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<p>Long-term vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau has significant implications for water resource management, making it essential to evaluate understory water use strategies grounded in ecological theories such as the environmental filtering hypothesis. However, the mechanisms by which different restoration types shape understory drought resistance and hydraulic traits remain unclear, highlighting the need for trait-based analysis to optimize vegetation restoration practices. Therefore, this study examined understory vegetation in four typical vegetation restoration types in western Shanxi—<i>Pinus tabuliformis</i> planted forests (PTPF), <i>Platycladus orientalis</i> planted forests (POPF), <i>Robinia pseudoacacia</i> planted forests (RPPF), and <i>Quercus wutaishansea</i> secondary forests (QWSF). For the top five species (by importance value) in the shrub and herb layers, leaf water potential (ψ<sub>leaf</sub>) and key hydraulic traits (ψ<sub>tlp</sub>, RWC<sub>tlp</sub>, ε<sub>max</sub>, a<sub>f</sub>) were measured, and their relationships with environmental factors were examined to test the applicability of the hypothesis across typical forest restoration types. A composite Drought Resistance Index (DRI) was also developed to assess understory drought resistance across vegetation types. The results showed that: (1) The main factors influencing hydraulic parameters are vegetation attributes and vegetation-meteorological interactions, with explanatory powers of 39.5% and 25.1%, respectively. (2) The Partial Least Squares Path Model (PLS-PM) revealed that biomass under different vegetation restoration types significantly influenced community diversity, which served as the primary determinant of leaf traits. Leaf traits had the most direct and total impact on hydraulic parameters. The path coefficient of shrub and herb layers on hydraulic parameters were − 0.20 (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.01) and − 0.49 (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). (3) The understory vegetation of QWSF showed the best drought resistance (DRI = 0.867), which was superior to other vegetation restoration types. Therefore, near-natural forest was recommended as the priority species for vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau. This study suggests that afforestation by near-natural restoration can provide a scientific basis for ecological restoration and water resources management in the Loess Plateau.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>

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Comparison and mechanism of understory drought resistance under typical tree species with long-term restoration duration (over 30 years) on the Loess Plateau

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月11日

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  • Zixin Zhan,
  • Tianjiao Feng,
  • Libo Ge,
  • Xuemei Mei,
  • Ping Wang

摘要

Long-term vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau has significant implications for water resource management, making it essential to evaluate understory water use strategies grounded in ecological theories such as the environmental filtering hypothesis. However, the mechanisms by which different restoration types shape understory drought resistance and hydraulic traits remain unclear, highlighting the need for trait-based analysis to optimize vegetation restoration practices. Therefore, this study examined understory vegetation in four typical vegetation restoration types in western Shanxi—Pinus tabuliformis planted forests (PTPF), Platycladus orientalis planted forests (POPF), Robinia pseudoacacia planted forests (RPPF), and Quercus wutaishansea secondary forests (QWSF). For the top five species (by importance value) in the shrub and herb layers, leaf water potential (ψleaf) and key hydraulic traits (ψtlp, RWCtlp, εmax, af) were measured, and their relationships with environmental factors were examined to test the applicability of the hypothesis across typical forest restoration types. A composite Drought Resistance Index (DRI) was also developed to assess understory drought resistance across vegetation types. The results showed that: (1) The main factors influencing hydraulic parameters are vegetation attributes and vegetation-meteorological interactions, with explanatory powers of 39.5% and 25.1%, respectively. (2) The Partial Least Squares Path Model (PLS-PM) revealed that biomass under different vegetation restoration types significantly influenced community diversity, which served as the primary determinant of leaf traits. Leaf traits had the most direct and total impact on hydraulic parameters. The path coefficient of shrub and herb layers on hydraulic parameters were − 0.20 (P < 0.01) and − 0.49 (P < 0.001). (3) The understory vegetation of QWSF showed the best drought resistance (DRI = 0.867), which was superior to other vegetation restoration types. Therefore, near-natural forest was recommended as the priority species for vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau. This study suggests that afforestation by near-natural restoration can provide a scientific basis for ecological restoration and water resources management in the Loess Plateau.

Graphical abstract