| Abstract: | Net photosynthesis (P n), transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (g s) and water use efficiency (WUE) of more than 218 species belonging to two different reproductive functional types, i.e. clonal (115 species) and non-clonal species (103 species), along the 1 670 km Northeast China Transect (NECT) were analyzed. The results showed that P n and WUE appeared to be lower in the east and west ends of NECT, with peaks in the middle. Transpiration was found to be higher in the west end, where most temperate desert species were distributed. On the same site, most clonal species showed higher P n and related physiological variables than non-clonal species. For different growth forms over NECT, e.g. forest trees, shrubs and grasses, meadow steppe shrubs and grasses, typical steppe shrubs and grasses, the meadow steppe and typical steppe grasses, showed higher values of physiological variables than the forest or the desert species. But for the two reproductive plant functional types (PFTs), clonal species had higher physiological variables, with averages of 22%, 15%, 23% and 14% higher than the non-clonal ones for P n, E, gs, and WUE, respectively. Such differences indicated that clonal species might have advantages over non-clonal species in utilizing environmental resources such as light, CO2, and especially water. |
