title: Artemisia dominant species succession relating to the soil moisture decrease in abandoned land of the Loess Plateau (China): comparative study of drought-adaptive characteristics.
abstract: Artemisia scoparia, Artemisia sacrorum and Artemisia giraldii were three dominant Artemisia species which successive grew in the secondary succession on abandoned land of the Loess Plateau. The succession accompanied the soil moisture steady decrease with field age after their abandonment. To elucidate the relationship between the Artemisia species succession and their drought-adaptation, three dominant species and a contrastive species Artemisia annua (mesophyte), were selected to compare their drought-resistant characteristics, including morphological and anatomical traits of leaf and root. Then physiological responses were investigated in mature plants after drought treatment. The results indicated that three dominant species leaf presented drought-adaptive structures, such as bushy trichomes, transitional or isolateral leaf cells, thick cuticles and epidermal cells. However, A. annua had no leaf traits involved in drought-adaptation. In addition, A. sacrorum and A. giraldii contained large root systems, while A. scoparia and A. annua utilized succulent roots. The physiological responses to drought suggested that A. giraldii had strong regulation in water using strategy, growth, as well as superoxide dismutase and catalase activity. A. sacrorum and A. giraldii could maintain high ascorbate peroxidase activity and malondialdehyde content, while A. scoparia and A. giraldii presented higher peroxidase activity, ascorbate and soluble sugar content. A. annua exhibited high proline and carotenoid contents under drought. The drought-resistant of the four Artemisia species presented the order of A. giraldii > A. sacrorum > A. scoparia > A. annua, which was consistent with their succession on abandoned land.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100 China.|University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049 China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Horticulture and Landscape, Hainan University, Haikou, 570228 China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018 China.
authors.forename: Pengguo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100 China.
authors.forename: Shaoxuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100 China.
authors.forename: Ziyun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100 China.
authors.forename: Ruilian
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100 China.|College of Life Science, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou, 310018 China.
authors.forename: Zongsuo
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liang
keywords: Anatomical characteristics; Antioxidative system; Artemisia; Drought adaptation; The Loess Plateau