Differences in Multidimensional Functional Traits of Haloxylon ammodendron after Different Stubble Treatments in a Desert-Oasis Ecotone

doi:10.7525/j.issn.1673-5102.2026.04.005

Abstract

Abstract:

To clarify stage-specific differences in the functional status of a typical sand-fixing shrub following stubble treatment in an ecologically fragile zone， we investigated approximately 50-year-old Haloxylon ammodendron individuals in the Minqin desert-oasis ecotone， Gansu Province， China. Four treatments were compared： no stubble， half stubble by branch number（50%）， half stubble by height（50%）， and complete stubble. Approximately two years after treatment， architectural traits， water-related functional traits， carbon acquisition traits， non-structural carbohydrate（NSC） contents during the peak growing season， and fine-root segment traits from the 80-90 cm soil layer were measured. Correlation analysis， principal component analysis， and the entropy-weighted TOPSIS method were used to evaluate trait associations and overall functional performance among treatments. The results showed that the multidimensional functional trait configuration of H. ammodendron varied among stubble treatments. Compared with no stubble and complete stubble， the two half-stubble treatments generally showed better aboveground architectural status and functional maintenance characteristics. Half stubble by height（50%） demonstrated relatively better performances in mean crown width， number of living branches， native water transport capacity， hydraulic safety margin， and organ NSC contents. In contrast， half stubble by branch number（50%） showed certain advantages in net photosynthetic rate， fine-root segment length， and specific root length. Correlation and principal component analyses revealed associations among native water transport capacity， hydraulic impairment， stomatal regulation， chlorophyll content， NSC accumulation， and fine-root segment traits， suggesting linked variation among multiple functional traits following stubble treatment. The entropy-weighted TOPSIS evaluation indicated that half stubble by height（50%） had the highest comprehensive score， followed by half stubble by branch number（50%）， whereas no stubble and complete stubble exhibited lower overall functional performance. These results indicated that， for approximately 50-year-old H. ammodendron individuals observed two years post-treatment， half stubble by height（50%） showed relatively better performance in aboveground architecture， maintenance of native water transport capacity， and growing-season non-structural carbohydrate accumulation. This study provides a stage-specific reference for stubble management of aging H. ammodendron plantations in desert-oasis ecotones.

Key words: Haloxylon ammodendron, desert-oasis ecotone, stubble treatment, multidimensional functional traits, hydraulic function, nonstructural carbohydrate, fine-root segment traits, entropy-weighted TOPSIS

CLC Number:

Q948.112

Xiang WAN, Xiaoke HU, Ping WU, Fangyin HE, Shujuan LIU, Chenglin YUAN. Differences in Multidimensional Functional Traits of Haloxylon ammodendron after Different Stubble Treatments in a Desert-Oasis Ecotone[J]. Bulletin of Botanical Research, 2026, 46(4): 626-641.

Figures/Tables 6

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