Characteristics of water use efficiency in a succession series of broadleaved Korean pine forests in Changbai Mountain, China.

Abstract

Water use efficiency (WUE) is an objective indicator of plant water use, the research of which is helpful to understand the carbon-water coupling mechanism in terrestrial ecosystems. We investigated WUE of dominant tree species in the succession series of broad-leaved Korean pine forests in Changbai Mountain (middle-aged poplar-birch secondary forest, mature poplar-birch secondary forest, broad-leaved Korean pine forest) by using stable carbon isotope technology. The WUE of three forests under different succession stages decreased in order of broad-leaved Korean pine forest > middle-aged poplar-birch secondary forest > mature poplar-birch secondary forest. In addition, the same tree species had different WUE in different forest stands. The WUE of Populus davidiana and Betula platyphylla in the middle-aged poplar-birch secondary forest was higher than that in mature poplar-birch secondary forest. The WUE of Fraxinus mandshurica in broad-leaved Korean pine forest was much higher than that in middle-aged poplar-birch secondary forest. The WUE of Acer mono and Quercus mongolica in broad-leaved Korean pine forest was higher than that in mature poplar-birch secondary forest. The dominant tree species had different WUE as for wood types which generally presented ring-porous wood species>diffuse-porous wood species. There were different seasonal trends during the growing season among the dominant species in the broad-leaved Korean pine forest. The WUE of Fraxinus mandshurica, Acer mono, Quercus mongolica and Tilia amurensis showed first decreasing and then increasing, while that of Pinus koraiensis was opposite. The WUE of the broad-leaved Korean pine forest was negatively correlated with temperature in the growing season. The different WUE was one of the strategies for dominant species in the broad-leaved Korean pine forest in Changbai Mountains to adapt to the community succession and respond to climate and environmental change.