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Journal of Desert Research ›› 2024, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (1): 151-160.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2023.00073

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Response of plant community to experimental warming in Horqin Sandy Land

Tianling Bao1,3(), Jiliang Liu2,3, Feng Yuan4, Yinlong Li5, Zhenyu Jia6, Chengchen Pan1,3()   

  1. 1.Naiman Desertification Research Station /, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China
    2.Linze Inland River Basin Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China
    3.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China
    4.Inner Mongolia Caoye Technology Innovation Center Co. ,Ltd. ,Hohhot 010050,China
    5.Inner Mongolia Mengcao Soil Science and Technology Co. ,Ltd. ,Hohhot 010010,China
    6.Mengcao Ecological Environment (Group) Co. ,Ltd. ,Hohhot 010010,China
  • Received:2023-05-22 Revised:2023-07-03 Online:2024-01-20 Published:2023-12-26
  • Contact: Chengchen Pan

Abstract:

Climate warming has important implications for plant community structure and function. Sandy grasslands are particularly vulnerable to global warming in arid and semi-arid regions. Here, we investigated the effects of experimental warming on plant communities in Horqin Sandy Land of Inner Mongolia, northern China. The results showed that experimental warming had significant impacts on plant community composition. Experimental warming caused a rapid increase in the proportion of Artemisia annua and Cleistogenes squarrosa, but a decrease in that of Setaria viridis. The warming significantly reduced species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity index and Simpson diversity index, as well as the aboveground biomass of entire plant communities, annual and perennial herbs by 22.71%, 26.37% and 20.10%, respectively. Network complexity of plant communities decreased under warmed conditions. In conclusion, plant communities are very sensitive to global warming in Horqin sandy land. The declines in plant diversity and vegetation biomass caused by climate warming likely exacerbate the degradation of sandy grassland and the decline of ecological functions.

Key words: Horqin Sandy Land, warming, plant diversity, biomass, network analysis

CLC Number: