Effects of desert plant communities on soil enzyme activities and soil organic carbon in the proluvial fan in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountain in Ningxia,China

It is of great significance to study the effects of desert plants on soil enzyme activities and soil organic carbon(SOC)for maintaining the stability of the desert ecosystem.In this study,we studied the responses of soil enzyme activities and SOC fractions(particulate organic carbon(POC)and mineral-associated organic carbon(MAOC))to five typical desert plant communities(Convolvulus tragacanthoides,Ephedra rhytidosperma,Stipa breviflora,Stipa tianschanica var.gobica,and Salsola laricifolia communities)in the proluvial fan in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountain in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region,China.We recorded the plant community information mainly including the plant coverage and herb and shrub species,and obtained the aboveground biomass and plant species diversity through sample surveys in late July 2023.Soil samples were also collected at depths of 0–10 cm(topsoil)and 10–20 cm(subsoil)to determine the soil physicochemical properties and enzyme activities.The results showed that the plant coverage and aboveground biomass of S.laricifolia community were significantly higher than those of C.tragacanthoides,S.breviflora,and S.tianschanica var.gobica communities(P<0.05).Soil enzyme activities varied among different plant communities.In the topsoil,the enzyme activities of alkaline phosphatase(ALP)andβ-1,4-glucosidas(βG)were significantly higher in E.rhytidosperma and S.tianschanica var.gobica communities than in other plant communities(P<0.05).The topsoil had higher POC and MAOC contents than the subsoil.Specifically,the content of POC in the topsoil was 18.17%–42.73%higher than that in the subsoil.The structural equation model(SEM)indicated that plant species diversity,soil pH,and soil water content(SWC)were the main factors influencing POC and MAOC.The soil pH inhibited the formation of POC and promoted the formation of MAOC.Conversely,SWC stimulated POC production and hindered MAOC formation.Our study aimed to gain insight into the effects of desert plant communities on soil enzyme activities and SOC fractions,as well as the drivers of SOC fractions in the proluvial fan in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountain and other desert ecosystems.

A preliminary study of water use strategy of desert plants in Dunhuang,China

Water is a restrictive factor for plant growth and ecosystem stability in arid and semiarid areas. The dynamics of water availability in soils and water use by plants are consequently critical to ecosystem functions, e.g. maintaining a high resistance to the changing climate. Plant water use strategies, including water-use efficiency （WUE） and the main water source that a plant species utilizes, play an important role in the evaluation of stability and sustainability of a plantation. The water use strategies of desert plants （Tamarix chinensis, Alhagi sparsifolia, Elaeagnus angustifolia, Sophora alopecuroides, Bassia dasyphylla and Nitraria sphaerocarpa） in three different habitats （saline land, sandy land and Gobi） in Dunhuang （located in the typical arid area of northwestern China） were studied. The stable isotope of oxygen was used to determine the main water source and leaf carbon isotope discrimination was used to estimate the long-term WUE of plant species in the summer of 2010. The results suggest that： 1） the studied desert plants took up soil water below the depth of 80 cm; 2） T. chinensis in the three habitats used deeper soil water and T. chinensis in the Gobi site had higher WUE than those in the saline land and the sandy land. The results indicated that desert plants in Dunhuang depended on stable water source and maintained high WUE to survive in water limited environments.

Differences in response of desert plants of different ecotypes to climate warming:a case study in Minqin, Northwest China

Globally climates are warming. How do desert plants of different ecotypes respond to the climate change？ This paper studied the differing responses to climate warming shown by desert plants of different ecotypes through analyzing the phenology and meteorological data of 22 desert plant species growing in Minqin Desert Bo- tanical Garden in Northwest China during the period 1974-2009. The results indicate： （1） The temperature in the study area has risen quickly since 1974, and plants＇ growing periods became longer. The spring phenology of mesophytes advanced, and the autumn phenology of xerophytes was delayed; （2） The starting dates of spring phenophase of mesophytes and xerophytes differed significantly and both showed an advancing trend; （3） The spring phenology of mesophytes advanced by more days than that of xerophytes, whereas the autumn phenology of mesophytes was delayed by less days than that of the xerophytes; and （4） Mesophytes are more sensitive than xerophytes to rising temperature in spring and falling temperature in autumn. These findings are of value in plant management and regional introduction of different species.

An ultrasonic humidification fluorescent tracing method for detecting unsaturated atmospheric water absorption by the aerial parts of desert plants

Atmospheric water absorption by plants has been explored for more than two centuries, and the aerial parts of plants, particularly the leaves of certain species, have been demonstrated to have an ability to absorb and utilize saturated atmospheric water such as fog, dew and condensed water. So far, however, there have been few studies on the aerial parts of desert plants in their absorption of unsaturated water from the atmosphere. This study presents an ultrasonic humidification fluorescent tracing method of detecting unsaturated atmospheric water absorption by the aerial parts of desert plants. We constructed an organic glass room based on the sizes of field plants. Then, the aboveground parts of the plants were humidified in the sealed glasshouse using an ultrasonic humidifier containing fluorescent reagents. The humidity and wetting time were controlled by turning on or off the humidifier according to the reading of a thermo-hygrometer suspended in the glasshouse. Fluorescence microscopy was employed to observe these plant samples. This method can generate unsaturated atmospheric water vapor and incorporate other fluorescent reagents or water-soluble chemical reagents for gasified humidification. In addition, it can identify plant parts that absorb unsaturated atmospheric water from the air, detect water absorption sites on the surface of leaves or tender stems, and determine the ability of tissues or microstructure of aerial parts to absorb water. This method provides a direct visual evidence for the inspection of leaf or tender stem microstructure in response to unsaturated atmospheric water absorption. Moreover, this method shows that aqueous pores in the cuticles of leaves or tender stems of desert plants are large enough to allow the passage of ionic fluorescent brightener with a molecular weight of up to 917 g/mol. Thus, this paper provides an important approach that explores the mechanism by which desert plants utilize unsaturated atmospheric water.

Image recognition and empirical application of desert plant species based on convolutional neural network

In recent years,deep convolution neural network has exhibited excellent performance in computer vision and has a far-reaching impact.Traditional plant taxonomic identification requires high expertise,which is time-consuming.Most nature reserves have problems such as incomplete species surveys,inaccurate taxonomic identification,and untimely updating of status data.Simple and accurate recognition of plant images can be achieved by applying convolutional neural network technology to explore the best network model.Taking 24 typical desert plant species that are widely distributed in the nature reserves in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China as the research objects,this study established an image database and select the optimal network model for the image recognition of desert plant species to provide decision support for fine management in the nature reserves in Xinjiang,such as species investigation and monitoring,by using deep learning.Since desert plant species were not included in the public dataset,the images used in this study were mainly obtained through field shooting and downloaded from the Plant Photo Bank of China(PPBC).After the sorting process and statistical analysis,a total of 2331 plant images were finally collected(2071 images from field collection and 260 images from the PPBC),including 24 plant species belonging to 14 families and 22 genera.A large number of numerical experiments were also carried out to compare a series of 37 convolutional neural network models with good performance,from different perspectives,to find the optimal network model that is most suitable for the image recognition of desert plant species in Xinjiang.The results revealed 24 models with a recognition Accuracy,of greater than 70.000%.Among which,Residual Network X_8GF(RegNetX_8GF)performs the best,with Accuracy,Precision,Recall,and F1(which refers to the harmonic mean of the Precision and Recall values)values of 78.33%,77.65%,69.55%,and 71.26%,respectively.Considering the demand factors of hardware equipment and inference time,Mobile NetworkV2 achieves the best balance among the Accuracy,the number of parameters and the number of floating-point operations.The number of parameters for Mobile Network V2(MobileNetV2)is 1/16 of RegNetX_8GF,and the number of floating-point operations is 1/24.Our findings can facilitate efficient decision-making for the management of species survey,cataloging,inspection,and monitoring in the nature reserves in Xinjiang,providing a scientific basis for the protection and utilization of natural plant resources.

Study on the Resistance Indexes of Four Kinds of Desert Plants in Qinghai Lake Area

[Objective] The research aimed to study the resistance of four kinds of desert plants in Qinhai Lake area.[Method] By contrasting the resistance indexes of four kinds of plants which included Ephedra intermedia,Stellera chamaejasme,Achnatherum splendens and Xanthopappus subacaulis,the resistance of four kinds of plants in Qinghai Lake area was analyzed.The resistance indexes included the soluble protein,MDA,free Pro content and the activities of SOD,POD,CAT.Moreover,the resistance of four kinds of plants was evaluated comprehensively by using Fuzzy membership function method.[Result] Under the low-temperature and arid adversity in Qinghai Lake area,SOD activity presented as Stellera chamaejasme>Xanthopappus subacaulis>Ephedra intermedia>Achnatherum splendens,and CAT activity presented as Stellera chamaejasme>Xanthopappus subacaulis>Achnatherum splendens>Ephedra intermedia.Under the same high-salt environment,CAT activity of Stellera chamaejasme was eight times higher than that of Ephedra intermedia.It illustrated that the salt resistance of Stellera chamaejasme was stronger than that of Ephedra intermedia.The free Pro content showed as Xanthopappus subacaulis>Ephedra intermedia>Stellera chamaejasme>Achnatherum splendens.Under the same adversity,Pro content of Ephedra intermedia was 2.83 times of Stellera chamaejasme.It was because that MDA content in Stellera chamaejasme was the lowest,and the membranous peroxide harm was the smallest.It caused that Pro content (stress penetration material) was low.It also illustrated that the resistance of Stellera chamaejasme was stronger than that of Ephedra intermedia.The comprehensive evaluation of Fuzzy membership function showed that the resistance presented as Xanthopappus subacaulis>Stellera chamaejasme>Ephedra intermedia>Achnatherum splendens.[Conclusion] The research provided the theory basis for the breeding of drought-resistance new variety and the development of good germ plasm resource in Qinghai Lake area.

Comparison of anatomical structure and photosynthetic characteristics between the two photosynthetic organs of the desert plant Hedysarum scoparium

The desert plant Hedysarum scoparium uses leaflets and rachises as its photosynthetic organs. The abundance of leaflets was lower under unfavorable environmental conditions and higher with improved water conditions. To examine the characteristics associated with the adaptation of H. scoparium to its environment, we selected plants with both compound leaves and rachis without leaflets to study the anatomical structures and gas exchange characteristics of the two organs. The results show that the water storage tissues in rachises were more developed compared with the leaflets. The diurnal courses of the net photosynthetic rate for the rachis and the leaflet were both in a bimodal pattern. Meanwhile, both two peak values of the rachis were significantly higher than those of the leaflet. The daily average transpiration rate was significantly higher in the rachis than in the leaflet in order to lower the temperature of the rachises. It was concluded that under desert drought conditions, the leaflets of H. scoparium were partially or completely degraded to reduce the transpiration area as an adaptive response to water deficit, and only the rachises were retained as photosynthetic organ. The rachises were found to be better suited to a desert habitat than the leaflets.

Phenology of desert plants from an arid gravel plain in eastern United Arab Emirates

Phenological events for desert plants were recorded and rainfall and temperature data were gathered over a three-year time scale at a gravel plain in the eastern region of the United Arab Emirates. Variations of phenological periods were analyzed and correlations between phenological periods and climate factors were discussed. The study showed that the growth and flowering of therophytes were significantly correlated with air tem- perature. The timing and abundance of rainfall came to be another factor significantly correlated with the onset and duration of chamaephyte flowering as well as the duration of therophyte growth and flowering. The variation in rainfall did not affect the onset of flowering in phanerophytes. Peak growing seasons were from November to March and flowering from November to December （also February to March depending on the availability of rainfall）. Flowering in phanerophytes and chamaephytes occurs 4-6 weeks and in therophytes 4-8 weeks after rain, The results showed that variations in growth and phenology between species were correlated with environmental factors, such as temperature and rainfall or, maybe, differences in life form and photosynthetic pathways, each being adapted for utilizing a particular phase of the seasonally and yearly variable rainfall. The sequence of flowering for the species under study was more or less constant despite the difference in the amount of rainfall. The fruiting patterns of most of the species were also found parallel to their flowering patterns. Our results emphasized the need to study multiple species at many sites for the understanding and forecast of regional changes in phenology.

Nutrient resorption and its influencing factors of typical desert plants in different habitats on the northern margin of the Tarim Basin, China

The resorption of nutrients from senescent leaves allows plants to conserve and recycle nutrients. To explore the adaptation strategies of desert plants to nutrient-limited environments, we selected four typical desert plants(Populus euphratica Oliv., Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb., Glycyrrhiza inflata Batal., and Alhagi camelorum Fisch.) growing in the desert area of the northern margin of the Tarim Basin,China. The contents of nitrogen(N), phosphorus(P), potassium(K), calcium(Ca), magnesium(Mg), and Ferrum(Fe) in the leaves of these four typical desert plants and their resorption characteristics were analyzed. The relationship of nutrient resorption efficiency with leaf functional traits and soil physical-chemical properties in two different habitats(saline-alkali land and sandy land) was discussed.The results showed that the four plants resorbed most of the elements. Ca was enriched in the leaves of P.euphratica, G. inflate, and A. camelorum;Mg was enriched in the leaves of G. inflata;and Fe was enriched in the leaves of the four plants. The results of the redundancy analysis showed that leaf thickness, soil electrical conductivity, and soil P content were the major factors affecting the nutrient resorption efficiency of the four plants. Leaf thickness was negatively correlated with N resorption efficiency(NRE),P resorption efficiency, and Fe resorption efficiency;soil electrical conductivity was positively correlated with the resorption efficiency of most elements;and soil P content was negatively correlated with the resorption efficiency of most elements in the plant leaves. The results showed that soil physical-chemical properties and soil nutrient contents had an important impact on the nutrient resorption of plant leaves.The same species growing in different habitats also differed in their resorption of different elements. The soil environment of plants and the biological characteristics of plant leaves affected the resorption of nutrient elements in different plants. The purpose of this study is to provide small-scale data support for the protection of ecosystems in nutrient-deficient areas by studying leaf functional strategies and nutrient conservation mechanisms of several typical desert plants.

Correlations Between Foliar Stable Carbon Isotope Composition and Environmental Factors in Desert Plant Reaumuria soongorica （Pall.） Maxim.

Leaves of 407 individuals of Reaumuria soongorica （Pall.） Maxim. collected from the major distribution areas were measured to investigate the distribution characteristics of the stable carbon isotope in this desert plant, as well as correlations between δ^13C values and environmental factors. Results showed that δ^13C values in R. soongorica ranged from -22.77‰ to -29.85‰ and that the mean δ^13C value （-26.52‰） was higher than a previously reported δ^13C value for a different desert ecosystem. This indicates that R. soongorica belongs to the C3 photosynthetic pathway and has higher water use efficiency than other species. The correlations between δ^13C values and environmental factors demonstrated that the foliar δ^13C values in R. soongorica increased significantly with decreasing mean annual precipitation and mean relative humidity, and decreased with decreasing duration of sunshine and evaporation. The spatial distribution trend of δ^13C values in R. soongorica was not obvious and there was no significant correlation between the δ^13C values and mean annual temperature. We conclude that different distribution trends in δ^13C values for R. soongorica were likely caused by stomatal limitation rather than by nutrient-related changes in photosynthetic efficiency and that precipitation played an important role in the wide distribution range of R. soongorica. This pattern of δ^13C values for R. soongorica reinforced that it is a super-xerophil in terms of its adaptive strategies to a desert environment.

Chemical constituents and ACE inhibitory activity of desert plant Suaeda physophora Pall.

Suaeda physophora Pall.is a kind of desert plant mostly growing in saline habitats in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.In order to have a better utilization of halophytes,a screening for ACE inhibitors from halophytes growing in Xinjiang was carried out.The result showed that the 70%EtOH extract and n-BuOH extract of S.physophora Pall.possessed significant ACE inhibitory activities.So we focused on its biochemical constituents firstly.One new quinazoline alkaloid,namely Suaedine(1),along with six known compounds(2–7)was isolated from the aerial parts of S.physophora Pall.The structure of the new quinazoline alkaloid was established by one-and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance,optical rotation and mass spectrometry analysis.The flavonoid compounds(2–4)and phenolic compound(5)exhibited significant ACE activities.It was the first time to focus on the chemical constituents and bioactivities of this plant.

C_4 plant species and geographical distribution in relation to climate in the desert vegetation of China

Water use efficiency of Ca plants is higher than that of C3 plants, and CAM （Crassulaceae Acid Metabolism） plants have the highest water use efficiency. In the desert regions of China, CAM plants are scarce, and C4 plants, especiaUy C4 woody plants, have an important position and role in the desert ecosystem. There are 45 species of Ca woody plants in the desert regions of China, including semi-woody plants, accounting for 6% of the total desert plant species in China, and most of them are concentrated in the families of Chenopodiaceae and Polygonaceae, which are 19 species and 26 species, respectively. The number of C4 herbaceous plants is 107 species, including 48 monocot species and 59 dicot species. C4 woody plants mainly inhabit the northwestem arid desert regions of China west of the Helan Mountains. The drought-resistance and drought-tolerance of Ca herbaceous plants are worse than C4 woody plants, and C4 herbaceous plants mainly inhabit areas with shallow groundwater depth and better water conditions in the desert regions, and are widely distributed along the margins of oases. The abundance of C4 woody plants is closely correlated with drought, but the abundance of C4 herbaceous plants increases with wet conditions.

Effects of grazing on carbon and nitrogen in plants and soils in a semiarid desert grassland,China

Grazing can modulate the feedback between vegetation and soil nutrient dynamics（carbon and nitrogen）,altering the cycles of these elements in grassland ecosystems.For clarifying the impact of grazing on the C and N in plants and soils in the desert grassland of Ningxia,China,we examined the plant biomass,SOC（soil organic carbon）,total soil N and stable isotope signatures of plants and soils from both the grazed and ungrazed sites.Significantly lower aboveground biomass,root biomass,litter biomass and vegetation coverage were found in the grazed site compared to the ungrazed site,with decreases of 42.0%,16.2%,59.4% and 30.0%,respectively.The effects of grazing on plant carbon,nitrogen,？15N and ？13C values were uniform among species.The levels of plant carbon and nitrogen in grasses were greater than those in the forbs（except for the carbon of Cynanchum komarovii and Euphorbia esula）.Root 15 N and 13 C values increased with grazing,while the responses of root carbon and nitrogen to grazing showed no consistent patterns.Root 15 N and 13 C were increased by 79.0% and 22.4% in the grazed site compared to the ungrazed site,respectively.The values of SOC and total N were significantly lower in the grazed than in the ungrazed sites for all sampling depths（0–10 and 10–20 cm）,and values of SOC and total N at the surface（0–10 cm） were lower than those in the deeper soils（10–20 cm）.Soil ？15N values were not affected by grazing at any sampling depth,whereas soil ？13C values were significantly affected by grazing and increased by 19.3% and 8.6% in the soils at 0–10 and 10–20 cm,respectively.The soil ？13C values（–8.3‰ to –6.7‰） were higher than those for roots（–20.2‰ to –15.6‰） and plant tissues（–27.9‰ to –13.3‰）.Our study suggests that grazing could greatly affect soil organic carbon and nitrogen in contrast to ungrazed grassland and that grazing appears to exert a negative effect on soil carbon and nitrogen in desert grassland.

Is bi-seasonal germination an optimal choice for an ephemeral plant living in a cold desert?

Research on germination strategies has been proposed as a tool for understanding the evolutionary patterns of plant species living in extreme climate conditions. Previous research has concentrated on spring-germinated plants, while there has been little investigation on the ecological significance of ephemeral plants that germinate in both autumn and spring. The biological characteristics and life history strategies of autumn-and spring-germinated plants of Hypecoum erectum L. that belongs to Hypecoum in Papaveraceae family in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert, China, were investigated from 2016 to 2017. Results showed that:(1) the interval from seedling emergence to the end of the life cycle in autumn-germinated plants(202–208 d) was significantly longer than that in spring-germinated plants(53–65 d);(2) the height, crown, principal axis and the number of leaves of autumn-germinated plants were much greater than those of spring-germinated plants;(3) allocation of dry mass to reproduction was 30.24%(±2.41%) and 10.12%(±0.68%) in autumn-and spring-germinated plants, respectively. Autumn-germinated seedlings of H. erectum had an advantage in avoiding the competition between annual and perennial herbs that had longer periods of vegetative growth.Spring-germinated seedlings need to ensure the survival of population when only a fewer autumn-germinated seedlings successfully overwinter. In an unpredictable environment, the germination strategy of bet hedging not only utilizes the resources and reduces the competition intensity in offspring,but also ensures the survival of the plant population.

Dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with desert ephemeral plants in Gurbantunggut Desert

Previous studies documented that most desert plants can be colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal （AM） fungi, however, little is known about how the dynamics of AM fungi are related to ephemerals in desert ecosystems. The dynamics of AM fungi with desert ephemerals were examined to determine the effects of host plant life stages on the development of AM fungi. Mean colonization of ephemeral annual plants was 45% lower than that of ephemeral perennial plants. The colonizations were much higher in the early part of the growing season than in later parts, peaking at flowering times. The phenology of AM fungi in root systems varied among different ephem- erals. The density of AM fungal spores increased with the development of ephemeral annual plants, reached its maximum at flowering times, and then plateaued about 20 days after the aboveground senescence. A significant positive correlation was found between AM fungi spore density and biomass of ephemeral annual plants. The life cycles of AM fungi associated with desert ephemerals were very shod, being about 60-70 days. Soil temperature and water content had no direct influence on the development of AM fungal spores. We concluded that the development of AM fungi was in response to desert ephemeral phenology and life history strategy.

Characteristics of plant calcium fractions for 25 species in Tengger Desert

Little attention has been paid to plant calcium fractions in the desert.To address the characteristic of the calcium fractions of desert plants,we collected 25 plant species in Tengger Desert,observed the calcium crystals using an optical microscope and determined water soluble calcium,acetic acid soluble calcium,and hydrochloric acid soluble calcium.To do so,we used sequential fractionation procedures to probe the relationships among different functional groups,different growth forms,or different successional stages.The results showed that the psammophyte,the late successional plants,and the drought-resistant shrub and semi-shrub all held considerable calcium oxalate crystal compared to the grassland plants,the early successional plants,and the perennial herb.With the proceeding succession,the acetic acid soluble calcium decreased gradually,and the hydrochloric acid soluble calcium increased gradually.The perennial herb had more water soluble calcium,while shrub held greater hydrochloric acid soluble calcium.The grassland plants held more water soluble calcium,while psammophyte had greater hydrochloric acid soluble calcium.This implies that the plants that are relatively sensitive to drought hold more calcium ion,while the drought-resistance plants hold more calcium oxalate.Thus,the plant calcium components are in close relation to plant drought-resistance,and of important significance in plant physiology of the desert.

Distribution of ephemeral plants and their significance in dune stabilization in Gurbantunggut Desert

Based on systematically monitoring plants on dune ridges in the southern part of the Gurbantunggut Desert in 2002, this paper, from the angle of dune stabilization by vegetation, describes the temporal and spatial distribution patterns of ephemeral plants on isolated sand dunes, analyses the natural invasion processes of ephemeral plants on human-disturbed sand surface and expounds the importance of ephemeral plants in stabilizing sand dune surface. A total of 45 plant species were identified in the study area, 29 of which are ephemeral plants. Ephemeral plants sprouted in early April and completed their life-circle within about two months. Just as aeolian sand activities came to the strongest stage from April to June in desert regions of northern Xinjiang, the total coverage of trees, shrubs and herbs of long vegetational period on most dune ridges was less than 10%, while the mean coverage of ephemeral plants reached 13.9% in April, 40.2% in May and 14.1% in June. Therefore ephemeral plants acted as the major contributor to dune surface stabilization in the Gurbantunggut Desert. Investigations of vegetation restoration on engineering-disturbed dune surface show that ephemeral plants first recolonized the disturbed dune surface.

Genetic Structure of Reaumuria soongorica Population in Fukang Desert, Xinjiang and Its Relationship with Ecological Factors

Genetic structure and differentiation of Reaumuria soongorica (Pall.) Maxim population from the desert of Fukang, Xinjiang, were assessed by means of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. High genetic diversity and differentiation were revealed in the population of R soongorica by 15 random primers. One hundred and thirty-six individuals from seven subpopulations were sampled in the study. Seventy-one loci have been detected, and among them 69 were polymorphic. The mean proportion of polymorphic loci (PPB) was 97.18%. The analyses of Shannon information index (0.307 5), Nei's gene diversity (0.312 7) and G(ST)(0.312 0) indicated that there were more genetic variations within the subpopulations than those among the subpopulations. The results of AMOVA analysis showed that 61.58% of the genetic variations existed within subpopulations, and 38.02% among the subpopulations. The gene flow among the subpopulations of R soongorica (Nm = 1.102 8) was much less than that of the common anemophytes (Nm = 5.24), so genetic differentiation among the subpopulations occurred to some extent. Additionally, through the use of clustering and the correlation analyses, we found that the genetic structure of natural population of R soongorica was related to some ecological factors (soil factors mainly) of the oasis-desert transition zone. The genetic diversity level of R soongorica had negative correlation with the content of total soil P and Cl significantly (P < 0.05). On the contrary, it had significant positive correlation with CO32- (P < 0.05), showing that the distribution of the individuals of R soongorica in the sampled areas correlates with certain soluble salt. Furthermore, the genetic diversity of the natural population of R soongorica increased with the decreasing of the content of soil organic matters, water, total N and total P in soil. The paper concluded that the microenvironment ecological factors played an important role in the adaptive evolution of R soongorica population.

Stability and Ecological Effects of Main Plant Communities in Minqin Desert Area

[ Objective ] To elucidate the change trend in stability and ecological effects of plant communities in desert along with global wanning. [ Method ] The data of site-specific observation on five main plant communities at ten plots in Minqin desert area were used to analyze the stability and ecological effects of desert plant communities by using two indicators vegetation coverage and projective cover degree. [ Results ] The vegetation coverage of Artemisia arenaria and Ephedra przewalskii, and the projective cover degree of A. arenaria and man-made Haloxylon ammodendron forest decreased remarkably; and the vegetation coverage of Ni- traria tangutorum was also decreased to some extent. [ Conduslon] （1） The plant communities with poor vegetation coverage gives a relatively strong stability, while that with high vegetation coverage has a relatively poor stability; （2） the yearly precipitation is the determinant of vegetation coverage and projective cover deglee; （3） the ecological function is found to be most remarkable in per unit area N. tangutorum, followed by E. przewalskii and N. tangutorum ＋H. ammodendron, and least in per unit area A. Arenaria. The vegetation is sparse in desert and plant branches does not distribute regularly, thus the crown-based vegetation coverage can not reflect the actual surface coverage.

小车前(Plantago minuta Pall.)种子表面粘液物质的吸水特性及其对种子在干旱环境中萌发的影响

为了理解荒漠短命植物小车前(Plantago minuta Pall.)种子表面的粘液物质对种子在干旱环境中萌发的作用,在室内控制条件下研究了粘液物质的吸水保水特性、剥离粘液物质的种子(无粘液种子)和保留粘液物质的种子(粘液种子)在-1.15^-0.15MPa不同渗透胁迫条件下的萌发状况。结果表明:(1)小车前种子表面的粘液物质干重占粘液种子干重的5.6%;在去离子水中,粘液物质可以吸收相当于其自身干重217.1倍的水分;粘液物质的存在使得小车前种子的吸水倍数由2倍增加至14倍,从而保证为种子萌发提供充足的水分;(2)干燥的粘液种子吸水2h后即达到饱和,而吸水饱和后的粘液种子在室温下晾置,经过48h后又干燥失水恢复至原重;(3)在去离子水中或低渗透胁迫(-0.33^-0.15MPa)条件下,粘液物质吸水作用能促进小车前种子萌发,粘液种子3d的发芽势和10d的总萌发率均显著高于无粘液种子;在高渗透胁迫(-1.15^-0.73MPa)条件下,粘液种子3d的发芽势显著低于无粘液种子的,而10d的总萌发率与无粘液种子的没有显著差别,表明粘液物质在干旱条件下可能从种子而非外界环境中吸取水分,减缓了种子萌发速率。通过上述结果可以认为小车前种子表面的粘液物质在早春干湿交替剧烈的荒漠生境中起到通过调节水分来调节种子萌发的作用,这种萌发策略大大降低了因大批种子同时萌发导致幼苗受旱甚至种群灭亡的潜在风险。