Variation in soil water content to rainfall under Caragana microphylla shrub in Horqin Sandy Land

In order to investigate the spatio-temporal variability of soil water content to rainfall under Caragana microphylla shrub in Horqin Sandy Land,a plot of 25 m × 25 m,where there were 6 shrub canopies of C. microphylla,was sited for measuring soil water content at two soil layers of 0-20 cm (top layer) and 20-40 cm (lower layer). Soil water content was measured on the 1st,5th,10th and 15th day after a 42 mm rainfall in Naiman of Inner Mongolia. The results showed that soil water contents at both layers under C. microphylla shrub were gradually decreased after the rain. Soil water content at the top layer outside the shrub canopy was higher than that inside the shrub canopy within 5 days,and became similar inside and outside the shrub canopy on the 10th day after the 42 mm rainfall,and it was lower outside than that inside the shrub canopy on the 15th day. The soil water content at lower layer in the area without shrubs was higher than that under shrub canopy all along. All the measured values of soil water content can be fitted to a variogram model. There was significant autocorrelation of the values of soil water content between top layer and lower layer,except for the fourth measured values of soil water content at top layer. The range and spatial dependence of soil water content at top layer were lower than that at lower layer.

Toward sustainable desertification reversion:A case study in Horqin Sandy Land of northern China

Desertification reversion is an interactive process involving climate, land use change, and water processes. In order to reveal the relationship between desertification reversion and these factors, we analyzed historical data on precipitation, air temperature, desertified land changes, underground water tables, and water body changes in Naiman County in the central part of Horqin Sandy Land. Our analysis showed that during 1961-2010 the annual precipitation fluctuated dramatically and has decreased fairly consistently in recent years. The air temperature increased by 0.50-1.25℃, and the minimum temperature increased more obviously. The desertified land area increased from 42,300 km^2 in 1959 to 62,000 km^2 in 1985, and then declined to about 50,000 km^2 in 2010. The underground water tables have been lowered by about 10 m in the past 30 years, and declined more rapidly in recent years. Desertified land is significantly related to the amount of total cropland, and underground water tables are signifcantly correlated with annual precipitation and the amount of irrigated cropland. Therefore, it is necessary to pursue sustainable desertification reversion without compromising the capacity for local development and restoration of degraded land, through application of appropriate management measures for improving water availability in this region.

Land cover changes and the effects of cultivation on soil properties in Shelihu wetland,Horqin Sandy Land,Northern China

Land cover change plays an essential role in the alternation of soils properties. By field investigation and applying satellite images, land cover information in the Shelihu wetland was carried out in an area of 2,819 hm2 in 1985, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2011, respectively, in Horqin Sandy Land. A total of 57 soil sampling sites across Shelihu were chosen in wet meadow （CL0）, cropland （CL） and sandy land （SL） according to the spatial characteristics of water body change. Soil texture, organic carbon （SOC）, total nitrogen （TN） and total phosphorus （TP） contents, electrical conductivity （EC） and pH were measured at the soil depths of 0-10, 10-20 and 20-40 cm to examine the influence of agricultural conversion and continuous cultivation on soil properties. The results showed that the study area was covered by water body in 1985, which gradually declined afterwards and then reclaimed rapidly at a mean annual rate of 132.1 hm2/a from wet meadow to cropland since 1995. In 2011, water body was drained and the area was occupied by 10.8% of CL0, 76.9% of CL and 12.3% of SL. Large amounts of SOC, TN and TP were accumulated in the above depths in CL0. Soil in CL0 also had higher EC and silt and clay fractions, lower pH than in SL and CL. Soil in SL was seriously degraded with lower contents of SOC, TN and TP than in CL and CL0. SOC, TN content and EC in CL decreased with the increase of cultivation age, while pH showed a reverse trend with significance at plough horizon. The agricultural conversion in Shelihu was driven by the comprehensive factors of precipitation reduction, economic development and intense competitions for irrigation water. Continuous cultivation in this process is not sustainable because of SOC degradation and nutrient content reduction. The key point is that conventional tillage and removal of residuals induced further land degradation. Wetland reclamation for immediate economic interests led to greater costs in the long-term environmental restoration in Horqin Sandy Land.

Plantations of native shrub species restore soil microbial diversity in the Horqin Sandy Land, northeastern China

Caragana microphylla Lam., a leguminous shrub species, plays an important role in revegetation in the degraded ecosystems of the Horqin Sandy Land, Northeastern China. Large areas planted with this shrub have been artificially established as sand binders for soil protection, which might change the composition of soil bacterial communities with the development of sand dune stabilization. In this paper, we investigated the diversity and composition of native soil bacterial communities in the C. microphylla plantation for sand fixation using polymerase chain reaction with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis（PCR-DGGE） to understand the influence of this plantation on sandy soil ecosystem development. We collected soil samples from plantations with an age sequence of 0, 9, 16, and 26 years, as well as from the natural community, to identify the differences among soil bacterial communities. The result showed that bacterial abundance and community composition in the sandy land were affected by the age of the C. microphylla plantation. Moreover, bacterial diversity decreased with increasing plantation age, and the composition of the bacterial community in the 26-year plantation was similar to that in the natural community. Phylogenetic analysis of bands excised from the DGGE gels showed that members of alpha Proteobacterium, gamma Proteobacterium, Gemmatimonadetes and Chloroflexi were dominant in the sandy land. The stabilization of moving sand dune and development of sand-fixed plantation resulted in an increase of soil fertility, which could drive the structural evolvement of soil bacterial community, and it needs over 20 years for the soil bacterial community to form a stable structure, similar to the case for the natural vegetation.

Nematode Faunal Response to Grassland Degradation in Horqin Sandy Land

The responses of soil nematode communities to grassland degradation were studied under undegraded grassland (UG), degraded grassland (DG),and improved grassland (IG),in Horqin Sandy Land,Inner Mongolia,Northeast China.Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-10,10-20,and 20-30 cm.Total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) exhibited positive effects on the total number of nematodes and trophic groups.Significant treatment effects were found in the total number of nematodes,plant parasites,and omnivores-predators.Measures taken in the improved grassland could improve the number of omnivore-predators,especially in the deeper soil layers.Nematode richness was lower in the DG treatment than in the IG and UG treatments.The food web structure index (SI) was significantly higher in the UG and IG treatments than in the DG treatment.A higher SI suggested a food web with more trophic linkages and relatively healthy ecosystems.

Comparison of soil physico-chemical properties under different land-use and cover types in northeastern China's Horqin Sandy Land

The Horqin Sandy Land of northeastern China was originally a grassland with plenty of water and lush vegetation dominated by palatable grass species along with sparsely scattered woody species. However, it has experienced severe desertification in recent decades due to its fragile ecology together with inappropriate human activities. Currently, the landscape of the Horqin Sandy Land is dominated by irrigated croplands and sand dunes with different degrees of vegetation cover, as the region has become the most important part of the semiarid agro-pastoral ecotone of northern China. In this study, we compared soil physical and chemical properties under different land-use and cover types （irrigated cropland, rainfed cropland, sandy grassland, fixed dunes, and mobile dunes）. We found that soil particle size distribution; organic C, total N, and total mineral element, microelement, and available microelement and nutrient contents; pH; CEC; and bulk density differed significantly among the land-use and cover types. In general, soil quality was highest in the cropland, intermediate in the sandy grassland, and lowest in the dunes. The most important soil quality attribute, soil organic carbon （SOC） storage, decreased in the fol-lowing order： irrigated cropland （5,699 g/m^2） 〉 sandy grassland （3,390 g/m^2） 〉 rainfed cropland （2,411 g/m^2） 〉 fixed dunes （821 g/m^2） 〉 mobile dunes （463 g/m^2）. SOC was significantly positively correlated with a large proportion of the other soil physico-chemical parameters. Our results suggest that the key issue in restoration of the degraded soils will be to increase SOC storage, which would also create a high potential for sequestering soil C in desertified areas of the Horqin Sandy Land.

Vertical distribution of Artemisia halodendron root system in relation to soil properties in Horqin Sandy Land, NE China

Root distribution plays an important role in both vegetation establishment and restoration of degraded land through in-fluencing soil property and vegetation growth. Root distribution at 0-60 cm depth of A. halodendron was investigated in Horqin Sandy Land. Soil organic carbon （SOC） and nitrogen （SN） concentration as well as carbon and nitrogen in root biomass and necromass were measured. Root length density （RLD） was estimated. Total root biomass, necromass and the RLD at 0-60 cm depth was 172 g/m^2, 245 g/m^2, and 368 m/m^2, respectively. Both biomass and necromass of A. halodendron roots decreased with soil depth, live roots were mainly at 0-20 cm （76% of biomass and 63% of root length）, while 73% of the necromass was within 0-30 cm depth. N concentration of roots （biomass and necromass） was about 1.0% and 1.5%, respectively. There were significant differences in SOC concentration between soil layers, but insignificant for SN. Soil C/N ratio decreased with depth （P〈0.05）. C and N storage for belowground system at 0-60 cm decreased markedly with depth; 41.4% of C and 31.7% of N were allocated to the 0-10 cm layer. Root bio- and necromass together contained similar amount of C to that of the soil itself in the top layer. N stock was dominated by soil nitrogen at all depths, but more so in deeper layers. It is clear that differentiating between soil layers will aid in interpreting A. halodendron efficiency in soil restoration in sandy land.

Effect of Land Cover Change on Soil Phosphorus Fractions in Southeastern Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China

In the past 50 years, large areas of the Horqin sandy land were afforested to prevent desertification. Although the afforestation policy appears successful, many people now doubt whether it is suitable to plant trees with high density on the poor soils in semiarid regions. Little is known about the impacts of afforestation on the sandy soil properties, although the evaluation of these impacts is fundamental to judge the rationality of afforestation policy. Soil phosphorus （P） fractions, acid phosphomonoesterase activities, and other soil chemical properties were compared among five adjoining typical ecosystems on poor sandy soils in southeastern Horqin sandy land. The ecosystems studied are natural elm savanna, degraded grassland, Mongolian pine （Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica） plantation, Chinese pine （Pinus tabulaeformis） plantation, and mixed plantation of Mongolian pine and poplar （Populus simonii）. The results showed that organic P dominated soil P （47%-65%） was the principal source of available P. The degradation of elm savanna to grassland significantly reduced soil pH and resulted in an overall reduction in soil fertility, although slightly increased labile inorganic P. Grassland afforestation had no significant influence on soil pH, organic carbon, and total N but significantly reduced total P. Impacts of grassland afforestation on soil P fractions depended on tree species. Natural elm savanna had higher soil P conserving ability than artificial plantations. Therefore, with the aim of developing a sustainable ecosystem, we suggested that vegetations with low nutrient demand （particularly P） and efficient nutrient cycling would be more suitable for ecosystem restoration in the semiarid region.

Afforestation effects on soil microbial abundance, microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activity in dunes of Horqin Sandy Land, northeastern China

In order to investigate the effects of afforestation on soil microbial abundance, microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activity in sandy dunes, 20-year-old Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv. （PSM） and Populus simonii Carri6re （PSC） mature forests were se- lected in Horqin Sandy Land, and mobile dunes was set as a control （CK）. Results show that PSM and PSC plantations can im- prove soil physicochemical properties and significantly increase microbiological activity in mobile dunes. Soil microbial abun- dance, microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activity show an order of PS〉PSM〉CK. Total soil microbial abundance in PSM and PSC was respectively 50.16 and 72.48 times more than that in CK, and the differences were significant among PSM, PSC and CK Soil microbial biomass carbon in PSM and PSC was respectively 23.67 and 33.34 times more than that in CK, and the difference was insignificant between PSM and PSC. Soil enzyme activity, including dehydrogenase （DEH）, peroxidase （PER）, protease （PRO）, urease （URE） and cellobiohydrolase （CEL） in PSM and PSC were respectively 19.00 and 27.54, 4.78 and 9.89, 4.05 and 8.67, 29.93 and 37.46, and 9.66 and 13.42 times of that in CK. R sylvestris and P. simonii can effectively improve soil physico- chemical and microbiological properties in sandy dunes and fix mobile dunes in Horqin Sandy Land. The Cmic：C ratio is an appli- cable indicator to estimate soil stability and soil water availability, and based on an overall consideration of plantation stability and sustainability, R sylvestris is better than R simonii in fixing mobile dunes in sandy land.

Effects of rainfall patterns on annual plants in Horqin Sandy Land, Inner Mongolia of China

Growth of annual plants in arid environments depends largely on rainfall pulses. An increased understanding of the effects of different rainfall patterns on plant growth is critical to predicting the potential responses of plants to the changes in rainfall regimes, such as rainfall intensity and duration, and length of dry intervals. In this study, we investigated the effects of different rainfall patterns（e.g. small rainfall event with high frequency and large rainfall event with low frequency） on biomass, growth characteristics and vertical distribution of root biomass of annual plants in Horqin Sandy Land, Inner Mongolia of China during the growing season（from May to August） of 2014. Our results showed that the rainfall patterns, independent of total rainfall amount, exerted strong effects on biomass, characteristics of plant growth and vertical distribution of root biomass. Under a constant amount of total rainfall, the aboveground biomass（AGB）, belowground biomass（BGB）, plant cover, plant height, and plant individual and species number increased with an increase in rainfall intensity. Changes in rainfall patterns also altered the percentage contribution of species biomass to the total AGB, and the percentage of BGB at different soil layers to the total BGB. Consequently, our results indicated that increased rainfall intensity in future may increase biomass significantly, and also affect the growth characteristics of annual plants.

The response of Caragana microphylla seedlings to water table changes in Horqin Sandy Land,China

This paper focuses on the growth response of Caragana microphylla seedlings to changes of artificially controlled water table in Horqin Sandy Land, China. Monitoring results of soil water content shows that soil moisture is closely correlated to groundwater depths. Soil volumetric water increased rapidly when close to water sources and finally stabilized in a saturated state. The soil moisture trend of CK （control） increased gradually at 0-50 cm of soil depth then decreased to 4% below 50 cm soil depth. C. microphylla can adapt to different soil environments by changes in ecological and physiological characteristics. By comparing the ecological characteristics of C. microphylla seedlings at various water tables, we found that a shallow water table of 40 cm depth inhibited seedling groundwater depth of 120 em was more advantageous for plant growth because of weak ecological characteristics. A height and canopy growth of C. microphylla seedlings. During the first two years, the most suitable water depth for root biomass was 120 cm, and 180 cm for root length. The growth of vertical roots is positively correlated with groundwater depth, and root thickness is the determinate factor for root biomass while the fine root is the determinate factor for root length. A thick root would grow much more in a natural drought environment while access to ground water promotes the growth of fine roots.

THE DYNAMIC MONITORING OF HORQIN SAND LAND USING REMOTE SENSING

Horqin Sand Land is regarded as the typical region for studying the problemof desertification. The integration of 3S(GIS, GPS and RS) techniques offer a roost helpful methodto study and monitor the dynamics of desertification. Based on the data derived from 3 periods'multitemporal Landsat TM imagery of the 1990s, the regional land use and dynamics of desertificationin Horqin Sand Land were studied. The main results revealed that: 1) as long as the general changetendency was concerned, the desertification of Horqin Sand Land would continue to spread; 2) therewas a gradual decrease in the area of both moving sand dunes and semi-stabilized ones, which meantthat fruitful progress had been made to control the desertification during the 1990s; 3) as a resultof unreasonable cultivation, the total area of stabilized sand dunes and grassland in the middleand western region decreased obviously. It suggested that the increasing damage caused by human wasleading to the hazard of further desertification. So in the future, it is necessary to take moreeffective measures to control the spread of desertification and restore the degraded ecosystems forthe purpose of optimizing the global eco-environment in Horqin Sand Land.

Effects of Caragana microphylla plantations on organic carbon sequestration in total and labile soil organic carbon fractions in the Horqin Sandy Land, northern China

Afforestation is conducive to soil carbon（C） sequestration in semi-arid regions. However, little is known about the effects of afforestation on sequestrations of total and labile soil organic carbon（SOC） fractions in semi-arid sandy lands. In the present study, we examined the effects of Caragana microphylla Lam. plantations with different ages（12-and 25-year-old） on sequestrations of total SOC as well as labile SOC fractions such as light fraction organic carbon（LFOC） and microbial biomass carbon（MBC）. The analyzed samples were taken from soil depths of 0–5 and 5–15 cm under two shrub-related scenarios： under shrubs and between shrubs with moving sand dunes as control sites in the Horqin Sandy Land of northern China. The results showed that the concentrations and storages of total SOC at soil depths of 0–5 and 5–15 cm were higher in 12-and 25-year-old C. microphylla plantations than in moving sand dunes（i.e., control sites）, with the highest value observed under shrubs in 25-year-old C. microphylla plantations. Furthermore, the concentrations and storages of LFOC and MBC showed similar patterns with those of total SOC at the same soil depth. The 12-year-old C. microphylla plantations had higher percentages of LFOC concentration to SOC concentration and MBC concentration to SOC concentration than the 25-year-old C. microphylla plantations and moving sand dunes at both soil depths. A significant positive correlation existed among SOC, LFOC, and MBC, implying that restoring the total and labile SOC fractions is possible by afforestation with C. microphylla shrubs in the Horqin Sandy Land. At soil depth of 0–15 cm, the accumulation rate of total SOC under shrubs was higher in young C. microphylla plantations（18.53 g C/（m^2·a）; 0–12 years） than in old C. microphylla plantations（16.24 g C/（m^2·a）; 12–25 years）, and the accumulation rates of LFOC and MBC under shrubs and between shrubs were also higher in young C. microphylla plantations than in old C. microphylla plantations. It can be concluded that the establishment of C. microphylla in the Horqin Sandy Land may be a good mitigation strategy for SOC sequestration in the surface soils.

Selection of tree species by principal component analysis for abandoned farmland in southeastern Horqin Sandy Land,China

With changes in global climate and land use,the area of desertified farmland in southeastern Horqin Sandy Land(HSL)has increased in recent years,and farmlands are being abandoned.These abandoned farmlands(AFs)nega-tively impact the local ecology.Therefore,the aim of the present study was to select suitable trees and shrubs for those AFs to prevent and control the desertification tendency.In this study,three AFs were fenced for 2 years,then 37 arbor and shrub species or varieties of 21 families were planted in the fenced AFs and grown for 10 years.The ecological adaptability of the species was evaluated and ranked using a principal component analysis.The results showed that the biodiversity of the AFs significantly improved after 2 years of fencing;the Shannon-Wiener index and species rich-ness of perennial grasses and forbs were 1.45 and 3.6 times higher,respectively,than for the unfenced AF.Among all species planted in fenced AFs,nine tree species had posi-tive comprehensive F(CF)values;Pinus sylvestris(Russian Shira steppe provenance),Populus alba‘Berolinensis’and Gleditsia triacanthos had CF greater than 1,and the first(PC1),second(PC2)and third(PC3)principal component values(F_(1),F_(2),F_(3))were all positive.Among the shrubs,only Lespedeza bicolor and Rosa xanthina f.normalis had CF greater than 0.All these results suggest that fencing improves biodiversity and that planting trees and shrubs that have higher CF values on the basis of fencing is an effective way to green and beautify AFs in HSL.

Carbon and nitrogen mineralization in soils along a desertification gradient in the semiarid Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China

This experiment was conducted in three sites along a desertification gradient in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China. Soils una-mended and amended with five types of plant residue in a wide range of C：N ratios from 9.9 to 82.2 were incubated for 70 days, during which C and N mineralization were measured. Along the desertification gradient from fixed sand dune to semifixed, and mobile sand dune： cumulative CO2-C produced from the unamended soils was 231.6, 193.3 and 61.9 μg/g, respectively, while net inorganic N was 22.9, 17.6 and 0.9 mg/kg. Soils amended with residues produced more CO2-C than the unamended soils across all sites. During the first 10 days, C mineralization rate of residue-amended soils decreased with the increase of C：N ratio at each site. However, the mineralization rates were poorly correlated with the C：N ratio in subsequent stage of incubation. Soils of mobile sand dune amended with higher C：N ratio （more than 32） residues produced less CO2-C than that of fixed and semifixed sand dune. NO3--N was the predominant form of inorganic N during the mineralization process in sandy soils. Carbon-to-nitrogen ratio （C：N） can be regarded as a predictor of the speed of N mineralization in sandy soil. The more C. microphylla residue with the lowest C：N ratio （9.9） added in soils, the more net inorganic N released. Our results suggest that C. microphylla residue when added to soil would potentially provide short-term plant available N and improve the soil quality in sandy land. The desertification process postponed the release of inorganic N from plant residues.

Relationship between the haplotype distribution of Artemisia halodendron(Asteraceae) and hydrothermal regions in Horqin Sandy Land, northern China

The genetic diversity of Artemisia halodendron(Asteraceae), a constructive and dominant species in Horqin Sandy Land,was investigated to examine the genetic relationships with different hydrothermal regions in Horqin Sandy Land. We sequenced chloroplast DNA(cp DNA) fragments(trn L–F) of 243 plants from 10 populations across the Horqin Sandy Land.The analyses of cp DNA variation identified seven haplotypes. A low level of haplotype diversity(H_d=0.706) and nucleotide diversity(π=0.0013) was detected. Haplotypes clustered into two tentative clades. Low genetic differentiation among regions was consistently indicated by hierarchical analyses of molecular variance(AMOVA). Across the sampled populations, the haplotype distributions were differentiated with hydrothermal gradients.

Foliar δ^13C Values and Water Use Efficiency ofSemi-arid Plants in Horqin Sandy Land, China

Water was a key factor restricting the plantation in sandy areas. Foliar δ^(13)C value regarded as an indicator of longterm water use efficiency(WUE) of plants was generally used to evaluate the adaptability of plants to arid and semi-arid environment. In Horqin sandy land of China, the foliar δ^(13)C values of 114 species in 35 families naturally growing in the area, and 15 species of sand-fixing trees and shrubs were measured and analyzed in 2012. The results showed that 97 species in all 114 species were C_3 plants and only 17 species were C_4 plants. Most C_4 plants belonged to Gramineae family. The foliar δ^(13)C value of C_3 plants was between -25.000 and -31.075‰ with an average of-28.226‰, while those of C_4 plants between -12.578 and -16.334‰, with an average of -13.678‰. The δ^(13)C values of mature leaves collected in August were averagely 0.85‰ less than that of juvenile leaves collected in June. The foliar δ^(13)C values and WUE of 15 sand-fixing tree species in Horqin sandy land ranked in the order as: S.vulgaris >H.rhamnoides >C.ovata >P.mongolica >T.chinensis >R.typhina >S.matsudana >E.angustifolia >U.pumila >S.gordejevii >X.sorbifolia >C.microphylla >H.fruticosum >C.korshinskii >E.bungeanus.

Screening of cellulose decomposing fungi in sandy dune soil of Horqin Sandy Land

Cellulose decomposing fungi play an important role in litter decomposition and are decisive in nutrient cycling in sandy land ecosystems. Thirty-one strains were isolated to select efficient cellulose decomposers, and four efficient cellulose decomposing fungi （NM3-1, NM3-2, NM3-3, and NM3-4） were screened using a CMC （carboxymethyl cellulose） carbon source in dune soil of Horqin Sandy Land. They were identified as Asperigillus calidoustus, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium solani, and Hypocrea lixii by rDNA-ITS molecular biological methods. Cloth decomposition rates were 15.71%, 15.89%, 17.29%, and 17.89% by the four efficient decomposers incubated for 30 days, respectively. Screening of efficient cellulose decomposers can not only increase the dune soil functional microbe bank, but can also accelerate litter decom- position and available nutrient input in the Horqin Sandy Land.

Effect of climatic change on surface environments in the typical region of Horqin Sandy Land

The town of Agura,a typical region in Horqin Sandy Land,was selected as the study area in this paper.Using 12 remote sensing images and climatic data from the past 20 years,the effects of climate change on surface environments were analyzed.The impact indices of climatic factors,along with their corresponding ranks,were used to characterize the responses of different types of surface environments to climate change.Results show that in the past 20 years,the surface environments of the study area have been deteriorating.Furthermore,there is a positive relationship between the changes in surface environments and those in climatic factors.Various climatic factors influence surface environments in different ways and at different levels.The most sensitive factor is relative humidity,followed by precipitation and evaporation.Overall,moisture is the key factor that affects the changes in surface environments of arid and semi-arid areas.

Characteristics of Sand Dune Pattern and Fluvial-aeolian Interaction in Horqin Sandy Land, Northeast Plain of China

The interaction between fluvial and aeolian processes can significantly change surface morphology of the Earth. Taking the Horqin Sandy Land as the research area and using Landsat series satellite remote sensing images, this study utilizes geomorphology and landscape ecology to monitor and analyze the aeolian geomorphology characteristics of the Horqin Sandy Land. Results show that the sand dunes of the Horqin Sandy Land are mainly distributed on alluvial plains along the banks of the mainstream and tributaries of the Western Liao River, and the sand dune types tend to simplify from west to east and from south to north. The aeolian geomorphology coverage tend to be decreasing in the past 40 years, with an average annual change rate of 0.31%. While the area of traveling dunes decreased, the area of fixed and semi-fixed dunes increased. The fractal dimensions of various types of sand dune have all remained relatively constant between 1.07 and 1.10, suggesting that they are experiencing a relatively stable evolutionary process. There is a complex interaction between fluvial and aeolian processes of the Horqin Sandy Land, which plays a central role in surface landscape molding. Sand dunes on both sides of different rivers on the Horqin Sandy Land present certain regularity and different characteristics in terms of morphology, developmental scale, and spatial pattern. There are six fluvial-aeolian interaction modes in this area: supply of sand sources by rivers for sand dune development, complete obstruction of dune migration by rivers, partial obstruction of dune migration by rivers, influence of river valleys on dune developmental types on both sides, influence of river valleys on dune developmental scale on both sides, and river diversion due to obstruction and forcing by sand dunes. This study deepens our understanding of the surface process mechanism of the interaction between fluvial and aeolian processes in semi-arid regions, and provides a basis for researches on regional landscape responses in the context of global environmental change.