Resprouting treatments regulated the depth of water uptake and hydraulic strategies among co-occurring shrub species in a desert habitat

： Numerous woody plants regenerate shoots from roots and stumps after aboveground damage. Frequent disturbances (herbivory, cutting) in desert ecosystems make resprouting critical for plant survival and ecosystem sustainability, yet the adaptive mechanism of new shoots remains unclear. We measured leaf water potential, photosynthesis, and quantified water sources of four desert shrubs. The results showed that resprouting plants did not shift the root water uptake sources. Calligonum mongolicum , Hedysarum scoparium , and Tamarix chinensis mainly relied on deep soil water and groundwater, with a conservative water-use strategy. While Zygophyllum xanthoxylum displayed remarkable plasticity, switching between shallow and deep sources in response to seasonal changes and precipitation events. Specifically, following precipitation, its shallow use proportion increased sharply from 12%~14% to approximately 50%. Compared with control plants, resprouting plants exhibited significantly higher leaf water potential (p<0.05), photosynthetic rate, and transpiration rate. These findings suggest that resprouting shrubs adopt a prioritized recovery strategy in water transport and utilization, which confers a competitive advantage and promotes rapid regeneration. The change in water sources regulated stomatal conductance to coordinate the balance between carbon assimilation and water consumption, thereby affecting the water use efficiency of plants and overall water adaptability. Finally, the findings revealed that desert plants can rapidly regrow by competing for limited resources such as water and nutrients following external disturbances. This effectively enhanced the self-repairing potential of the damaged desert communities, maintained the stability of species diversity, and provided a scientific basis for the vegetation restoration and ecological restoration in arid areas.