固沙植物根际微生物对于沙土发育和流沙固定的影响

在宁夏中卫沙坡头铁路防沙研究地段,多年人工植被沙丘的沙土不断发育,在沙丘表面形成结皮层,结皮下面形成块状沙土层,导致沙丘逐渐固定,无疑这与机械沙障固沙和植物固沙措施有直接关系。从流动沙丘向固定沙丘不仅表面发生变化,内在因素的变化也起着重要作用,分别研究这些内外因素,探讨其相互     

新疆墨玉不同治沙工程措施对土壤肥力的影响

在新疆墨玉县沙漠地区,设置4种治沙工程并比较了不同治沙工程措施培育土壤的效果。结果表明:不同治沙工程区土壤pH值和养分存在差异,pH值的大小顺序为天然稀疏植被封育区草方格固沙-人工林区人工林区多种植物配置区,且天然稀疏植被封育区土壤pH值显著高于其他3个工程区(P0.05);植物的定植时间影响了土壤养分,定植3年的人工林地土壤有机质、全氮、速效氮、全磷、有效磷、速效钾含量高于定植不久的草方格固沙-人工林地;多种植物配置区土壤有机质、全氮、速效氮、全磷和全钾含量都高于人工林区、草方格固沙-人工林区和天然稀疏植被封育区,但土壤速效磷和速效钾含量较其他工程区低,在该工程区应加强磷肥、钾肥的施用。     

干旱半干旱地区人工固沙灌木林生态系统演变特征

应用实验生态学方法分析了沙坡头地区栽植于1956、1964、1981、1987年的无灌溉人工植被固沙群落浅层土壤分形特征、植被盖度、物种特征、生物量、土壤水分、土壤微生物,以及群落土壤物理和土壤养分特征,并与流动沙丘进行比较。结果表明,在干旱半干旱的草原化荒漠地区,首先利用半隐蔽式草方格沙障对流动沙丘进行固定,然后栽植灌木柠条、花棒等和半灌木油蒿,经过40多年的稳定演变,该区域逐渐形成由矮灌木与草本植物覆盖,以及隐花植物与微生物土壤结皮复合的固定沙丘景观。在人工植被固沙防护体系稳定演变过程中,浅表层土壤的细粒化和养分富集化特征,微生物土壤结皮与亚表层土壤厚度,以及浅表层土壤体积含水率均随固沙年限的延长趋于显著增加。而土壤微生物数量、植被盖度、植物种数等生物群落学属性在固沙年限达40a左右时,已趋于最大,尔后呈缓慢下降趋势。随着固沙年限的增加,灌木树种不断衰退减少,当固沙年限逾17a之后,群落生物量增至峰值后略有下降。土壤分形维数与土壤粘粒含量呈显著正相关关系,流动沙丘被人工植被固定年代越久远,浅表层(0~3cm)土壤粘粒含量(4.50%)越高,其分形维数越大(D=2.4083),表明人工植被固沙防护体系浅表层土壤结构变得越紧实,流动沙丘(D=2.0484)在人工植被的固定作用下,发生逆转的趋势越显著,沙丘日趋固定。     

库布齐沙漠不同人工固沙灌木林土壤微生物量与土壤养分特征

在库布齐沙漠东段选取人工油蒿+杨柴半灌木混交林、人工柠条锦鸡儿灌木林和人工沙柳灌木林3种人工固沙灌木林为对象,以流动沙地为对照,研究了不同人工固沙灌木林土壤微生物生物量碳和氮、土壤微生物数量、土壤养分变化特征及其相互间的关系,并运用综合指数法对不同人工固沙灌木林的土壤恢复效果进行评价.结果表明: 与流动沙地相比,3种人工固沙灌木林土壤有机质、全氮、全磷、速效氮、速效磷含量均有不同程度的提高,表现为油蒿+杨柴林地＞柠条锦鸡儿林地＞沙柳林地,且均随土层加深而依次降低;3种人工固沙灌木林土壤微生物数量、微生物生物量碳和氮均较流动沙地有不同程度的提高,油蒿+杨柴林地土壤微生物生物量碳氮和细菌相对数量高于柠条锦鸡儿林地和沙柳林地,而真菌与放线菌相对数量则表现为柠条锦鸡儿林地＞沙柳林地＞油蒿+杨柴林地;影响3种人工固沙灌木林土壤细菌相对数量、微生物生物量碳和氮的因素是土壤有机质、全氮、全磷、速效氮、速效磷含量及C/N,而放线菌、真菌相对数量主要受土壤全磷、速效氮和速效磷含量的影响;不同人工固沙灌木林土壤质量排序为:油蒿+杨柴林地＞柠条锦鸡儿林地＞沙柳林地＞流动沙地,表明不同人工固沙灌木林的建植均能提高沙漠土壤质量,其中营造油蒿+杨柴半灌木混交林对提高土壤综合质量效果最好.     

沙障对流动沙丘区地表节肢动物分布及多样性的影响

沙障作为人工固沙植被恢复与保护绿洲和道路安全的一种手段,可以有效阻止沙丘移动,改变流动沙丘地表生态水文过程,进而影响节肢动物多样性及营养结构及功能变化。鉴于此,选取临泽县中部沙带为研究区,利用陷阱法系统调查了生物、物理沙障和流动沙丘区沙丘不同部位地表节肢动物分布及多样性。研究结果表明,沙障营建强烈影响了流动沙丘区地表节肢动物组成,生物和物理沙障区地表节肢动物的活动密度、物种丰富度及多样性均显著高于流动沙丘区,捕食性和其它食性节肢动物较植食性节肢动物对沙障营建的响应更为敏感。沙障还改变了沙丘地表节肢动物的分布规律,生物和物理沙障区地表节肢动物的活动密度从沙丘底部到顶部依次增加,而流动沙丘区地表节肢动物主要分布在沙丘中下部。谢氏宽漠王和尖尾东鳖甲在流动沙丘区主要分布沙丘的中下部,沙障营建导致沙丘顶部谢氏宽漠王和尖尾东鳖甲的活动密度大幅提高。此外,研究还发现生物和物理沙障对地表节肢动物的影响不同,生物沙障区地表节肢动物活动密度显著高于物理沙障区,捕食性和东鳖甲属等其它食性节肢动物的活动密度在生物沙障区均高于物理沙障区。总之,沙障营建及类型差异强烈影响地表节肢动物的分布及多样性,它通过资源上行效应和土壤物理环境的改变提高了地表节肢动物的多样性及营养结构,从而影响了土壤生态系统结构及功能变化过程。     

黔南山地植烟土壤主要养分空间变异和管理分区

利用地统计学和模糊c-均值聚类算法,对贵州省黔南州山地植烟土壤主要养分的空间变异特征和管理分区进行研究.结果表明:研究区土壤有机质含量适中,碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾含量丰富;4种土壤养分都具有中等强度变异,服从对数正态分布;有机质与碱解氮、有效磷与速效钾含量呈中度相关.土壤有机质和碱解氮的半方差函数为高斯模型,有效磷和速效钾为指数模型;4种土壤养分都具有中等的空间自相关性,滞后距离差异较大.研究区绝大部分土壤有机质、碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾含量处于适中至很丰富水平,含量缺乏的面积比例分别为0.93%、0.53%、0.24%和7.91%.研究区可划分为2个管理分区,分区1和分区2的面积比例分别为69.8%和30.2%,分区1土壤有机质、碱解氮、有效磷和速效钾含量极显著低于分区2.     

不同草地类型对三江源区草地土壤养分的影响

对三江源区原生高寒草甸草原、退化高寒草甸草原、退化高寒草原和人工草地4种不同草地类型中,草地土壤养分的含量进行了测定,结果表明;高寒草甸草原随着退化程度的加重,全氮、有效氮、全磷、有效磷、有效钾均在土壤表层含量降低,中下层土壤含量升高。原生高寒草甸草原全氮、全磷、有效磷含量在中层土壤含量升高,而有效氮、有效钾含量随着土层加深逐渐降低。退化高寒草原全氮、全磷含量随土层加深变化较不明显,有效氮在中层土壤含量较多随后急剧下降,有效磷和有效钾随土层加深逐渐减少。人工草地各种土壤养分均呈现随土层逐步下降的态势,总体来看,人工草地在表层土壤的各种养分含量远远大于原生和退化草地,土壤速效养分受退化程度影响较大,其变化幅度明显高于全量养分,表层土壤养分受退化影响的程度较深层土壤大。     

民勤绿洲边缘沙丘生物土壤结皮发育对浅层土壤质地、养分含量及微生物数量的影响

为探明干旱沙区沙丘生物土壤结皮形成及发育对浅层土壤质地、养分含量及微生物数量的影响,以民勤绿洲边缘结皮前期阶段(NCS)、物理-藻类结皮阶段(PACS)、藻类-地衣结皮阶段(ALCS)以及地衣-藓类结皮阶段(LMCS)的0—1 cm层土壤为研究对象,研究了土壤颗粒组成、土壤有机质、全氮、速效磷、速效钾含量以及土壤微生物数量动态变化。结果表明:1)生物土壤结皮在NCS向ALCS的发育过程中,其有效地提高了0—1 cm层土壤细沙粒(0—200μm)含量,同时降低了粗砂粒(200—2000μm)含量;在ALCS向LMCS演替过程中,土壤粒度组成无明显变化。2)土壤结皮形成与发育对0—1 cm层土壤有机质、全氮、速效磷以及速效钾含量均有显著影响(P0.05),4种养分含量均随生物结皮演替逐渐增大。3)在土壤结皮形成与演替过程中,0—1 cm层土壤细菌、放线菌以及真菌数量均呈现出先增大后减小趋势(峰值均出现在PACS),土壤总藻生物量一直处于持续增大趋势;在5—12月期间,土壤微生物数量或生物量变化均呈现出先增大后减小趋势。4)土壤结皮在NCS向PACS演替过程中,土壤颗粒组成的改变是土壤微生物量及养分变化的主要驱动因子;PACS向LMCS演替过程,土壤藻类、地衣、藓类是提高土壤养分含量的主要因子。表明民勤绿洲边缘沙丘生物土壤结皮形成与发育能有效地改善浅层土壤质量,提高土壤肥力,同时对土壤生态系统改善及生态环境保护具有重要作用。     

微地形对大西沟新疆野杏萌发层土壤因子的影响

野杏是新疆野果林的主要建群种和种质资源树种。野杏在种子萌发成苗期,幼苗的根系主要分布在0—15 cm土层中。为了阐明坡向、坡位、坡度和坡形等微地形因子对野杏种子萌发层土壤特征和养分分布的影响,在新疆伊犁州霍城县大西沟的封育野果林内(44°26′01.09″—44°26′17.12″N,80°46′27.49″—80°47′03.26″E)设置样地,测定0—15 cm土层的土壤砾石、酸碱值、有机质和全氮、全磷、全钾、水解性氮、有效磷和速效钾含量,分析各土壤因子和地形因子的关系。结果表明:(1)东北坡土壤养分含量较高,其土壤砾石含量、酸碱值、有机质、全磷、水解性氮和速效钾含量与东南坡、南坡皆存在显著差异(P0.05),阴坡的土壤有机质、全氮、有效磷和速效钾含量都高于阳坡,不同坡向的土壤特征和养分分布存在显著差异(P0.05);(2)不同坡位的土壤有机质、全氮、全磷和有效磷含量均表现为中坡位下坡位上坡位,土壤砾石、全钾和速效钾含量均呈现上坡位中坡位下坡位,全钾、全磷和有效磷含量在同坡位分布较均匀,不同坡位的土壤特征和土壤养分分布无显著差异(P0.05);(3)不同坡度下的土壤水解性氮和有效磷含量是缓坡中坡缓中坡陡坡,土壤砾石、酸碱值、全氮、水解性氮、有效磷和速效钾含量有显著差异(P0.05),陡坡土壤有机质、全氮、水解性氮和有效磷含量均低于其他坡度,而土壤砾石、土壤酸碱值和全钾在陡坡土层中含量最高,缓坡与缓中坡的土壤养分含量丰富,陡坡较为贫瘠,坡度对土壤特征和土壤养分分布有显著影响(P0.05);(4)不同坡形下的土壤砾石、全钾、水解性氮、有效磷和速效钾含量是凸形坡凹形坡直线坡,不同坡形下的土壤特征和土壤养分(除全钾和速效钾)均存在显著差异性(P0.05)。野果林地形因子对野杏萌发层土壤特征和土壤养分分布有显著影响,东北坡、中坡位、缓坡和凸形坡土壤养分含量较为丰富,是适宜野杏萌发的地形。研究结果可为探究影响野杏种子萌发和生长的气候与土壤水热等因子奠定良好基础。     

不同母质柑橘园土壤养分特征及肥力综合评价

为探究不同母质柑橘园土壤养分特征,阐明土壤母质对肥力影响,为果园精准施肥提供参考依据,本研究采集了5种不同母质的柑橘土壤,共计217个样点,分析了土壤pH、有机质以及大、中、微量元素有效态含量。结果表明：柑橘园土壤平均pH<5.5,土壤呈酸性;除板页岩、石灰岩外,其他母质土壤有机质匮乏;第四纪红土交换性钙、镁含量丰富,其他母质较为匮乏;各母质土壤的碱解氮、有效锌、硼、钼含量适宜,速效钾、有效磷、硫、铁、锰、铜过量。方差分析表明,除有效铜、锌外,其他各养分含量在不同母质间均存在显著差异,板页岩发育的土壤有机质、碱解氮、有效磷、速效钾以及有效铁、铜、钼高于其他母质土壤,交换性钙、镁含量低于其他母质。通过主成分综合评分得出,5种母质土壤综合肥力大小为板页岩>砂岩>第四纪红土>河湖冲沉积物>石灰岩。随着柑橘种植年限延长,板页岩、河湖冲沉积物、石灰岩土壤肥力有极显著提升,第四纪红土肥力有显著提升。综合分析,板页岩发育的土壤养分最为丰富。土壤有机质、碱解氮、速效钾、有效硼、有效磷、有效硫是影响肥力的重要因子,针对不同母质土壤养分间的差异,可因地制宜地对果园土壤进行精准...     

青海三江源地区风沙土养分及微生物区系

采用常规方法研究了青海三江源地区风沙土的养分状况及微生物区系.结果表明,从流动、半固定风沙土到固定风沙土的演化过程中,土壤有机质含量明显增加,固定风沙土的有机质含量分别为流动和半固定风沙土的5.9和3.8倍;土壤氮素和磷素含量的变化趋势与有机质基本一致,均呈递增趋势;土壤钾素含量和土壤pH无明显变化规律.随着植被发育、流沙固定及土壤养分状况改善,风沙土中的微生物数量和区系组成也发生了显著变化.固定和半固定风沙土中的细菌、真菌及放线菌数量均明显高于流动风沙土,其细菌数量分别约为流动风沙土的4.0和2.8倍,真菌数量分别约为19.6和6.3倍,放线菌数量分别约为12.4和2.6倍;真菌种类数明显增加,放线菌区系组成也变得复杂.即随着风沙土由流动变为固定,土壤微生物生态系统中微生物的生物多样性增强,微生物组成趋于多样化.风沙土中的微生物数量与土壤有机质、全氮、速效氮及速效磷含量显著或极显著相关,与土壤全磷、全钾、速效钾含量及土壤pH之间相关性未达显著水平.     

Factors influencing the natural regeneration of the pioneering shrub Calligonum mongolicum in sand dune stabilization plantations in arid deserts of northwest China

Calligonum mongolicum is a successful pioneer shrub to combat desertification, which is widely used for vegetation restoration in the desert regions of northwest China. In order to reveal the limitations to natural regeneration of C. mongolicum by asexual and sexual reproduction, following the process of sand dune stabilization, we assessed clonal shoots, seedling emergence, soil seed bank density, and soil physical characteristics in mobile and stabilized sand dunes. Controlled field and pot experiments were also conducted to assess germination and seedling emergence in different dune soil types and seed burial depths. The population density of mature C. mongolicum was significantly different after sand dune stabilization. Juvenile density of C. mongolicm was much lower in stabilized sand dunes than mobile sand dune. There was no significant difference in soil seed bank density at three soil depths between mobile and stabilized sand dunes, while the emergence of seedlings in stabilized dunes was much lower than emergence in mobile dunes. There was no clonal propagation found in stabilized dunes, and very few C. mongolicum seedlings were established on stabilized sand dunes. Soil clay and silt content, air‐filled porosity, and soil surface compaction were significantly changed from mobile sand dune to stabilized dunes. Seedling emergence of C. mongolicm was highly dependent on soil physical condition. These results indicated that changes in soil physical condition limited clonal propagation and seedling emergence of C. mongolicum in stabilized sand dunes. Seed bank density was not a limiting factor; however, poor seedling establishment limited C. mongolicum's further natural regeneration in stabilized sand dunes. Therefore, clonal propagation may be the most important mode for population expansion in mobile sand dunes. As a pioneer species C. mongolicum is well adapted to propagate in mobile sand dune conditions, it appears unlikely to survive naturally in stabilized sand dune plantations.     

Evolutionary characteristics of the artificially revegetated shrub ecosystem in the Tengger Desert, northern China

The rain-fed sand-binding vegetation which stabilizes the migrating desert dunes in the Shapotou area at the southeastern edge of the Tengger Desert was initiated in 1956. The shrubs initially employed were predominantly Caragana korshinskii, Hedysarum scoparium, and Artemisia ordosica, and a desert shrub ecosystem with a dwarf shrub and microbiotic soil crust cover on the stabilized sand dunes has since developed. Since 1956 the success of this effort has not only ensured the smooth operation of the Baotou–Lanzhou railway in the sand dune area but has also played an important role in the restoration of the local eco-environment; therefore, it is viewed as a successful model for desertification control and ecological restoration along the transport infrastructure in the arid desert region of China. Some of the effects of recovery from desertification and ecological restoration on soil properties are shown by the increase in the distribution of fine soil particles, organic matter, and nutrients. The physical surface structure of the stabilized sand dunes, and inorganic soil crusts formed by atmospheric dust, have also led to the gradual formation of microbiotic soil crusts. Sand dune stabilization is associated with: (1) decreased soil particle size, (2) increased total N, (3) increased thickness of microbiotic crusts, (4) increased thickness of subsoil, and (5) an increase in volumetric soil moisture in the near-surface environment. After 17 years of dune stabilization, both the number of shrubs and community biomass decreased. The number of microbes, plant species and vegetation cover, all attained a maximum after the dunes had stabilized for 40 years. There is a significant positive correlation between the fractal dimension of soil particle size distribution (PSD) and the clay content of the shallow soil profile in the desert shrub ecosystem; the longer the period of dune stabilization, the greater the soil clay content in the shallow soil profiles (0–3 cm), and the greater the fractal dimension of soil PSD. This reflects the fact that during the revegetation processes, the soil structure is better developed, especially in the upper profile. Hence, the migrating sand dune becomes more stabilized. Therefore, the fractal model can be used to describe the texture and fertility of the soil, and, along with the degree of stability of the previously migrating sand dunes, can be used as an integrated quantitative index to evaluate the revegetation practice in the sand dune areas and their stabilization.     

Spatial Heterogeneity of Soil Nutrients after the Establishment of Caragana intermedia Plantation on Sand Dunes in Alpine Sandy Land of the Tibet Plateau

The Gonghe Basin region of the Tibet Plateau is severely affected by desertification. Compared with other desertified land, the main features of this region is windy, cold and short growing season, resulting in relatively difficult for vegetation restoration. In this harsh environment, identification the spatial distribution of soil nutrients and analysis its impact factors after vegetation establishment will be helpful for understanding the ecological relationship between soil and environment. Therefore, in this study, the 12-year-old C. intermedia plantation on sand dunes was selected as the experimental site. Soil samples were collected under and between shrubs on the windward slopes, dune tops and leeward slopes with different soil depth. Then analyzed soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium (AK). The results showed that the spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients was existed in C. intermedia plantation on sand dunes. (1) Depth was the most important impact factor, soil nutrients were decreased with greater soil depth. One of the possible reasons is that windblown fine materials and litters were accumulated on surface soil, when they were decomposed, more nutrients were aggregated on surface soil. (2) Topography also affected the distribution of soil nutrients, more soil nutrients distributed on windward slopes. The herbaceous coverage were higher and C. intermedia ground diameter were larger on windward slopes, both of them probably related to the high soil nutrients level for windward slopes. (3) Soil “fertile islands” were formed, and the “fertile islands” were more marked on lower soil nutrients level topography positions, while it decreased towards higher soil nutrients level topography positions. The enrichment ratio (E) for TN and AN were higher than other nutrients, most likely because C. intermedia is a leguminous shrub.     

樟子松固沙林生长对土壤磷素变化的影响

磷是森林生态系统重要养分元素之一,是干旱半干旱地区植物生长的限制性因子。然而沙质草地转化为人工林生态系统后,林分的生长对沙地土壤磷素的变化及其影响机理还不清晰,为沙地合理经营和管理人工林带来了不确定性。以辽宁省章古台地区各生长阶段(幼龄林、中龄林、成熟林和过熟林阶段)的20块樟子松固沙林样地(在各生长阶段林分附近寻找1块天然草地作为对照样地)为研究对象,取样并测定样地各土层(0—10、10—20、20—40、40—60、60—80、80—100 cm)的土壤磷(全磷和速效磷)、土壤氮(全氮和速效氮)、土壤钾(全钾及速效钾)、土壤有机碳等含量以及土壤含水率、土壤pH值、土壤质地、土壤容重等因子值,并进行统计分析。结果表明:沙质草地营造樟子松人工林后,土壤全磷含量随林龄的增加而逐渐递增,成熟林时期达到最高,过熟林地全磷降低,且土壤全磷对土层深度不敏感。成熟林地的速效磷含量略高于幼林和中龄林;虽然与幼林、中龄林没有显著差异,但过熟林的土壤速效磷含量是所有林分中最低的。除了林分生长影响外,草地营造樟子松林后,土壤全磷的变化还受土壤容重和土壤速效氮含量的影响,而土壤速效磷的变化受土壤有机碳和pH...     

川西亚高山三种森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷的影响

土壤生物有效磷在提高森林生产力和生物地球化学循环中起着至关重要的作用,研究不同森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷的影响对于退化森林的适应性恢复和可持续经营具有重要意义。选取川西亚高山不同恢复途径下形成的3种森林类型,即粗枝云杉人工林（人工种植,PF）、岷江冷杉-红桦天然次生林（自然更新,NF）和粗枝云杉阔叶混交林（人工种植后自然更新,MF）,采用基于生物有效性的土壤磷分级方法测定土壤生物有效磷（CaCl₂-P、Citrate-P、Enzyme-P和HCl-P）,探究不同森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷的影响。结果表明：不同森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷影响显著（P<0.05）,NF和MF的土壤Citrate-P和Enzyme-P显著高于PF（P<0.05）,而PF的土壤HCl-P显著高于NF（P<0.05）。自然更新是3种森林恢复途径中最能提高土壤生物有效磷的方式。3种森林恢复途径下的土壤生物有效磷组分与速效磷均呈现显著的正相关关系,且NF的土壤速效磷与生物有效磷的相关性更强（CaCl₂-P除外）。显著影响NF土壤生物有效磷的土壤理化性质有全钾、铵态氮含量和pH值,且全钾对NF的土壤生物有效磷变异的解释程度最高（r²=0.63,P=0.001）。土壤pH值、钙和可溶性有机碳含量是显著影响MF土壤生物有效磷的主要土壤理化性质（P<0.05）。对PF的土壤生物有效磷具有显著影响的土壤理化性质是土壤有机碳、铁和可溶性有机碳含量。土壤理化性质对3种恢复途径下森林土壤生物有效磷的解释率均超过了80%,森林恢复途径对土壤生物有效磷的影响与土壤理化性质有关。     

Ecological Assessment of Dune Restorations in the Great Lakes Region

Because of the economic and environmental importance of stabilizing fragile sand dune habitats, restoration of dunes has become a common practice. Restoration efforts in the Great Lakes and East Coast regions of North America often consist of planting monocultures of the dominant native grass species, Ammophila breviligulata. We evaluated 18 dune restoration projects in the Great Lakes region conducted over the past 25 years. We characterized attributes of diversity (plants and insects), vegetation structure (plant biomass and cover), and ecological processes (soil nutrients and mycorrhizal fungi abundance) in each restoration, and we compared these measures to geographically paired natural dune communities. Restoration sites were similar to reference sites in most measured variables. Differences between restorations and reference sites were mostly explained by differences in ages, with the younger sites supporting slightly lower plant diversity and mycorrhizal spore abundance than older sites. Plant community composition varied little between restored and reference sites, with only one native forb species, Artemisia campestris, occurring significantly more often in reference sites than restored sites. Although it remains unclear whether more diverse restoration plantings could accelerate convergence on the ecological conditions of reference dunes, in general, traditional restoration efforts involving monoculture plantings of A. breviligulata in Great Lakes sand dunes appear to achieve ecological conditions found in reference dunes.     

Woody plant encroachment impacts on soil carbon and microbial processes: results from a hierarchical Bayesian analysis of soil incubation data

Quantitative methods were used to examine soil properties and their spatial heterogeneity in a 0-year fenced mobile dune (MD0), an 11-year fenced mobile dune (MD11) and a 20-year fenced mobile dune (MD20) in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China. The objective of the study was to assess the effect of vegetation restoration on heterogeneity of soil properties in sand dunes and to provide a concept model to describe the relationship between vegetation succession and spatial heterogeneity variation of soil properties in the dunes. The results showed that the average values of vegetation cover, species number and diversity, soil organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and electrical conductivity (EC) increased with the increase in fenced age of mobile dunes, while soil water content (0–20 cm) showed the reverse trend. Geostatistical analysis revealed that the spatial heterogeneity of soil organic C, total N, EC, very fine sand content, and soil water content (0–20 cm) increased from MD0 to MD11 with succession from sand pioneer plant to shrub species then decreased from MD11 to MD20 due to continuous development of herbaceous plants. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) showed that there was a relatively high correspondence between vegetation and soil factors, suggesting that the major gradients relating soil organic C, total N, EC, pH, slope, very fine sand content, and soil water content are the main factors for the distribution of dune plants and account for 68.1% of the species-environment relationship among the three sites. In addition, the distribution of the sand pioneer plant was positively related to the relative height of the sampling site and soil water content, and that of most herbaceous plants were determined by soil organic C, total N, EC, pH, and very fine sand content in mobile dunes. The conceptual model of relationship between vegetation succession and spatial heterogeneity of soil properties in mobile dunes suggests spatial patterns of soil properties are most strongly related to plant-induced heterogeneity in dune ecosystems prone to wind erosion, and conversely, the magnitude and degree of spatial heterogeneity in soil properties can influence the plant distribution pattern and vegetation succession of mobile dunes.     

Ecophysiological behavior ofArtemisia ordosica on the process of sand dune fixation

The population structure and water relations ofArtemisia ordosica were studied at different stages of the sand dune fixation process. Vegetation coverage and biomass increased as the sand dune fixation process progressed. In contrast, individual growth rate decreased in the late fixation stage. On fixed sand dunes the modal age ofA. ordosica plants was higher and seedlings or saplings were rearely observed. On active sand dunes, settlement of seedlings was regulated by sand mobility; that is, seedlings were observed only when sand mobility was below 10 cm per year. Leaf transpiration was highest in active sand dunes. Stand transpiration in fixed sand dunes was lower than in semi-fixed sand dunes. These differences in transpiration were related to a decrease in soil water availability, which was affected by the increase in the aeolian fine soil component during the course of sand dune fixation. The reduction in soil water status and the cessation of sand movement were considered to be important factors in the decline of theArtemisia ordosica community.     

Positive responses of coastal dune plants to soil conditioning by the invasive Lupinus nootkatensis

Invasive nitrogen-fixing plants drive vegetation dynamics and may cause irreversible changes in nutrient-limited ecosystems through increased soil resources. We studied how soil conditioning by the invasive alien Lupinus nootkatensis affected the seedling growth of co-occurring native plant species in coastal dunes, and whether responses to lupin-conditioned soil could be explained by fertilisation effects interacting with specific ecological strategies of the native dune species. Seedling performance of dune species was compared in a greenhouse experiment using field-collected soil from within or outside coastal lupin stands. In associated experiments, we quantified the response to nutrient supply of each species and tested how addition of specific nutrients affected growth of the native grass Festuca arundinacea in control and lupin-conditioned soil. We found that lupin-conditioned soil increased seedling biomass in 30 out of 32 native species; the conditioned soil also had a positive effect on seedling biomass of the invasive lupin itself. Increased phosphorus mobilisation by lupins was the major factor driving these positive seedling responses, based both on growth responses to addition of specific elements and analyses of plant available soil nutrients. There were large differences in growth responses to lupin-conditioned soil among species, but they were unrelated to selected autecological indicators or plant strategies. We conclude that Lupinus nootkatensis removes the phosphorus limitation for growth of native plants in coastal dunes, and that it increases cycling of other nutrients, promoting the growth of its own seedlings and a wide range of dune species. Finally, our study indicates that there are no negative soil legacies that prevent re-establishment of native plant species after removal of lupins.