Soil evaporation and plant water use strategy of riparian forests in extremely arid deserts, northwestern China: a stable isotope perspective

Introduction: ) play vital ecological and landscape roles, but their survival and regeneration are severely limited by water scarcity. Since soil evaporation and plant transpiration represent the major pathways of water loss in these ecosystems, quantifying soil evaporation rates and clarifying plant water-use strategies are crucial for supporting vegetative growth and maintaining population stability. Methods: , and their mixed stand using multi-source isotope data collected from June to September. Results: utilizing more groundwater, reflecting its greater drought tolerance. In mixed stands, this divergence in water use intensified interspecific competition, resulting in lower soil moisture and a more rapid decline in groundwater levels compared to pure stands, a phenomenon linked to differences in root distribution. Discussion: .