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Physiological and photosynthetic responses were investigated at three different depths of groundwater (DGW: 1.4, 2.4, and 3.4 m) in Elaeagnus angustifolia L., a locally adapted tree to the arid region in northwest China. Predawn leaf water potential and chlorophyll content declined gradually with the increasing DGW, whereas there was little effect on predawn variable-to-maximum chlorophyll fluorescence ratio F-v/F-m and leaf carotenoid compositions (xanthophyll cycle pool, neoxanthin, lutein, and beta-carotene). Net photosynthetic rate (Pn), quantum yield of PSII electron transport (phi(PSII)), stomatal conductance (Gs), and intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) declined obviously; however, P-n decreased more than phi(PSII) at deeperDGW. The photoinhibition of PSII at all three DGW occurred at midday in summer and increased as DGW increased. The Delta pH-dependent thermal dissipation and the level of de-epoxidation of the xanthophyll cycle at all three DGW reached their maxima at midday with the increase of light intensity. However, the fraction of functional PSII and light intensity at deeper DGW ( 2.4, 3.4 m) showed a negative correlation. This correlation suggested that most of violaxanthin was converted into zeaxanthin at midday, and the reversible inactivation of partial PSII reaction centers took place at deeper DGW. These results together suggest that both the xanthophyll cycle-dependent thermal dissipation and the reversible inactivation of partial PSII might have played important roles in avoiding the excess light-induced energy damage in leaves of this tree species at deeper DGW.