Variations in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) reflect the global land surface vegetation coverage, which is important for the analysis of the ecological environment. In this study, the spatiotemporal variation in global land surface vegetation NDVI and its climatic driving factors were analyzed for the period 1982-2014, using the GIMMS NDVI3g data set. The results show that the NDVI of global land surface vegetation was increasing during the study period. Although the NDVI of most areas in the southern hemisphere is generally higher than that of most areas in the northern hemisphere, the increase in NDVI in the northern hemisphere is higher than that in the southern hemisphere. Temperature and precipitation have different effects on NDVI at different spatiotemporal scales. Temperature is the driving factor for NDVI variation in most parts of the northern hemisphere, whereas precipitation is the driving factor for NDVI variation in the southern hemisphere.

Understanding seasonal water acquisition strategies of desert plants is critical for predicting vegetation resilience under increasing hydrological stress in arid inland river basins. In hyper-arid oases, strong evaporative demand and declining groundwater levels impose tightly coupled constraints on plant water uptake across soil–plant–atmosphere continua. In this study, we combined hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes, Bayesian mixing models, soil moisture measurements and groundwater monitoring, and leaf δ¹³C analysis to quantify monthly water-source contributions and long-term water-use efficiency of three dominant species (Reaumuria soongarica, Tamarix ramosissima, and Populus euphratica) in the Ejina Oasis. Clear ecohydrological niche differentiation was evident among the three species. R. soongarica exhibited moderate temporal flexibility by integrating shallow and deep soil water with episodic groundwater use, whereas T. ramosissima adopted a vertically integrated and hydraulically plastic strategy combining precipitation, multi-depth soil water, and groundwater. In contrast, P. euphratica followed a conservative strategy, relying predominantly on deep soil water with only minor and transient inputs from precipitation and groundwater. Across species and seasons, deep vadose-zone soil water (120–200 cm) consistently acted as the most stable and influential reservoir, buffering seasonal drought and sustaining transpiration. T. ramosissima maintained the highest intrinsic water-use efficiency, and P. euphratica exhibited consistently lower efficiency associated with sustained access to stable deep soil water. These contrasting strategies reveal multiple pathways of hydraulic stability and plasticity that underpin vegetation persistence under progressive groundwater depletion. By linking water-source partitioning with physiological regulation, this study provides a mechanistic basis for understanding plant water-use strategies and informs ecological water management and species-specific restoration in hyper-arid inland oases.