Abstract:

The purpose of low vegetation coverage for desertification control is to control the vegetation coverage of trees and shrubs in a specific area to a lower level at about 15%-25%， which can also fix the sand and keep vegetation alive. Through the coupling study of wind and sand physics， near-surface hydrology， microclimate， interface ecology and artificial vegetation planting pattern with native vegetation， we changed the pattern of sparse forest and irrigation to achieve desertification control， and obtained an optimal pattern of sparse woodland and sparse shrubs. The low coverage for desertification control mechanism is further clarified： （1） Low coverage for desertification control optimizes the combination of edge row dominance and interface ecological mechanism， and the optimized band spacing increases the number of species naturally restored by 2-5 times. （2） Artificial treatment and natural restoration can form a coupling effect， and the optimized band spacing accelerates the restoration of soil， vegetation and microorganisms by 19%-27% compared to the control plot. （3） The optimized spacing of the low coverage for desertification control forest zones initially explored is 5-12 m for semi-shrubs， 12-28 m for shrubs， 15-36 m for broad-leaved trees， and 15-40 m for pines. （4） The precipitation recharged groundwater and support the stability of the groundwater level and maintain the positive coupling effect， which supports the stability and sustainability of the artificial sand-fixing forest and the soil， vegetation， and microorganisms between the zones. The low coverage for desertification control mechanism and its related parameters research has important theoretical and practical guidance value to reduce costs and promote the stability of sand-fixing vegetation in the future sand control projects.

Key words: low vegetation coverage sand control, interface ecology, edge row dominance, soil water leakage, vegetation restoration, coupling mechanism