Abstract: In this paper we investigated the ecophysiological characteristics and growth of Acer truncatum seedlings under different land pavements in a field experiment in a suburb of Beijing. A. truncatum seedlings were planted in different plots: paved with pervious bricks, paved with impervious brick, and nonpaved (the control). The results showed that pavement induced decreases in net photosynthesis (P_n), stomatal conductance (g_s), transpiration rate (T_r, leaf photosynthetic pigment contents, photochemical effective quantum yield of photosystem II (F_v′/F_m′), actual photochemical efficiency (Ф_PSII), electron transport rate (ETR), photochemical quenching (q_p), maximum net photosynthesis rate (P_max), apparent quantum yield (AQY) and light saturation point (LSP), and enhanced MDA content. We also found that plant height and basal diameter of A. truncatum seedlings under pavements were reduced. Both pavements had significantly higher surface temperatures than the control, which resulted in heat stress on A. truncatum seedlings. The heat stress seriously hurt the photosystem II and limited the ETR, thus reducing leaf photosynthesis and suppressing plant growth. Furthermore, pervious pavement had higher surface temperatures because it had higher roughness and heat storage capacity than impervious pavement. The ecophysiology and growth of A. truncatum seedlings would suffer more severe stresses under pervious pavement than under impervious pavement. This study highlights the importance of urban greening for lowering surface temperatures of paved lands to alleviate heat stress due to pavements, especially pervious pavement.

Key words: camera trap, artificial nest, nest predation, Syrmaticus reevesii.