[Photosynthetic characteristics of dominant plant species at different succession stages of vegetation on Loess Plateau].

According to the succession sequence of vegetation on Ziwuling of Loess Plateau, the dominant species at different secondary succession stages, i. e., Bothriochloa ischaemum, Artemisia gmelinii, Hippophae rhamnoides, Sophara viciifolia, Populus davidiana and Quercus liaotungensis, were selected to measure the total N contents in their leaves and soil, and the parameters of leaf gas exchange, chlorophyll content and chlorophyll fluorescence. The results showed that with the succession of vegetation, the total N content in 0-20 cm soil layer had an increasing trend, while the leaf total N and chlorophyll contents were increased first but decreased then. The leaf total N content of dominant species at shrub community stage (H. rhamnoides and S. viciifolia) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that at other succession stages, and the photosynthetic rate (P(n)) was higher at the stages of herbaceous and shrub communities than at the early and climax stages of forest community. Stomatal conductance (g(s)) and P(n) had the similar variation trends. The dominant species at the stages of herbaceous and shrub communities had a higher transpiration rate (T(r)), while those at the climax stage of forest community had the lowest one. With vegetation succession, the maximum photochemical efficiency (F(v)/F(m)) had a slow increase, while the actual photochemical efficiency of PS II (Phi(PSII)) was increased first but decreased then. Along the succession sequence, photochemical quenching coefficient (q(P)) presented an increasing trend, while non-photochemical quenching coefficient (q(NP)) showed a single-peaked curve. Therefore, the ecophysiological attributes and adaptation to microhabitats of early succession plant are different from the late succession plants.