ABSTRACT
We report the responses of both growth and physiology to sand burial for the subshrub Anabasis aphylla, a species thriving in the harshest conditions with frequent desertification. A. aphylla is a dominant species in the desert-oasis ecotone of Junggar Basin, NW China. The objectives of our study are as follows: (1) to know the effects of sand burial on the growth of A. aphylla and determine ability of A. aphylla to resist sand burial by measuring older branch mortality rate, assimilating branch number, assimilating branch length and biomass. (2) Characterize the physiological responses of A. aphylla to sand burial stress by comparing the injury extent as well as physiological indices of stress.
