The responses of vegetation water use efficiency to biomass density and CO2 balance in dryland of Central Asia during 21st century

Alphonse Kayiranga; Xi Chen; Xuexi Ma; Dative Ingabire; Tie Liu; Yaoming Li; Emeka Edwin Igboeli; Eldiiar Duulatov; Hubert Hirwa; Clement Nzabanita; Ping Hu

doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.113070

Ecological Indicators (Feb 2025)

The responses of vegetation water use efficiency to biomass density and CO2 balance in dryland of Central Asia during 21st century

Alphonse Kayiranga,
Xi Chen,
Xuexi Ma,
Dative Ingabire,
Tie Liu,
Yaoming Li,
Emeka Edwin Igboeli,
Eldiiar Duulatov,
Hubert Hirwa,
Clement Nzabanita,
Ping Hu

Affiliations

Alphonse Kayiranga: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of RS & GIS Application, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Organization of African Doctors (OAAD), Off Kamit Road, P.O Box 25305000100, Nairobi, Kenya
Xi Chen: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of RS & GIS Application, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Zhejiang University of Technology, No.18, Chaowang Road, Hangzhou 310023 Zhejiang Province, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 1000875, China; Corresponding author.
Xuexi Ma: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China
Dative Ingabire: Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, Assam 781039, India
Tie Liu: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of RS & GIS Application, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 1000875, China
Yaoming Li: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.19 Yuquan Road, Beijing 1000875, China
Emeka Edwin Igboeli: State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi 830011 Xinjiang, China; Department of Geography, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria
Eldiiar Duulatov: Institute of Geology National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, #30 Erkindik Blvd, 720040 Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic; Research Center for Ecology and Environment in Central Asia (Bishkek), #30 Erkindik Blvd, 720040 Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic; American University of Central Asia, 7/6 Aaly Tokombaev St, Bishkek 720060, Kyrgyz Republic
Hubert Hirwa: Sustainability Institute, School of the Environment, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, FL 32307, USA
Clement Nzabanita: Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
Ping Hu: School of Computer Science and Technology, Xinjiang University, 777 Huarui Street, Shuimogou District, Urumqi 830046 Xinjiang Province, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.113070
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 171
p. 113070

Abstract

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Water-use efficiency (WUE) is a critical component that links plant carbon (CO2) and water cycles through various aspects of plant ecosystem functioning. However, the variations of plant CO2 in response to water use efficiency (WUE) across temperate dryland ecosystems remains inadequately understood. In this study, we examined the patterns and magnitude of WUE effects on desert vegetation aboveground biomass (AGB) and carbon stocks (C. stocks) and related fluxes by utilizing multiple streams of state-of-the-art multispectral satellite imagery and polynomial model across the temperate drylands of Central Asia (CA) from 2000 to 2023. The results indicated an annual increase in desert vegetation AGB density of 0.04 ± 0.66 kg.m2. yr−1 and in C. stocks of 0.32 ± 0.85 kg C.m2. yr−1. The results showed also that during 2000–2023, the total biomass density and total C. stocks of the CA desert ecosystems were amounted to 5.52 ± 1.19 Gt and 3.12 ± 0.88 Pg C with 0.044 Pg C and 0.218 Pg C the actual total C. sources and C. sinks, respectively. Among the desert plants’ water fluxes, water use efficiency at canopy conductance (iWUE) showed a significant impact on C. stocks (R2 = 0.57) compared to desert ecosystem water use efficiency (vWUE) and water use efficiency at plant respiration (tWUE). These findings have implications on regional strategies for CO2 controls and climate change mitigations and adaptation along the different global desert ecosystems.

Published in Ecological Indicators

ISSN: 1470-160X (Print); 1872-7034 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators

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