Long-term changes and driving factors of soil nutrients in typical shrub communities of the desert steppe

doi:10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2026.00070

Journal of Desert Research ›› 2026, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (4): 250-265.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2026.00070

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Long-term changes and driving factors of soil nutrients in typical shrub communities of the desert steppe

Haoyi Wang(), Xiao Yu, Zhiming Xin(), Yuan Ma, Fengmin Luo, Xing Li, Jian Cui, Jiahua Lu

Experimental Center of Desert Forestry /Dengkou Desert Ecosystem Research Station of Inner Mongolia/ Ulan Buh Desert Oasis Wild Field Scientific Observation and Research Station of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region，Chinese Academy of Forestry，Dengkou 015200，Inner Mongolia，China

Received:2026-02-02 Revised:2026-05-08 Online:2026-07-20 Published:2026-08-27
Contact: Zhiming Xin

Abstract

Abstract:

Elucidating the long-term dynamics of soil nutrients in desert shrublands and their underlying drivers is crucial for understanding ecosystem stability and providing theoretical support for ecological restoration. In this study， three typical shrub species—Ceratoides latens， Tetraena mongolica， and Sarcozygium xanthoxylon—in the Hobq Desert were selected as research subjects. Based on long-term field surveys and laboratory measurements， we analyzed the long-term variations in surface soil nutrients （C， N， P， K） and their stoichiometric ratios， examined the trends in climatic and vegetation factors， and quantified the relative contributions of environmental factors to soil nutrient variation using random forest models and redundancy analysis. The results showed that from 2006 to 2021， soil organic carbon increased significantly across the three shrublands， albeit with distinct inter-specific patterns. Total nitrogen exhibited divergent trends among species， while total phosphorus generally decreased in C. latens and T. mongolica shrublands， but decreased first and then increased in S. xanthoxylon shrubland. The C∶N， C∶P， and N∶P ratios increased overall. Random forest and RDA analyses revealed inter-specific differences in the explanatory power of environmental factors on soil nutrient variation. Soil nutrient variation in C. latens shrubland was primarily influenced by both climatic factors （wind speed and precipitation） and vegetation factors （canopy width and height）（adjusted R²=74.2%）. S. xanthoxylon shrubland was sensitive to climatic factors and also significantly affected by species richness （adjusted R²=82.7%）. In contrast， the model for T. mongolica shrubland had a relatively lower explanatory power （adjusted R²=56.7%）， with precipitation and wind speed being the prominent contributing factors. The dynamics of soil nutrients and their responses to environmental factors exhibited pronounced inter-specific specificity among the three shrublands. This study provides data support based on long-term monitoring for the restoration and management of desert shrubland ecosystems.

Key words: desert shrubland, soil nutrients, environmental factors, long-term dynamics, random forest model

CLC Number:

S153

Haoyi Wang, Xiao Yu, Zhiming Xin, Yuan Ma, Fengmin Luo, Xing Li, Jian Cui, Jiahua Lu. Long-term changes and driving factors of soil nutrients in typical shrub communities of the desert steppe[J]. Journal of Desert Research, 2026, 46(4): 250-265.

Figures/Tables 12

Fig.1 Geographical location of the study area and the research plots

Fig.2 Temporal variations of soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents under three shrub species

Fig.3 Temporal variations of soil total phosphorus and total potassium contents under three shrub species

Fig.4 Temporal variations of soil available phosphorus and available potassium contents under three shrub species

Fig.5 Temporal variations of soil stoichiometric ratios under three shrub species

Fig.6 Change trends of the average ground temperature at 5 cm depth， precipitation， surface temperature， wind speed， and average air temperature

Table 1 Summary of vegetation characteristics investigated for the three shrub species

	灌丛类型	样地编号	灌丛与草本植物种类	灌丛平均高度/cm	灌丛平均冠幅/cm²	灌丛和草本所有物种密度总和
2006	驼绒藜	1-1	4	32	41×40	16
		1-2	4	22	38×32	22
		1-3	6	32	40×37	48
	霸王	2-1	8	66	156.5×143.5	9 045
		2-2	6	73.25	126.25×112.25	59
		2-3	8	76.75	131×113	753
	四合木	3-1	11	41.67	104.33×73.33	467
		3-2	11	55	126.5×112.5	95
		3-3	10	68	132×128	136
2016	驼绒藜	1-1	6	43	63×55	44
		1-2	4	38	56×52	30
		1-3	7	46	53×42	84
	霸王	2-1	8	91	164.33×134.67	72
		2-2	10	96.25	135.5×124.75	160
		2-3	10	80.75	124.75×103.75	33
	四合木	3-1	12	55.5	120.0×117.5	126
		3-2	9	39	73.5×70	103
		3-3	9	35.38	70.25×60	226
2021	驼绒藜	1-1	6	41.67	47.67×42	57
		1-2	7	37.5	49.0×45.5	132
		1-3	9	15	38×22	332
	霸王	2-1	13	58.67	168.33×139.67	293
		2-2	17	58.75	89×75	187
		2-3	14	61.6	138.4×99.6	148
	四合木	3-1	9	43.33	110×101	2 794
		3-2	10	46	102×89	385
		3-3	10	34.9	72×67	121

Fig.7 Density heatmap of associated species of Three types of shrubber

Fig.8 Heatmap of correlations between soil nutrients， stoichiometric ratios， and environmental factors for three types of shrubland

Table 2 Significance test results of RDA model for three shrubland types

灌丛类型	原始R²/%	调整R²/%	F值	P值	显著性
驼绒藜	80.7	74.2	12.51	0.001	高度显著^**
四合木	67.5	56.7	6.23	0.006	高度显著^**
霸王	87.0	82.7	20.14	0.003	高度显著^**

Fig.9 Redundancy analysis （RDA） of soil nutrients， stoichiometric ratios， and environmental factors for three types of shrubland

Fig.10 Importance scores （%IncMSE） of environmental factors in the random forest model for three types of shrubland

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Long-term changes and driving factors of soil nutrients in typical shrub communities of the desert steppe

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