The influence of biological soil crusts on ^(15)N translocation in soil and vascular plant in a temperate desert of northwestern China

Aims Desert ecosystems are often characterized by patchy distribution of vascular plants,with biological soil crusts(BSC)covering interplant spaces.However,few studies have comprehensively examined the linkage between BSC and vascular plants through nitrogen(N)or element translocation.the objective of this study was to evaluate the ecological roles of BSC on N translocation from soil to the domi-nant herb Erodium oxyrrhynchum bieb.(geraniaceae)in a temper-ate desert in China.Methods Isotopes(including 15N-glu,15N-NH4Cl and 15N-NaNo3)were used as a tracer to detect translocation of N in two types of desert soil(BSC covered;bare)to the dominant herb E.oxyrrhynchum.three different forms of 15N-enriched N compounds were applied as a point source to small patches of BSC and to bare soil.and we measured isotopes(14N and 15N)and obtained the concentration of labeled-15N in both vascular plants and soils at different distances from substrate application Important Findings Plants of E.oxyrrhynchum growing in BSC-covered plots accumulated moreδ15N than those growing in the bare soil.similarly,soil from b Ccovered plots showed a higher concentration of labeled-N irrespective of form of isotope,than did the bare soil.the concentration of dissolved organic N(15N-glu)in E.oxyrrhynchum was higher than that of dis-solved inorganic N(15N-NH4Cl and 15N-NaNo3).soil covered by BSC also accumulated considerably more dissolved organic N than bare soil,whereas the dominant form of 15N concentrated in bare soil was dissolved inorganic N.Correlation analysis showed that the concentra-tion of labeled-N in plants was positively related to the concentration of labeled-N in soils and the N%recorded in E.oxyrrhynchum.our study supports the hypothesis that BSC facilitates ^(15)N translocation in soils and vascular plants in a temperate desert of northwestern China.

Analysis of Parameter Sensitivity on Surface Heat Exchange in the Noah Land Surface Model at a Temperate Desert Steppe Site in China

The dominant parameters in the Noah land surface model （LSM） are identified, and the effects of parameter optimization on the surface heat exchange are investigated at a temperate desert steppe site during growing season in Inner Mongolia, China. The relative impacts of parameters on surface heat flux are examined by the distributed evaluation of local sensitivity analysis （DELSA）, and the Noah LSM is calibrated by the global shuffled complex evolution （SCE） against the corresponding observations during May-September of 2008 and 2009. The differences in flux sim- ulations are assessed between the Noah LSM calibrated by the SCE with 27 parameters and 12 dominant parameters. The systematic error, unsystematic error, root mean squared error, and mean squared error decompositions are used to evaluate the model performance. Compared to the control experiment, parameter optimization by the SCE using net radiation, sensible heat flux, latent heat flux, and ground heat flux as the objective criterion, respectively, can ob- viously reduce the errors of the Noah LSM. The calibrated Noah LSM is further validated against flux observations of growing season in 2010, and it is found that the calibrated Noah LSM can be applied in the longer term at this site. The Noah LSM with 12 dominant parameters calibrated performs similar to that with 27 parameters calibrated.

Precipitation and soil particle size co-determine spatial distribution of biological soil crusts in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China

Biological soil crusts （BSCs） are bio-sedimentary associations that play crucial ecological roles in arid and semi-arid regions. In the Gurbantunggut Desert of China, more than 27% of the land surface is characterized by a predominant cover of lichen-dominated BSCs that contribute to the stability of the desert. However, little is known about the major factors that limit the spatial distribution of BSCs at a macro scale. In this study, the cover of BSCs was investigated along a precipitation gradient from the margins to the center of the Gurbantunggut Desert. Environmental variables including precipitation, soil particle size, soil pH, electrical conductivity, soil organic carbon, total salt, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium were analyzed at a macro scale to determine their association with differing assemblages of BSCs （cyanobacteria crusts, lichen crusts and moss crusts） using constrained linear ordination redundancy analysis （RDA）. A model of BSCs distribution correlated with environmental variables that dominated the first two axes of the RDA was constructed to clearly demonstrate the succession stages of BSCs. The study determined that soil particle size （represented by coarse sand content） and precipitation are the most significant drivers influencing the spatial distribution of BSCs at a macro scale in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The cover of lichen and moss crusts increased with increasing precipitation, while the cover of cyanobacteria crusts decreased with increasing precipitation. The cover of lichen and moss crusts was negatively associated with coarse sand content, whereas the cover of cyanobacteria crusts was positively correlated with coarse sand content. These findings highlight the need for both the availability of soil moisture and a relatively stable of soil matrix, not only for the growth of BSCs but more importantly, for the regeneration and rehabilitation of disturbed BSC communities in arid and semi-arid lands. Thereby, this study will provide a theory basis to effectively increase soil stability in desert regions.