This paper reports a geomorphologic landscape investigation, vegetationsurvey and soil sampling at 14 sites across the Gurbantunggut Desert between87°37′09″-88°24′04″E and 44°14′04″-45°41′52...This paper reports a geomorphologic landscape investigation, vegetationsurvey and soil sampling at 14 sites across the Gurbantunggut Desert between87°37′09″-88°24′04″E and 44°14′04″-45°41′52″N. The study encountered 8 species of lowtrees and shrubs, 5 of perennial herbs, 8 of annual plants and 48 of ephemeral and ephemeroidplants. These species of plants represent one-third of the species found in the GurbantunggutDesert, and their communities make up a large proportion of desert vegetation with great landscapesignificance. In the investigation we found that the plant communities are accordingly succeededwith the spatial variation of macro-ecoenvironment. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) andCorrelation Analysis (CA) we found that the micro-ecoenvironment heterogeneity of aeolian sandysoil's physical and chemical properties such as soil nutrient, soil moisture, soil salt, pH etc.only impacted the diversity of herb synusia (PIEherb) of the desert, with a negative correlation.Meanwhile, the impact of microhabitat on the plant community pattern with an antagonisticinteraction made vegetation's eco-distribution in a temporary equilibrium.展开更多
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 ...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.展开更多
The grain size composition, distribution characteristics and spatial variation of eolian sand soil on distinct positions across two longitudinal dunes and interdune areas were studied by means of conventional grain si...The grain size composition, distribution characteristics and spatial variation of eolian sand soil on distinct positions across two longitudinal dunes and interdune areas were studied by means of conventional grain size analysis and geostatistical methods. In the study, 184 samples of eolian sand soil from the 0-30cm layer were systemically collected and measured from two longitudinal dunes and interdunes in the southern Gurbantunggut Desert. The results show that the dominant grain sizes are fine and very fine sands, and the differences of grain size compositions between the distinct geomorphologic positions are significant. The contents of clay and silt are highest on the interdune areas and lowest on the crests, and higher on the leeward slopes than on the windward slopes. The contents of very fine and fine sands are highest on the windward slopes and lowest on the crests. The contents of medium, coarse and very coarse sands are lowest on the interdune lands, and highest on the crests, and are identical on the two slopes. The coarser sizes (phi(1)) and mean sizes (Mz) for eolian sand soil all have a varying tendency from fine to coarse sizes with interdune area -> leeward slope -> windward slope -> crest, and the sorting (sigma) are poorly to well sorted. The results of geostatistical analysis reveal that phi(1), Mz and a values are moderately to strongly spatially autocorrelated. The values of the spatially correlated ranges are phi(1) < sigma < Mz. The spatial variation for these grain size parameters is significant across the longitudinal dune landscape. From the crests towards the bottom of the slope, there is a varying gradient of zonal distribution, and the gradient values on the leeward slopes are larger than sites on the windward slopes.展开更多
Understanding the characteristics of soil seed banks in sand dunes is crucial to stabilize the dune systems and maintain the plant populations in deserts. In this study, we conducted a survey investigation in the fiel...Understanding the characteristics of soil seed banks in sand dunes is crucial to stabilize the dune systems and maintain the plant populations in deserts. In this study, we conducted a survey investigation in the field and a seed germination experiment in the laboratory to explore the characteristics of soil seed banks at various geomorphic positions of longitudinal sand dunes in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China. Totally, 17 plant species belonging to 17 genera and 9 families were identified in soil seed banks, and 35 plant species belonging to 34 genera and 17 families were identified in aboveground vegetation. Plant species richness in soil seed banks decreased with increasing soil depth. The highest species richness was presented in the upper slope of the windward slope and the lowest species richness was presented in the base of the windward slope. There was no significant difference in seed density of soil seed banks among the examined seven geomorphic positions. The highest seed density occurred in the lower slope of the leeward slope while the lowest occurred in the crest. Moreover, seed density decreased with increasing soil depth, being the highest in the upper soil layer (0-2 cm). For both soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation, there was no significant difference in Simpson's diversity index among the seven geomorphic positions; however, Shannon-Wiener diversity index and Pielou's evenness index showed significant differences among the seven geomorphic positions. Those results showed that although there was no significant difference in seed density of soil seed banks among the seven geomorphic positions, the geomorphic positions significantly affected the species richness, diversity and distribution of soil seed banks. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of soil seed banks at different geomorphic positions of sand dunes is essential to vegetation restoration or reestablishment. Furthermore, the Jaccard's similarity coefficients of plant species between soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation at the seven geomorphic positions were low, suggesting that vegetation restoration or reestablishment processes should be promoted through adding seeds to surface layers.展开更多
Intensive grazing in spring-summer has been responsible for environmental degradation of the Gurbantunggut Desert in recent years. The coverage of plants and biological crusts, sand surface stability and physicochemic...Intensive grazing in spring-summer has been responsible for environmental degradation of the Gurbantunggut Desert in recent years. The coverage of plants and biological crusts, sand surface stability and physicochemical characteristics of soil on the dune surface were conducted in 2002 (winter grazing) and 2005 (spring-summer grazing). The results showed that over 80% of the total area of the dune surface was covered by well-developed biological crusts and plants in 2002, when the interdune and middle to lower part of dune slopes were stabilized and only the crest had 10-40 m wide mobile belt. Affected by spring-summer grazing in 2005, over 80% of the total cover of biological crust was destructed and the plant coverage only reached 1/5 of that in 2002, especially the ephemeral plant cover had a great change. The value of sand transport potential in 2005 only reached 1/3 of that in 2002, but the total surface activity in 2005 was 1.6 times stronger than that in 2002. Meanwhile the mobile area began to expand from the dune top to the whole dune surface following spring-summer grazing. Compared with 2002, medium sand content of the dune surface soil increased by 13.9%, while that of fine and very fine sands decreased by 7.4% and 8.0% respectively in 2005 and the soil organic matter in 2005 was only about 1/2 of that in 2002. It is obvious that the presence of snow cover and frozen soil in winter could avoid the surface structure destruction in winter, while spring-summer grazing made excessive damage to biologic crusts and ephemeral plants. Spring is the main windy season in Gurbantunggut Desert and therefore intensive activity of dune surface occurred following spring-summer grazing, which led to a great loss of fine sand and organic matter. It can be seen that grazing season have a significant influence on the sustainable development of the desert ecosystem in Northwest China.展开更多
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. ...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.展开更多
Competition,spatial pattern,and regeneration are important factors affecting community composition,structure,and dynamics.In this study,we surveyed 300 quadrats from three dunes(i.e.,fixed dunes,semifixed dunes,and mo...Competition,spatial pattern,and regeneration are important factors affecting community composition,structure,and dynamics.In this study,we surveyed 300 quadrats from three dunes(i.e.,fixed dunes,semifixed dunes,and mobile dunes)in the Gurbantunggut Desert,Northwest China,from late May to early June in 2021.The intraspecific and interspecific competition,spatial pattern,and regeneration of Haloxylon ammodendron and Haloxylon persicum were studied using the Hegyi competition index and point pattern analysis methods.The results showed that the optimal competition distance of the objective tree in the H.ammodendron and H.persicum communities was 6 m.The intraspecific and interspecific competition of H.ammodendron was the greatest in fixed dunes,while the competition intensity of H.persicum in semifixed dunes and mobile dunes was greater than that in fixed dunes.The order of competition intensity of the two populations was seedlings>saplings>adults,and the competition intensity gradually decreased with the increase in plant diameter.The spatial distribution pattern of the three life stages of H.ammodendron and H.persicum was random,and there were no correlations between seedlings and saplings,adults and saplings,and seedlings and adults.The density of regenerated seedlings and saplings of H.ammodendron in the three dunes followed the order of fixed dunes>semifixed dunes>mobile dunes,and that of H.persicum in the three dunes followed the order of mobile dunes>semifixed dunes>fixed dunes.Therefore,when artificially planting H.ammodendron and H.persicum for sand control,the planting interval should be 6 m,and seedlings should be planted next to adults to minimize the competition between plants,which can promote the renewal of H.ammodendron and H.persicum and the stabilization of the ecosystem.展开更多
Soil moisture is critical for vegetation growth in deserts.However,detailed data regarding the soil moisture distribution in space and time in the Gurbantunggut Desert of China have not yet been reported.In this study...Soil moisture is critical for vegetation growth in deserts.However,detailed data regarding the soil moisture distribution in space and time in the Gurbantunggut Desert of China have not yet been reported.In this study,we conducted a series of in situ observation experiments in a fixed sand dune at the southern edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert from February 2014 to October 2016,to explore the spatio-temporal variation of soil moisture content,investigate the impact of Haloxylon ammodendron(C.A.Mey.)Bungeon soil moisture content in its root zone,and examine the factors influencing the soil moisture spatial pattern.One-way analysis of variance,least significant difference tests and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.The results revealed that the soil moisture content exhibited annual periodicity and the temporal variation of soil moisture content throughout a year could be divided into three periods,namely,a moisturegaining period,a moisture-losing period and a moisture-stable period.According to the temporal and spatial variability,the 0–400 cm soil profile could be divided into two layers:an active layer with moderate variability and a stable layer with weak variability.The temporal variability was larger than the spatial variability in the active layer,and the mean profile soil moisture content at different slope positions displayed the trend of decreasing with increasing relative height and mainly followed the order of interdune area>west and east slopes>slope top.The mean profile soil moisture content in the root zone of dead H.ammodendron individuals was significantly higher than that in the root zones of adult and young individuals,while the soil moisture content in the root zone of adult individuals was slightly higher than that in the root zone of young individuals with no significant difference.The spatial pattern of soil moisture was attributable to the combined effects of snowfall,vegetation and soil texture,whereas the effects of rainfall and evaporation were not significant.The findings may offer a foundation for the management of sandy soil moisture and vegetation restoration in arid areas.展开更多
The exploration and development of oilfield results in damages to land resources. Along with the further development of petroleum in the Gurbantunggut Desert, the fragile ecological environment and land resource was s...The exploration and development of oilfield results in damages to land resources. Along with the further development of petroleum in the Gurbantunggut Desert, the fragile ecological environment and land resource was suffering much more damage. Vegetation degradation and desertification become more prominent. In response to the damage to the fragile ecological environment and oilfield in the Gurbantunggut Desert, limit condition method was used to evaluate the suitability of land reclamation suitability. Results suggested that the main restraining factors for land reclamation were soil condition and water resources. Based on the effect and shortage of oilfield in the Gurbantunggut Desert Oilfield, the reclamation of oilfield in the Gurbantunggut desert was discussed.展开更多
The distribution of plant species and relationships between species and soil factors in the east central part of Gurbantunggut Desert was studied to provide more insight into the flora and determine differences in veg...The distribution of plant species and relationships between species and soil factors in the east central part of Gurbantunggut Desert was studied to provide more insight into the flora and determine differences in vegetation across various parts of the desert. Two-way Cluster Analysis showed that the vegetation in the area could be divided into three groups, the first group was dominated by the shrub species, Ephedra przewalskii and the grass species, Carex physodes mainly in areas of flat grounds and gentle slopes; the second group was dominated by C. physodes, Artemisia songorica and A. xerophytica mainly on the slope of sand dunes and the third group was dominated by the shrub species, Haloxylon persicum mainly on the top of sand dunes. There was no difference in plant density between Groups 1 and 2 but there was a significant decrease in Group 3. Soil water under vegetation Group 3 was much lower than that in the other two groups at all soil depths. The EC, organic matter, total P and soluble Na, Ca and Mg varied very similarly with soil water. Canonical corre- spondence analysis (CCA) satisfactorily assessed the species-soil relations in the area. The distribution of plant species was strongly correlated with the soil factors of water content, organic matter, EC and nutrients. The variations in species occurrence explained by the three CCA axes were about 70%, indicating that some explanatory site variables may exist outside our studied parameters. Soil texture is suggested to be included in future studies to improve the explanation of CCA.展开更多
In this paper,chlorophytes collected from 253 biological soil crust samples in Gurbantunggut Desert in Xinjiang Autonomous Region,China were studied by field investigation and microscopical observation in lab.The flor...In this paper,chlorophytes collected from 253 biological soil crust samples in Gurbantunggut Desert in Xinjiang Autonomous Region,China were studied by field investigation and microscopical observation in lab.The flora composition,ecological distribution of chlorophytes in the desert and dynamic changes of species composition of chlorophytes in different developing stages of biological soil crusts are preliminarily analyzed.Results showed that there were 26 species belonging to 14 genera and 10 families,in which unicellular chlorophytes were dominant.There existed some differences in distribution of varied sand dune positions.The taxa of chlorophytes in leeward of sand dunes are most abundant,but the taxa in windward,interdune and the top of sand dunes reduced gradually.Chlorophytes were mainly distributed within the crust and the taxa of chlorophytes decrease obviously under the crust.In the devel-oping stages of the biological soil crust,species diversity of chlorophytes changed a little,but species composition pre-sented some differences.Chlorococcum humicola,Chlorella vulgaris,Chlamydomonas ovalis and Chlamydomonas sp.nearly existed in all developing stages of biological crusts.In several former stages of the biological soil crust there were spherical chlorophytes and filamentous ones.When moss crust formed,filamentous chlorophytes disappeared,such as Microspora and Ulothrix.展开更多
Eolian loess is widely distributed on the various geomorphic surfaces between 700-2400 m a.s.l. on the northern slope of the Tian Shan. It is formed in a synchronous manner with dust transported from the Gurbantunggut...Eolian loess is widely distributed on the various geomorphic surfaces between 700-2400 m a.s.l. on the northern slope of the Tian Shan. It is formed in a synchronous manner with dust transported from the Gurbantunggut Desert in the Junggar Basin. The thickest section of loess was found in the Shawan and Shihezi regions. Paleomagnetic and climatic proxy analyses of over 71 m of a loess-paleosol sequence on the highest terrace of the Qingshui He (River) in the Shawan show that the paleomagnetic Bruhues/Matuy-ama (B/M) boundary lies at the bottom of paleosol S8, at a depth of 69.5 m, and the bottom of the sequence was estimated to be -0.8 Ma. This implies that the extremely dry climatic conditions in the Junggar Basin and the initial Gurbantunggut Desert were present at least by 0.8 Ma. High-resolution grain size series demonstrate that this area and desert expansion experienced two dramatic periods of desert expansions that occurred at -0.65 Ma and 0.5 Ma, respectively; and the subsequent continuous展开更多
The research on the respondence and feedback of modern sand deserts to the climate change is an important component part in the studies on the global climate change. Deserts respond to the climate change, meanwhile, t...The research on the respondence and feedback of modern sand deserts to the climate change is an important component part in the studies on the global climate change. Deserts respond to the climate change, meanwhile, they affect the climate with their feedback of peculiar environment during the respondence. Many researches on desert climate have been carried out at home and abroad. However, there is little research on the respondence and feedback of modern fixed, semi-fixed and mobile deserts in arid areas to the climate change, in which the factor analysis as well as the parameter changing effects is especially the difficult problem all along. In this note, the parameters of the respondence and feedback of Gurbantunggut Desert to the climate change are measured and analyzed, some variable parameters of water-heat exchange are obtained, and a numerical model of desertification is developed according to a series of climate change of about 40 years and the variable relations of meteorological and physical展开更多
The fragile ecological environment of the Gurbantunggut Desert is damaged/disturbedby human activities relating to the development of oil-gas resources and the constructions of de-sert road and great engineering in th...The fragile ecological environment of the Gurbantunggut Desert is damaged/disturbedby human activities relating to the development of oil-gas resources and the constructions of de-sert road and great engineering in the Jungger Basin. It was mainly represented: soil compaction,vegetation cleaning, burial of vegetation, oil polluting, and soil disturbance. With investigation andexperiment, we found that when the way and intensity of engineering activities disturbing theeco-environment does not make its ecological stability disintegrated, the desert vegetation has acapacity of natural recovery. To speed and strengthen the process of vegetation recovery efficientassistant measurements, including stabilizing mobile sands promptly and sowing seeds of shruband herb plants in good time will be needed.展开更多
[目的]揭示古尔班通古特沙漠土壤水分的分布规律及其与地形—植被因子的关系,对制定相应的防风固沙措施以及建立科学合理的植物固沙模式有积极的指导作用。[方法]以古尔班通古特沙漠东南部地区3种不同类型沙丘(固定、半固定和流动沙丘)...[目的]揭示古尔班通古特沙漠土壤水分的分布规律及其与地形—植被因子的关系,对制定相应的防风固沙措施以及建立科学合理的植物固沙模式有积极的指导作用。[方法]以古尔班通古特沙漠东南部地区3种不同类型沙丘(固定、半固定和流动沙丘)为研究对象,利用方差分析和冗余分析等方法对3种不同类型沙丘上4种微地貌类型(迎风坡、背风坡、丘顶、丘底)不同深度土壤水分(0—40 cm, 40—200 cm, 200—300 cm)分布特征及其与地形—植被因子之间的关系进行综合分析。[结果](1)所有类型沙丘上0—300 cm土壤水分的波动程度随深度的增加逐渐减小,表层土壤水分的波动程度大于中层和深层。(2)所有类型沙丘不同深度的土壤水分有显著的差异,且背风坡、丘底和迎风坡3种微地貌类型上土壤水分相对较为集中。(3)地形—植被因子对研究区绝大多数(半)固定沙丘的土壤水分呈负相关关系,对(半)固定沙丘不同深度土壤水分影响较流动沙丘更为明显。[结论]所有类型沙丘上的土壤水分受地形因子的影响较植被因子强,而且影响不同类型沙丘土壤水分的主要地形—植被因子也不同。展开更多
基金Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region′s Natural Science Foundation Project,The special support project from the Director′s fund of the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geology,国家自然科学基金
文摘This paper reports a geomorphologic landscape investigation, vegetationsurvey and soil sampling at 14 sites across the Gurbantunggut Desert between87°37′09″-88°24′04″E and 44°14′04″-45°41′52″N. The study encountered 8 species of lowtrees and shrubs, 5 of perennial herbs, 8 of annual plants and 48 of ephemeral and ephemeroidplants. These species of plants represent one-third of the species found in the GurbantunggutDesert, and their communities make up a large proportion of desert vegetation with great landscapesignificance. In the investigation we found that the plant communities are accordingly succeededwith the spatial variation of macro-ecoenvironment. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) andCorrelation Analysis (CA) we found that the micro-ecoenvironment heterogeneity of aeolian sandysoil's physical and chemical properties such as soil nutrient, soil moisture, soil salt, pH etc.only impacted the diversity of herb synusia (PIEherb) of the desert, with a negative correlation.Meanwhile, the impact of microhabitat on the plant community pattern with an antagonisticinteraction made vegetation's eco-distribution in a temporary equilibrium.
基金The National Key Project for Basic Research No. G1999043504National Natural Science Foundation of China+3 种基金 No.90202019 The "Light of West China" Project for Talent Training CAS No. 20032057
文摘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.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB825105)
文摘The grain size composition, distribution characteristics and spatial variation of eolian sand soil on distinct positions across two longitudinal dunes and interdune areas were studied by means of conventional grain size analysis and geostatistical methods. In the study, 184 samples of eolian sand soil from the 0-30cm layer were systemically collected and measured from two longitudinal dunes and interdunes in the southern Gurbantunggut Desert. The results show that the dominant grain sizes are fine and very fine sands, and the differences of grain size compositions between the distinct geomorphologic positions are significant. The contents of clay and silt are highest on the interdune areas and lowest on the crests, and higher on the leeward slopes than on the windward slopes. The contents of very fine and fine sands are highest on the windward slopes and lowest on the crests. The contents of medium, coarse and very coarse sands are lowest on the interdune lands, and highest on the crests, and are identical on the two slopes. The coarser sizes (phi(1)) and mean sizes (Mz) for eolian sand soil all have a varying tendency from fine to coarse sizes with interdune area -> leeward slope -> windward slope -> crest, and the sorting (sigma) are poorly to well sorted. The results of geostatistical analysis reveal that phi(1), Mz and a values are moderately to strongly spatially autocorrelated. The values of the spatially correlated ranges are phi(1) < sigma < Mz. The spatial variation for these grain size parameters is significant across the longitudinal dune landscape. From the crests towards the bottom of the slope, there is a varying gradient of zonal distribution, and the gradient values on the leeward slopes are larger than sites on the windward slopes.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41571256)the National Natural Science Foundation of China–Xinjiang Mutual Funds(U1503101)the Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang,China(2015211C292)
文摘Understanding the characteristics of soil seed banks in sand dunes is crucial to stabilize the dune systems and maintain the plant populations in deserts. In this study, we conducted a survey investigation in the field and a seed germination experiment in the laboratory to explore the characteristics of soil seed banks at various geomorphic positions of longitudinal sand dunes in the Gurbantunggut Desert, China. Totally, 17 plant species belonging to 17 genera and 9 families were identified in soil seed banks, and 35 plant species belonging to 34 genera and 17 families were identified in aboveground vegetation. Plant species richness in soil seed banks decreased with increasing soil depth. The highest species richness was presented in the upper slope of the windward slope and the lowest species richness was presented in the base of the windward slope. There was no significant difference in seed density of soil seed banks among the examined seven geomorphic positions. The highest seed density occurred in the lower slope of the leeward slope while the lowest occurred in the crest. Moreover, seed density decreased with increasing soil depth, being the highest in the upper soil layer (0-2 cm). For both soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation, there was no significant difference in Simpson's diversity index among the seven geomorphic positions; however, Shannon-Wiener diversity index and Pielou's evenness index showed significant differences among the seven geomorphic positions. Those results showed that although there was no significant difference in seed density of soil seed banks among the seven geomorphic positions, the geomorphic positions significantly affected the species richness, diversity and distribution of soil seed banks. Therefore, understanding the characteristics of soil seed banks at different geomorphic positions of sand dunes is essential to vegetation restoration or reestablishment. Furthermore, the Jaccard's similarity coefficients of plant species between soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation at the seven geomorphic positions were low, suggesting that vegetation restoration or reestablishment processes should be promoted through adding seeds to surface layers.
基金National Basic Research Program of China,No.2009CB421303National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.40771032National Science Supporting Program,No.2007BAC17B03
文摘Intensive grazing in spring-summer has been responsible for environmental degradation of the Gurbantunggut Desert in recent years. The coverage of plants and biological crusts, sand surface stability and physicochemical characteristics of soil on the dune surface were conducted in 2002 (winter grazing) and 2005 (spring-summer grazing). The results showed that over 80% of the total area of the dune surface was covered by well-developed biological crusts and plants in 2002, when the interdune and middle to lower part of dune slopes were stabilized and only the crest had 10-40 m wide mobile belt. Affected by spring-summer grazing in 2005, over 80% of the total cover of biological crust was destructed and the plant coverage only reached 1/5 of that in 2002, especially the ephemeral plant cover had a great change. The value of sand transport potential in 2005 only reached 1/3 of that in 2002, but the total surface activity in 2005 was 1.6 times stronger than that in 2002. Meanwhile the mobile area began to expand from the dune top to the whole dune surface following spring-summer grazing. Compared with 2002, medium sand content of the dune surface soil increased by 13.9%, while that of fine and very fine sands decreased by 7.4% and 8.0% respectively in 2005 and the soil organic matter in 2005 was only about 1/2 of that in 2002. It is obvious that the presence of snow cover and frozen soil in winter could avoid the surface structure destruction in winter, while spring-summer grazing made excessive damage to biologic crusts and ephemeral plants. Spring is the main windy season in Gurbantunggut Desert and therefore intensive activity of dune surface occurred following spring-summer grazing, which led to a great loss of fine sand and organic matter. It can be seen that grazing season have a significant influence on the sustainable development of the desert ecosystem in Northwest China.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30770341)the International Fund for Agricultural Development (the WATERCOPE project,I-R-1284)
文摘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.
基金the Open Project of Xinjiang Laboratory of Lake Environment and Resources in Arid Zone(XJDX0909-2022-4)the PhD Early Development Program of Xinjiang Normal University(XJNUBS2113).
文摘Competition,spatial pattern,and regeneration are important factors affecting community composition,structure,and dynamics.In this study,we surveyed 300 quadrats from three dunes(i.e.,fixed dunes,semifixed dunes,and mobile dunes)in the Gurbantunggut Desert,Northwest China,from late May to early June in 2021.The intraspecific and interspecific competition,spatial pattern,and regeneration of Haloxylon ammodendron and Haloxylon persicum were studied using the Hegyi competition index and point pattern analysis methods.The results showed that the optimal competition distance of the objective tree in the H.ammodendron and H.persicum communities was 6 m.The intraspecific and interspecific competition of H.ammodendron was the greatest in fixed dunes,while the competition intensity of H.persicum in semifixed dunes and mobile dunes was greater than that in fixed dunes.The order of competition intensity of the two populations was seedlings>saplings>adults,and the competition intensity gradually decreased with the increase in plant diameter.The spatial distribution pattern of the three life stages of H.ammodendron and H.persicum was random,and there were no correlations between seedlings and saplings,adults and saplings,and seedlings and adults.The density of regenerated seedlings and saplings of H.ammodendron in the three dunes followed the order of fixed dunes>semifixed dunes>mobile dunes,and that of H.persicum in the three dunes followed the order of mobile dunes>semifixed dunes>fixed dunes.Therefore,when artificially planting H.ammodendron and H.persicum for sand control,the planting interval should be 6 m,and seedlings should be planted next to adults to minimize the competition between plants,which can promote the renewal of H.ammodendron and H.persicum and the stabilization of the ecosystem.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41671032, U1303181, U1806215)the National Key Research and Development Programs of China (2016YFC0501401, 2016YFD0200303, 2016YFC0501309, 2016YFC0501201)+1 种基金the National Basic Research Program of China (2013CB429902)the Key Deployment Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KFZD-SW-112-03-02)
文摘Soil moisture is critical for vegetation growth in deserts.However,detailed data regarding the soil moisture distribution in space and time in the Gurbantunggut Desert of China have not yet been reported.In this study,we conducted a series of in situ observation experiments in a fixed sand dune at the southern edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert from February 2014 to October 2016,to explore the spatio-temporal variation of soil moisture content,investigate the impact of Haloxylon ammodendron(C.A.Mey.)Bungeon soil moisture content in its root zone,and examine the factors influencing the soil moisture spatial pattern.One-way analysis of variance,least significant difference tests and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data.The results revealed that the soil moisture content exhibited annual periodicity and the temporal variation of soil moisture content throughout a year could be divided into three periods,namely,a moisturegaining period,a moisture-losing period and a moisture-stable period.According to the temporal and spatial variability,the 0–400 cm soil profile could be divided into two layers:an active layer with moderate variability and a stable layer with weak variability.The temporal variability was larger than the spatial variability in the active layer,and the mean profile soil moisture content at different slope positions displayed the trend of decreasing with increasing relative height and mainly followed the order of interdune area>west and east slopes>slope top.The mean profile soil moisture content in the root zone of dead H.ammodendron individuals was significantly higher than that in the root zones of adult and young individuals,while the soil moisture content in the root zone of adult individuals was slightly higher than that in the root zone of young individuals with no significant difference.The spatial pattern of soil moisture was attributable to the combined effects of snowfall,vegetation and soil texture,whereas the effects of rainfall and evaporation were not significant.The findings may offer a foundation for the management of sandy soil moisture and vegetation restoration in arid areas.
文摘The exploration and development of oilfield results in damages to land resources. Along with the further development of petroleum in the Gurbantunggut Desert, the fragile ecological environment and land resource was suffering much more damage. Vegetation degradation and desertification become more prominent. In response to the damage to the fragile ecological environment and oilfield in the Gurbantunggut Desert, limit condition method was used to evaluate the suitability of land reclamation suitability. Results suggested that the main restraining factors for land reclamation were soil condition and water resources. Based on the effect and shortage of oilfield in the Gurbantunggut Desert Oilfield, the reclamation of oilfield in the Gurbantunggut desert was discussed.
文摘The distribution of plant species and relationships between species and soil factors in the east central part of Gurbantunggut Desert was studied to provide more insight into the flora and determine differences in vegetation across various parts of the desert. Two-way Cluster Analysis showed that the vegetation in the area could be divided into three groups, the first group was dominated by the shrub species, Ephedra przewalskii and the grass species, Carex physodes mainly in areas of flat grounds and gentle slopes; the second group was dominated by C. physodes, Artemisia songorica and A. xerophytica mainly on the slope of sand dunes and the third group was dominated by the shrub species, Haloxylon persicum mainly on the top of sand dunes. There was no difference in plant density between Groups 1 and 2 but there was a significant decrease in Group 3. Soil water under vegetation Group 3 was much lower than that in the other two groups at all soil depths. The EC, organic matter, total P and soluble Na, Ca and Mg varied very similarly with soil water. Canonical corre- spondence analysis (CCA) satisfactorily assessed the species-soil relations in the area. The distribution of plant species was strongly correlated with the soil factors of water content, organic matter, EC and nutrients. The variations in species occurrence explained by the three CCA axes were about 70%, indicating that some explanatory site variables may exist outside our studied parameters. Soil texture is suggested to be included in future studies to improve the explanation of CCA.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grand No.40571085,90202019)Key Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grand No.KZCX3-SW-343).
文摘In this paper,chlorophytes collected from 253 biological soil crust samples in Gurbantunggut Desert in Xinjiang Autonomous Region,China were studied by field investigation and microscopical observation in lab.The flora composition,ecological distribution of chlorophytes in the desert and dynamic changes of species composition of chlorophytes in different developing stages of biological soil crusts are preliminarily analyzed.Results showed that there were 26 species belonging to 14 genera and 10 families,in which unicellular chlorophytes were dominant.There existed some differences in distribution of varied sand dune positions.The taxa of chlorophytes in leeward of sand dunes are most abundant,but the taxa in windward,interdune and the top of sand dunes reduced gradually.Chlorophytes were mainly distributed within the crust and the taxa of chlorophytes decrease obviously under the crust.In the devel-oping stages of the biological soil crust,species diversity of chlorophytes changed a little,but species composition pre-sented some differences.Chlorococcum humicola,Chlorella vulgaris,Chlamydomonas ovalis and Chlamydomonas sp.nearly existed in all developing stages of biological crusts.In several former stages of the biological soil crust there were spherical chlorophytes and filamentous ones.When moss crust formed,filamentous chlorophytes disappeared,such as Microspora and Ulothrix.
基金This work was co-supported by China's 'Excellent Researchers Fund' of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 49928J01)'Hundred Talents Project' of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Renjiaozi[2000]005)the National Tibetan Project (
文摘Eolian loess is widely distributed on the various geomorphic surfaces between 700-2400 m a.s.l. on the northern slope of the Tian Shan. It is formed in a synchronous manner with dust transported from the Gurbantunggut Desert in the Junggar Basin. The thickest section of loess was found in the Shawan and Shihezi regions. Paleomagnetic and climatic proxy analyses of over 71 m of a loess-paleosol sequence on the highest terrace of the Qingshui He (River) in the Shawan show that the paleomagnetic Bruhues/Matuy-ama (B/M) boundary lies at the bottom of paleosol S8, at a depth of 69.5 m, and the bottom of the sequence was estimated to be -0.8 Ma. This implies that the extremely dry climatic conditions in the Junggar Basin and the initial Gurbantunggut Desert were present at least by 0.8 Ma. High-resolution grain size series demonstrate that this area and desert expansion experienced two dramatic periods of desert expansions that occurred at -0.65 Ma and 0.5 Ma, respectively; and the subsequent continuous
文摘The research on the respondence and feedback of modern sand deserts to the climate change is an important component part in the studies on the global climate change. Deserts respond to the climate change, meanwhile, they affect the climate with their feedback of peculiar environment during the respondence. Many researches on desert climate have been carried out at home and abroad. However, there is little research on the respondence and feedback of modern fixed, semi-fixed and mobile deserts in arid areas to the climate change, in which the factor analysis as well as the parameter changing effects is especially the difficult problem all along. In this note, the parameters of the respondence and feedback of Gurbantunggut Desert to the climate change are measured and analyzed, some variable parameters of water-heat exchange are obtained, and a numerical model of desertification is developed according to a series of climate change of about 40 years and the variable relations of meteorological and physical
基金supported by the Key Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant Nos.KZCX3-SW-343-3&KZCX3-SW-326-4)the Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region(Grant No.200421128)the Project of 0asis Person with Ability in Xinjiang.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.30470341)Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Chinese Academy of Sciences.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.40571085 and 90202019)Key Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.KZCX3-SW-343)National"863"Project(Grant No.2004AA227110-3).
文摘The fragile ecological environment of the Gurbantunggut Desert is damaged/disturbedby human activities relating to the development of oil-gas resources and the constructions of de-sert road and great engineering in the Jungger Basin. It was mainly represented: soil compaction,vegetation cleaning, burial of vegetation, oil polluting, and soil disturbance. With investigation andexperiment, we found that when the way and intensity of engineering activities disturbing theeco-environment does not make its ecological stability disintegrated, the desert vegetation has acapacity of natural recovery. To speed and strengthen the process of vegetation recovery efficientassistant measurements, including stabilizing mobile sands promptly and sowing seeds of shruband herb plants in good time will be needed.
文摘[目的]揭示古尔班通古特沙漠土壤水分的分布规律及其与地形—植被因子的关系,对制定相应的防风固沙措施以及建立科学合理的植物固沙模式有积极的指导作用。[方法]以古尔班通古特沙漠东南部地区3种不同类型沙丘(固定、半固定和流动沙丘)为研究对象,利用方差分析和冗余分析等方法对3种不同类型沙丘上4种微地貌类型(迎风坡、背风坡、丘顶、丘底)不同深度土壤水分(0—40 cm, 40—200 cm, 200—300 cm)分布特征及其与地形—植被因子之间的关系进行综合分析。[结果](1)所有类型沙丘上0—300 cm土壤水分的波动程度随深度的增加逐渐减小,表层土壤水分的波动程度大于中层和深层。(2)所有类型沙丘不同深度的土壤水分有显著的差异,且背风坡、丘底和迎风坡3种微地貌类型上土壤水分相对较为集中。(3)地形—植被因子对研究区绝大多数(半)固定沙丘的土壤水分呈负相关关系,对(半)固定沙丘不同深度土壤水分影响较流动沙丘更为明显。[结论]所有类型沙丘上的土壤水分受地形因子的影响较植被因子强,而且影响不同类型沙丘土壤水分的主要地形—植被因子也不同。