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Journal of Desert Research ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (3): 50-59.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2025.00049

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Progress in ecohydrological studies of artificial sand-fixing vegetation systems

Yafeng Zhang(), Yanxia Pan, Jianqiang Huo, Zhishan Zhang   

  1. State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands / Shapotou Desert Research and Experiment Station,Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China
  • Received:2025-04-07 Revised:2025-05-11 Online:2025-05-20 Published:2025-06-30

Abstract:

Vegetation-based sand fixation is a crucial approach for desertification control and ecological restoration in arid sandy regions of China. The establishment and succession of artificial sand-fixing vegetation profoundly reshape the water cycle processes and water balance patterns within the vegetation-soil system, while hydrological processes, in turn, regulate the structure, function, and ecological stability of plant communities. This paper systematically reviews the key advances in ecohydrological research on sand-fixing vegetation systems, focusing on: (1) the evolution of key hydrological processes and water balance in vegetation-soil systems, particularly canopy hydrological processes, soil water dynamics, and evapotranspiration; and (2) plant growth, vegetation structure, and functional responses driven by hydrological processes, with emphasis on plant water use and regulation, hydraulic adjustment mechanisms, ecohydrological effects of condensation water, and soil water carrying capacity for vegetation. Future research should prioritize multi-scale monitoring, coupled process modeling, and identification of critical ecohydrological thresholds to provide theoretical support for the “greening based on water” strategy in combating desertification.

Key words: arid sandy regions, sand-fixing vegetation, ecohydrology, water balance, plant-water relations

CLC Number: