Effects of the groundwater depth on the characteristics of Tamarix chinensis shrub communities in the Yellow River Delta

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtaf067

J Plant Ecol ›› 2025, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (5): rtaf067.DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtaf067

• Research Articles •

Effects of the groundwater depth on the characteristics of Tamarix chinensis shrub communities in the Yellow River Delta

Fang-Lei Gao^a,b,#, Naipeng Zhang^c,#, Ping Chen^b, Hongru Liang^c, Dehu Liu^c, Yan Zhang^c, Qiqi Cao^b, Jiangbao Xia^b,*

^aKey Laboratory of Coupling Process and Effect of Natural Resources Elements, Command Center for Natural Resources Comprehensive Survey, China Geological Survey, Beijing 100055
^bShandong Key Laboratory of Eco-Environmental Science for the Yellow River Delta, Shandong University of Aeronautics, Binzhou, Shandong, PR China 256603
^cDongying Municipal Key Laboratory of Hydrology and Ecology in the Yellow River Delta, Dongying Hydrological Center, Dongying, Shandong 257100

^#These authors contributed equally to this work
^*Corresponding author: Jiangbao Xia, E–mail xiajb@163.com

Online:2025-05-20 Published:2025-10-01
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32271963; No. 32001302), the Open Foundation of the Key Laboratory of Coupling Process and Effect of Natural Resources Elements (No. 2022KFKTC017) and the Taishan Scholars Program of Shandong Province, China (No. TSQN201909152).

地下水埋深度对黄河三角洲柽柳灌丛群落特征的影响

Abstract

Abstract: Groundwater depth is a key environmental factor influencing the composition and structure of plant communities in coastal ecosystems. However, effects of the groundwater depth on the characteristics of shrub-grass communities in muddy coastal zones remain poorly understood. In this study, we conducted a field experiment to evaluate effects of the different groundwater depth (0.54, 0.83, 1.18, 1.62, and 2.04 m), on soil salinity, soil moisture, community diversity, distribution pattern and growth of the dominant Tamarix chinensis in the muddy coastal zone of Bohai Bay. Our results demonstrated that (1) the soil moisture and salinity gradually decreased with increasing groundwater depth (P < 0.001); Compared to the 0.54 m groundwater depth, soil moisture at depths of 0.83, 1.18, 1.62, and 2.04 m decreased by 16.02%, 24.83%, 54.40%, and 61.24%, and soil salinity decreased by 43.17%, 50.82%, 63.93%, and 73.41%, compared to 0.54 m, respectively. (2) The Simpson, Shannon-Wiener, Pielou and Margalef indices of the T. chinensis communities peaked at the 1.62 m groundwater table depth; (3) The dominant shrub T. chinensis population exhibited an aggregated distribution and optimal growth of T. chinensis shrubs occurring within the groundwater table depth range of 1.18 to 1.62 m; (4) The groundwater depth affected the diversity of the plant community primarily by influencing soil salinity rather than soil moisture; the dominant shrub T. chinensis promoted diversity of plant community, but this facilitation effect was inhibited by soil salinity. Our results suggest that the optimal groundwater depth for maintaining biodiversity falls within the range of 1.18 to 1.62 m. Shallow groundwater diminishes biodiversity both directly through soil salinization and indirectly by impairing T. chinensis’ facilitation of biodiversity. Therefore, regulating optimal groundwater table depth and protecting T. chinensis are critical for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem recovery in muddy coastal areas.

Key words: groundwater depth, soil salinity, Tamarix chinensis, plant diversity, coastal tidal flats

摘要：
地下水埋深度是影响滨海滩涂植物群落组成和结构的关键环境因子，但其对泥质海岸带灌草群落特征的作用机制尚不明确。本研究以渤海湾泥质海岸带柽柳(Tamarix chinensis)灌草群落为对象，通过野外调查试验系统探究了5种地下水埋深度(0.54、0.83、1.18、1.62和2.04 m)对土壤水盐动态、群落生物多样性以及优势种柽柳空间分布与生长状况的影响。结果发现：(1)随地下水埋深度的增加，土壤含水量和含盐量显著递减(P < 0.001)，与0.54 m相比，0.83、1.18、1.62和2.04 m深度下的土壤含水量分别降低了16.02%、24.83%、54.40%和61.24%；土壤含盐量分别降低了43.17%、50.82%、63.93%和73.41%；(2) 柽柳群落多样性指标(Simpson指数、Shannon-Wiener指数、Pielou均匀度指数和Margalef丰富度指数)均在1.62 m埋深区达到峰值；(3)柽柳种群呈现典型的聚集分布特征，其高度、盖度和地上生物量在1.18–1.62 m水位达到最优；(4) 进一步分析表明，地下水埋深主要通过调节土壤盐分而非含水量影响植物群落多样性，优势种柽柳对群落多样性具有促进作用，但该效应受土壤盐分抑制。本研究表明维持渤海湾泥质海岸带柽柳灌草群落生物多样性的最优地下水埋深区间为1.18–1.62 m。浅层地下水通过促进土壤盐渍化直接削弱多样性，并间接抑制柽柳对群落多样性的促进作用。因此，科学调控地下水位与保护柽柳种群对泥质海岸带生物多样性保护与生态修复至关重要。

关键词: 地下水埋深度, 土壤盐度, 柽柳(Tamarix chinensis), 植物多样性, 滨海滩涂

Fang-Lei Gao, Naipeng Zhang, Ping Chen, Hongru Liang, Dehu Liu, Yan Zhang, Qiqi Cao, Jiangbao Xia. Effects of the groundwater depth on the characteristics of Tamarix chinensis shrub communities in the Yellow River Delta[J]. J Plant Ecol, 2025, 18(5): 1-24.

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Effects of the groundwater depth on the characteristics of Tamarix chinensis shrub communities in the Yellow River Delta

地下水埋深度对黄河三角洲柽柳灌丛群落特征的影响

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