Abstract:

The Kubuqi Desert and Ulan Buh Desert， situated on the northern and southern sides of the “Zigzag bend” of the Yellow River， represent the main frontiers for sand control and desertification prevention in China. Vegetation plays a crucial role in maintaining desert ecosystem stability， promoting biodiversity， and contributing to wind erosion prevention and sand fixation. Revegetation has been widely implemented as a key measure in the fight against desertification. This study aimed to elucidate the vegetation differentiation patterns and their underlying driving mechanisms in both deserts. This was achieved by comparing vegetation characteristics across revegetation zones， natural vegetation zones， and moving sand dunes in the Kubuqi and Ulan Buh Deserts. Results demonstrated that herbaceous communities in the Kubuqi Desert display higher species diversity， and woody vegetation cover is significantly greater than that in the Ulan Buh Desert （P<0.001）. In contrast， herbaceous communities in the Ulan Buh Desert were relatively less diverse. Analysis of environmental factors revealed that vegetation patterns in the Ulan Buh Desert were primarily influenced by soil bulk density， atmospheric pressure， and longitude， whereas those in the Kubuqi Desert were more affected by soil organic carbon， latitude， and temperature. Although revegetated areas have not yet fully reached the ecological status of natural vegetation communities， it significantly enhanced species diversity and community cover， demonstrating a positive role in curbing desertification. This study provides theoretical support and practical guidance for regionally differentiated ecological management strategies.

Key words: Ulan Buh Desert, Kubuqi Desert, vegetation characteristics, revegetation, vegetation restoration