Relationship Between Herbaceous Plant Diversity and Soil Factors at a Gully Head After Revegetation in Baicao Tableland
Journal Title: Bulletin of Soil and Water Conservation - Year 2023, Vol 43, Issue 4
Abstract
[Objective] The changes in herbaceous plant diversity and the factors influencing those changes after revegetation at a gully head were studied in order to provide a relevant foundation for the assessment of the benefits of soil and water conservation in the loess tableland. [Methods] Herbaceous plant diversity at a gully head was measured and soil property indexes related to the topsoil (0—10 cm and 10—25 cm) were determined by selecting grassland gully heads with vegetation restoration periods of 5, 13, 18, and 22 years in the Baicao Tableland. Farmland was used as the control. [Results] The Patrick richness index initially increased with increasing number of vegetation restoration years, and then stabilized. The Shannon-Wiener index showed a continuously increasing trend, and the Shannon-Wiener index values in 18 and 22 years of vegetation restoration were greater than at 13 years of restoration. However, the differences were not significantly different. The Pielou evenness index exhibited a fluctuating trend of increasing, and then decreasing, then increasing again, reaching a maximum value (0.89) in 22 years of recovery. The soil bulk density in both the 0—10 cm and 10—25 cm layers reached a minimum value in 22 years of recovery, with significant decreases of 13.1% and 17.8%, respectively, compared with values observed for farmland (p<0.05). The soil organic matter content, water-stable aggregate content, mean weight diameter of aggregates, and saturated hydraulic conductivity in the 0—10 cm and 10—25 cm layers significantly increased with increasing number of vegetation restoration years, and soil factors between the two soil layers demonstrated significant differences at each restoration year. Correlation analysis indicated a negative correlation between herbaceous plant diversity indicators and soil bulk density, and a significant positive correlation (p<0.05) with soil organic matter content, water-stable aggregate content, mean weight diameter of aggregates, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. Redundancy analysis revealed that soil aggregate content was an important factor in explaining herbaceous plant diversity variation. [Conclusion] Vegetation restoration could significantly increase herbaceous plant diversity, and could play an important role in improving soil properties at a gully head in the loess tableland.
Authors and Affiliations
Zhuoxin Chen, Mingming Guo, Wenlong Wang, Lanqian Feng, Yibao Lou, Yanan Zhu, Hao Yang
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP762616
- DOI 10.13961/j.cnki.stbctb.2023.04.007
- Views 14
- Downloads 0
Research Progress and Prospect Slope Greening in China
[Objective] The current status and hot trends of slope greening research were studied in order to provide theoretical support and references for subsequent research. [Methods] Professional bibliometric tools CiteSpace an...
Dynamic Monitoring and Spatio-temporal Pattern of Ecological Environmental Quality in Nanning City Based on Google Earth Engine
[Objective] Remote sensing technology is used to monitor and evaluate the change of urban ecological environment quality timely, dynamically and objectively, in order to provide reference for urban ecological environment...
Dynamic Changes of Terrestrial Vegetation Cover in Lugu Lake Wetland Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province from 2000 to 2020
[Objective] The spatial-temporal variation of terrestrial vegetation coverage in Lugu Lake Wetland Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province during 2000—2020 was analyzed in order to provide a reference for the construction and...
Supply and Demand of Multi-scale Ecosystem Services and Their Influencing Factors in Hu’nan Province
[Objective] The distribution pattern of ecosystem service supply and demand and their main driving factors were analyzed in order to provide a scientific reference for regional ecological protection practices and ecologi...
Simulation Experiment on Effect of Surface Cracks Caused by Coal Mining on Soil Moisture Disturbance in Loess-Covered Area
[Objective] The effect of surface cracks caused by coal mining on soil moisture changes in a loess-covered area was studied in order to provide data support for the study of soil moisture changes in coal mining subsidenc...