Assessment of the groundwater threshold of desert riparian forest vegetation along the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River, China

Abstract Survival of desert riparian vegetation along the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River in China depends almost entirely on groundwater. The aim of this project was to study the effect of various water table levels on desert riparian forest vegetation and to determine the groundwater threshold under which desert riparian forest vegetation can grow normally. Using data collected from 2 years (2006–2007) of monitoring (groundwater, vegetation plots, and soil profiles) of the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River, the relationship between vegetation and environmental factors was analysed using detrended canonical correspondence analysis (DCCA). The average depth of the groundwater table at the study sites was divided into six ranges (0–2, 2–4, 4–6, 6–8, 8–10, and >10 m) to compare the influence of groundwater level on species diversity. Using the ecological suitability theory and data from previous studies of several major plant species in the study area, a logarithm normal distribution relation model was built between the growth of plants and the depth of groundwater. The results of DCCA ordination indicated that groundwater depth (GWD) and soil moisture are the crucial environmental factors affecting the distribution of plants. Species diversity was the highest at the 2–4 m level, followed by the 4–6 m level, and then the 0–2 m level. When the groundwater level dropped to below 6 m, species diversity decreased greatly, and the slope of Hill's index (diversity ordering) tended to level off. Thus, the optimum groundwater level for major plant growth is 2–4 m and the threshold GWD is about 6 m. To restore the vegetation and ecosystem of the lower reaches of the Tarim River, the water table must be kept at a minimum of 6 m in depth. It should also be maintained at 2–4 m in the vicinity of the water way and at 4–6 m for the rest of this arid area. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.