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Journal of Desert Research ›› 2022, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (2): 134-141.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2021.00111

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Vegetation structure and its relationship with soil physicochemical properties in restoring sandy grassland in Horqin Sandy Land

Xiaolong Zhao1(), Yuhong Xie1, Xujun Ma2, Shaokun Wang2()   

  1. 1.College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology,Lanzhou University,Lanzhou 730000,China
    2.Naiman Desertification Research Station / Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station / Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology,Northwest Institute Eco-Environment and Resources,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Lanzhou 730000,China
  • Received:2021-04-17 Revised:2021-08-27 Online:2022-03-20 Published:2022-03-30
  • Contact: Shaokun Wang

Abstract:

Herbs play an important role in the process of vegetation restoration in sandy land ecosystem. It is very important to study the vegetation changes and its relationship with soil factors in natural sandy land restoration. This study focused on the vegetation composition and its relationship with soil physicochemical properties along 12-year, 17-year and 20-year restoration gradient in Horqin sandy grassland. The results showed that: with the restoration processing, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, available potassium and slow-acting potassium increased significantly; plant species richness increased gradually; the proportion of Gramineae increased, while the proportions of Compositae and Chenopodiaceae decreased; The proportion of annual and biannual plant species decreased, while the proportion of perennial plant species increased; the vegetation height, coverage and above-ground biomass of herbaceous plants increased significantly; the species richness, dominance and diversity indices increased by 30.16%, 10.86% and 21.81% from 12-year to 20-year restoration, respectively; The plant community composition were mainly affected by soil water content (contribution rate of 30.77%) and soil available nutrients (contribution rates of available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium are 16.67%, 13.74%, and 7.69%, respectively) along sandy grassland restoration gradient. The results indicated that soil water content and soil available nutrients are the main factors affecting the restoration procedure of degraded sandy grassland in Horqin Sandy Land.

Key words: Horqin Sandy Land, sandy grassland, community structure, species diversity, soil nutrients

CLC Number: