Abstract
Water use efficiency (WUE), as an environmental factor of metabolism in different ecosystem functional areas, is a key indicator of the ecosystem carbon-water cycle. WUE is defined as the ratio of carbon absorbed by ecosystems to water evaporated. Exploring the spatiotemporal variation in carbon and water cycles in different ecological zones of the North China Plain and their driving factors is important for the ecological management and sustainable development of the different ecological zones in the North China Plain. Based on remote sensing data products, this paper studies the spatiotemporal variations of WUE and their driving factors in different ecological functional areas of the North China Plain from 2001 to 2017. This study found that: (1) The spatial distribution of WUE and gross primary production (GPP) in the North China Plain is similar, with the multiyear average of WUE at 0.74 g C m−2 y−1. The variation trend of WUE is mainly affected by the variation trend of GPP (44.38% of the area of the North China Plain). (2) The change trend of WUE mainly showed a mild decrease and a mild increase, accounting for 73.22% of the area of the North China Plain; the area with medium-low fluctuation of WUE accounted for the largest proportion, accounting for 59.90% of the area of the North China Plain. In addition, the multiyear average values of WUE in the ecological functional area are Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forests > Central China loess plateau mixed forests > Mongolian-Manchurian grassland > Ordos Plateau steppe > Changjiang Plain evergreen forests > Huang He Plain mixed forests > Bohai Sea saline meadow, in the order from high to low. (3) The influence of precipitation on WUE was higher than that of temperature. The area of WUE that increased with the increase of precipitation accounted for 23.74% of the area of the North China Plain and was mainly distributed in the Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forests, Changjiang Plain evergreen forests, and Huang He Plain mixed forests’ ecological functional areas. The results of the study can provide a reference and theoretical basis for the conservation and management of carbon and water cycles in the functional areas of North China’s ecosystems.
Highlights
In terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation cover plays an important role in energy and material balance through photosynthesis processes [1]
Are concentrated in the Qin Ling Mountains deciduous forests (QLMDF), Changjiang Plain evergreen forests (CJPEF) and Huang He Plain mixed forests (HHPMF) ecological functional areas, while the low ET values are mainly distributed in the Mongolian-Manchurian grassland (MGMG), Central China loess plateau mixed forests (CCLPMF) and HHPMF ecological functional areas (Figure 3b)
The Water use efficiency (WUE) of different ecological functional areas is closely related to the distribution of vegetation in the North China Plain; for example, the highest mean value of WUE in the QLMDF ecosystem functional area may be related to the high distribution of forest in this ecosystem functional area
Summary
Vegetation cover plays an important role in energy and material balance through photosynthesis processes [1]. Vegetation cover absorbs incident solar light and stores it as organic matter [2]. By producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide, vegetation cover can adjust local, regional and global climate [3]. During these processes, the most important is primary production involving water consumption, carbon dioxide absorption, and organic matter production [4]. It is important to determine the water consumption of different ecosystems, especially in different ecological function zones
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