Jianxiang Shen, Xin Wang, Lei Wang, Jiahui Wang, Wenjie Qu, Xue Zhang, Xuanxuan Chang, Xinguo Yang, Lin Chen, Weichun Qin, Bo Zhang, Jinshuai Niu
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Vegetation restoration and reconstruction are effective approaches to desertification control and achieving social and economic sustainability in desert areas. However, the self-succession ability of native plants during the later periods of vegetation restoration remains unclear. Therefore, this study was conducted to bridge the knowledge gap by investigating the regeneration dynamics of artificial forest under natural conditions. The information of seed rain and soil seed bank was collected and quantified from an artificial Caragana korshinskii Kom. forest in the Tengger Desert, China. The germination tests were conducted in a laboratory setting. The analysis of species quantity and diversity in seed rain and soil seed bank was conducted to assess the impact of different durations of sand fixation (60, 40, and 20 a) on the progress of vegetation restoration and ecological conditions in artificial C. korshinskii forest. The results showed that the top three dominant plant species in seed rain were Echinops gmelinii Turcz., Eragrostis minor Host., and Agropyron mongolicum Keng., and the top three dominant plant species in soil seed bank were E. minor, Chloris virgata Sw., and E. gmelinii. As restoration period increased, the density of seed rain and soil seed bank increased first and then decreased. While for species richness, as restoration period increased, it gradually increased in seed rain but decreased in soil seed bank. There was a positive correlation between seed rain density and soil seed bank density among all the three restoration periods. The species similarity between seed rain or soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation decreased with the extension of restoration period. The shape of the seeds, specifically those with external appendages such as spines and crown hair, clearly had an effect on their dispersal, then resulting in lower seed density in soil seed bank. In addition, precipitation was a crucial factor in promoting rapid germination, also resulting in lower seed density in soil seed bank. Our findings provide valuable insights for guiding future interventions during the later periods of artificial C. korshinskii forest, such as sowing and restoration efforts using unmanned aerial vehicles.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Arid Land is an international peer-reviewed journal co-sponsored by Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Science Press. It aims to meet the needs of researchers, students and practitioners in sustainable development and eco-environmental management, focusing on the arid and semi-arid lands in Central Asia and the world at large.
The Journal covers such topics as the dynamics of natural resources (including water, soil and land, organism and climate), the security and sustainable development of natural resources, and the environment and the ecology in arid and semi-arid lands, especially in Central Asia. Coverage also includes interactions between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere, and the relationship between these natural processes and human activities. Also discussed are patterns of geography, ecology and environment; ecological improvement and environmental protection; and regional responses and feedback mechanisms to global change. The Journal of Arid Land also presents reviews, brief communications, trends and book reviews of work on these topics.