. W., and Sosebee, R. E. (2000). “Hydraulic lift in drought-tolerant and susceptible maize hybrids.” Plant Soil, 219(1–2), 117–126.
Wang, Z., Wang, L., and Liu, L. Y. (2006). “Preliminary study on soil moisture content in dried layer of sand dunes in the Mu Us sand land.” Arid Zone Res., 23(1), 89–93.
Xu, D. H., Li, J. H., and Fang, X. W. (2007). “Changes in soil water content in the rhizosphere of Artemisia ordosica: Evidence for hydraulic lift.” J. Arid Environ., 69(4), 545–553.
Xu, X., and Bland, W. L. (1993). “Resumption of water uptake by sorghum after water stress.” Agron. J., 85(3), 697–702.
Xue, X. H., Niu, D. C., and Fu, H. (2007). “Studies on mechanism of hydraulic lift by Astragalus adsurgens.” Acta Bot. Boreal.-Occident. Sinica, 27(11), 2269–2274.
Yoder, C. K., and Nowak, R. (1999). “Hydraulic lift among native plant species in the Mojave desert.” Plant Soil, 215(1), 93–102.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 18 • Issue 4 • April 2013
Pages: 439 - 445
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: May 2, 2011
Accepted: Mar 23, 2012
Published online: May 2, 2012
Published in print: Apr 1, 2013
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.