Abstract: In recent decades, because of increasingly serious climate problem and anthropogenic destruction, the recession of Ammopiptanthus mongolicus was more and more savage. Study of how A.mongolicus adapts to the degradation process in physiology and their physiological changes after stumping can provide basis for preventing the degradation of A.mongolicus and the rejuvenation of A.mongolicus. Based on many years of field observation and research, we put forward the hypothesis that "the transpiration rate of A.mongolicus in the degradation process is higher" and "the transpiration rate of the stumped A.mongolicus is higher". In order to prove this hypothesis, six study objects were selected in the West Erdos Nature Reserve: the A.mongolicus without dead branch, with 30% of dead branches, with 60% of dead branches, with 90% of dead branches and the stumped A.mongolicus after 1 year and 3 years, repectively. The results showed that: (1) the transpiration rate of A. mongolicus rose with increasing dead branches, the transpiration rate of stumped A. mongolicus was higher than A. mongolicus without stumping; (2) the plant transpiration transfer coefficient of A.mongolicus with 60% of dead branches or more was higher than 0.5, and that of A.mongolicus with 30% of dead branches or less was lower than 0.5, so 0.5 can be taken as the threshold to diagnose the health of A.mongolicus; (3) the A.mongolicus with 60% of dead branches or more should be stumped to achieve the rejuvenation of A.mongolicus; (4) the plant transpiration transfer coefficient of A.mongolicus was observed by thermal imaging technology, therefore, the thermal imaging technology can be applied in the diagnosis of A.mongolicus in future work and study.

Key words: Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, thermal infrared remote sensing, stumping, transpiration rate, plant transpiration transfer coefficient