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 art...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.展开更多
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 histori...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.展开更多
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...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.展开更多
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. halodendro...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.展开更多
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 experie...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.展开更多
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 simo...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.展开更多
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 respons...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.展开更多
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-tiv...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.展开更多
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...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.展开更多
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 moist...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.展开更多
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...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.展开更多
Soil fungi play a key role in soil functional performance and ecological restoration.To understand the diversity and composition of culturable fungi in soils of Horqin Sandy Land,China,mobile dune,semi-fixed dune,fixe...Soil fungi play a key role in soil functional performance and ecological restoration.To understand the diversity and composition of culturable fungi in soils of Horqin Sandy Land,China,mobile dune,semi-fixed dune,fixed dune and sandy grassland were selected to investigate the soil fungal diversity using a traditional culture-dependent approach.ITS sequencing was applied to identify the fungal strains.The counts of culturable fungi increased significantly from mobile dune to sandy grassland along the gradient of sandy land restoration.The Shannon-Wiener,Simpson and Evenness indices of culturable fungi ranged from 1.26-1.71,0.22-0.37 and 0.83-0.87,respectively.A total of 27 fungal strains were isolated using dilution plate cultural technique.The 27 fungal isolates were clustered into three groups:Ascomycota,Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota at phylum level,indicating that Ascomycota was the dominant fungal phylum(88.9%of the total).The isolated fungi were grouped into 3 phyla,5 classes,6 orders,11 families and 13 genera.The results show that culturable fungi were diverse in sandy land soils and fungal isolates have potential function in lipid turnover,cellulose degradation and ethanol,glucose and fatty acid production.Future studies should be carried out to explore their ecological and biological function for degraded sandy land restoration.展开更多
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...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.展开更多
Samples from the Horqin sandy land were exposed to a series of wind velocities,and sink particles were collected at the end of the diffusion section of a wind tunnel.Grain sizes of collected samples show great variati...Samples from the Horqin sandy land were exposed to a series of wind velocities,and sink particles were collected at the end of the diffusion section of a wind tunnel.Grain sizes of collected samples show great variation because of the granularity difference of the surface samples.The original samples show lower average content of SiO_(2) and higher average content of Al _(2)O_(3),Fe_(2)O_(3),MgO,CaO,Na_(2)O,and K_(2)O than collected samples.Compared with other dust source areas in China,the Horqin sandy land had higher content of Zr,Ba,SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3) and K_(2)O.Compared with the average upper continental crust(UCC)composition,surface samples were rich in the content of Y,Zr,Nb,Ba,La,Nd.Geochemistry characteristics of fine grain components of the Horqin sandy land differ from those from other dust source regions,because fine-grained particles in the Horqin sandy land were mostly derived from various local deposits formed in its unique depositional environments influenced by several tectonic activities.展开更多
In this study, the eff ects of soil moisture on sand saltation and dust emission over the Horqin Sandy Land area are investigated, based on observations of three dust events in 2010. The minimum friction velocity init...In this study, the eff ects of soil moisture on sand saltation and dust emission over the Horqin Sandy Land area are investigated, based on observations of three dust events in 2010. The minimum friction velocity initiating the motion of surface particles, namely, the threshold friction velocity, is estimated to be 0.34, 0.40, and 0.50 m s?1 under the very dry, dry, and wet soil conditions, respectively. In comparison with the observations during the dust events under the very dry and dry soil conditions, the dust emission fl ux during the wet event is smaller, but the saltation activities of sand particles (d≧50 μm) are stronger. The size distributions of airborne dust particles (0.1≦d≦20 μm) show that concentrations of the fi ner dust particles (0.1≦d≦0.3 μm) have a secondary peak under dry soil conditions, while they are absent under wet soil conditions. This suggests that the surface soil particle size distribution can be changed by soil moisture. Under wet soil conditions, the particles appear to have a larger size, and hence more potential saltating particles are available. This explains the occurrence of stronger saltation processes observed under wet soil conditions.展开更多
Human activity during the Holocene in the Horqin region, northeastern China, has been widely documented. As an important proxy record of human activity, black carbon(BC) in sediments has been linked to climate chang...Human activity during the Holocene in the Horqin region, northeastern China, has been widely documented. As an important proxy record of human activity, black carbon(BC) in sediments has been linked to climate change and human adaptation. A loess-paleosol section located in south Horqin was chosen for this study. Holocene climate change and human adaptation to the environment were discussed by analyzing BC, organic carbon(OC) and other proxies. The conclusions included:(1) before 3900 cal BP, human activity was closely related to the natural environment and cultural development was dominated by climate change. For example, the rapid decline of the agrarian Hongshan culture was caused by a slight decrease in temperature at ~5000 cal BP;(2) during 3900-3200 cal BP, the heavy dependence of human societies on nature gradually lessened and the ability of those human societies to adapt to the environment was enhanced. However, the farming-dominated Lower Xiajiadian culture was nonetheless replaced by the pastoralist Upper Xiajiadian culture due to an extremely cooling event at ~3200 cal BP;(3) during the late Holocene period, the marked influence of climate change on human activity might have lessened as a result of a clear improvement in human labor skills. After this, human living styles were influenced by cultural developments rather than climate change because humans had mastered more powerful means of productivity.展开更多
Horqin Sandy Land is a fragile, seriously desertified region located in Inner Mongolia of China. Over- grazing is one of the primary drivers of desertification in this region. We investigated whether the establishment...Horqin Sandy Land is a fragile, seriously desertified region located in Inner Mongolia of China. Over- grazing is one of the primary drivers of desertification in this region. We investigated whether the establishment of grazing exclosures in areas with active sand dunes enhances soil carbon (C) sequestration and benefits soil re- covery. The results showed that soil organic C storage was 1.4, 1.9, and 3.5 times, and light fraction C storage was 2.3, 3.2, and 4.4 times in the 100-cm topsoil after 7, 12, and 25 years of grazing exclusion, respectively, compared to the case in active sand dunes. The light fraction of soil played an important role in soil C sequestration, although it might not change rapidly to provide an early indication of how soil C is increasing in response to grazing exclusion. The results indicated that soils could potentially sequester up to 13.8 Mt C in 25 years if active sand dunes in the study area were to be protected by exclosures. This corresponds to 12.8% of the estimated carbon loss (107.53 Mt) that has been associated with desertification over the past century in the Horqin Sandy Land. Our results suggested that exclosures have the capacity to increase soil C sequestration; however, decades will be required for soil C to recover to historical grassland levels observed prior to desertification.展开更多
Species richness and abundance are two important species diversity variables that have attracted particular attention because of their significance in determining present and future species composition conditions. Thi...Species richness and abundance are two important species diversity variables that have attracted particular attention because of their significance in determining present and future species composition conditions. This paper aims to explain the qualitative and quantitative relationships between species diversity pattern and grain size (i.e. size of the sampling unit), and species diversity pattern and sampling area, and to analyze species diversity variability on active sand dunes in the Horqin Sandy Land, northeastern Inner Mongolia, China. A 50 mx50 m sampling plot was selected on the windward slope, where the dominant species was annual herb Agriophyllum squarrosum. Species composition and abundance at five grain sizes were recorded, and the species-area curves were produced for thirteen grain sizes. The range of values for species abundance tended to increase with in- creasing grain size in the study area, whereas, generally, species richness did not follow this rule because of poor species richness on the windward slope of active sand dunes. However, the homogeneity of species richness in- creased significantly. With the increase in sampling area, species abundance increased linearly, but richness in- creased logarithmically. Furthermore, variograms showed that species diversity on the windward slope of active sand dunes was weakly anisotropic and the distribution pattern was random, according to the Moran Coefficient. The results also showed that species richness was low, with a random distribution pattern. This conflicts with the results of previous studies that showed spatial aggregation in lower richness in a sampling area within a community and inferred that the physical processes play a more important role in species diversity than distribution pattern on active sand dunes. Further research into different diversity patterns and mechanisms between active sand dunes and interdune lowlands should be conducted to better understand biodiversity conservation in sand dune fields.展开更多
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program) (2009CB421303)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40801036) from the Cold and Arid Regions of Environmental and Engineering Research Institute,Chinese Academy of Sciences
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40871247)the China National Twelfth Five-year-plan Key Project (2012BAD16B0302)
文摘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.
基金funded by the National Pivotal Project,Nos.2011BAC07B02 and 201109025(2)NSFC Project No.41071185
文摘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.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41071185,41171414)the National Science and Technology Support Program (2011BAC07B02)
文摘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.
基金financially supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 31500369)the "One Hundred Talent" Program (Y551821001 and Y451H31001) of Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘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.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41271007, 31260089, and 31560161)the One Hundred Person Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y551821002)
文摘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.
基金supported by the National Science and Technology Support Program(2011BAC07B02)Young Scientists Foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)(Y251951001)National Natural Science Foundation of China(41171414and31170413) from Coldand Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute,CAS
文摘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.
基金supported by the Strategic Leading Science and Technology Projects of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05050201-04-01)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41371053, 31500369)the ‘One Hundred Talent’ Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y451H31001)
文摘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.
基金This study was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(31770675)National Key R&D Program of China(2017YFD0600505).
文摘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.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31640012, 41271007, 31660232)the One Hundred Person Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y551821)+1 种基金the Opening Foundation of the State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of DesertificationAeolian Sand Disaster Combating, Gansu Desert Control Research Institute (GSDC201505)
文摘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.
基金funded by the Chinese National Key Projects for Basic Scientific Research (No.2009CB421303)the Chinese National Support Projects of Science and Technology (No.2011BAC07B02)+1 种基金the Strategic Leading Science and Technology Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No.XDA05050201-04-01)the Chinese National Science Foundation (No.41371053)
文摘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.
基金supported by Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (973 Program, 2009CB421303)Youth Foundation Project+1 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China (40901049)West Light Doctor Foundation of Chinese Academy of Sciences (O828881001)
文摘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.
基金financially supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China(41771117 and 41877540)the China National Key Research and Development Plan(2017FY100200)+1 种基金the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research program(2019QZKK0305)the Key Research and Development project of Zhejiang Province(2018C02031)
文摘Soil fungi play a key role in soil functional performance and ecological restoration.To understand the diversity and composition of culturable fungi in soils of Horqin Sandy Land,China,mobile dune,semi-fixed dune,fixed dune and sandy grassland were selected to investigate the soil fungal diversity using a traditional culture-dependent approach.ITS sequencing was applied to identify the fungal strains.The counts of culturable fungi increased significantly from mobile dune to sandy grassland along the gradient of sandy land restoration.The Shannon-Wiener,Simpson and Evenness indices of culturable fungi ranged from 1.26-1.71,0.22-0.37 and 0.83-0.87,respectively.A total of 27 fungal strains were isolated using dilution plate cultural technique.The 27 fungal isolates were clustered into three groups:Ascomycota,Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota at phylum level,indicating that Ascomycota was the dominant fungal phylum(88.9%of the total).The isolated fungi were grouped into 3 phyla,5 classes,6 orders,11 families and 13 genera.The results show that culturable fungi were diverse in sandy land soils and fungal isolates have potential function in lipid turnover,cellulose degradation and ethanol,glucose and fatty acid production.Future studies should be carried out to explore their ecological and biological function for degraded sandy land restoration.
基金financially supported by the National Science and Technology Support Program (2011BAC07B02)National Natural Science Foundation of China (41401620 and 41171414)the Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification Foundation (KLDD-2014-010) from Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute,CAS
文摘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.
基金This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(No.2020YFA0608404)a grant from the National Nature Science Foundation of China(41101006)and the Project of the Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification,Chinese Academy of Sciences(KLDD-2019-008).
文摘Samples from the Horqin sandy land were exposed to a series of wind velocities,and sink particles were collected at the end of the diffusion section of a wind tunnel.Grain sizes of collected samples show great variation because of the granularity difference of the surface samples.The original samples show lower average content of SiO_(2) and higher average content of Al _(2)O_(3),Fe_(2)O_(3),MgO,CaO,Na_(2)O,and K_(2)O than collected samples.Compared with other dust source areas in China,the Horqin sandy land had higher content of Zr,Ba,SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3) and K_(2)O.Compared with the average upper continental crust(UCC)composition,surface samples were rich in the content of Y,Zr,Nb,Ba,La,Nd.Geochemistry characteristics of fine grain components of the Horqin sandy land differ from those from other dust source regions,because fine-grained particles in the Horqin sandy land were mostly derived from various local deposits formed in its unique depositional environments influenced by several tectonic activities.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50869005 and 50669002)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50869005)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 50669002)
基金Supported by the National(Key)Basic Research and Development(973)Program of China(2010CB428501)China Meteorological Administration Special Public Welfare Research Fund(GYHY201006014)+1 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(41075005)Research Fund for Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China(20110001130010)
文摘In this study, the eff ects of soil moisture on sand saltation and dust emission over the Horqin Sandy Land area are investigated, based on observations of three dust events in 2010. The minimum friction velocity initiating the motion of surface particles, namely, the threshold friction velocity, is estimated to be 0.34, 0.40, and 0.50 m s?1 under the very dry, dry, and wet soil conditions, respectively. In comparison with the observations during the dust events under the very dry and dry soil conditions, the dust emission fl ux during the wet event is smaller, but the saltation activities of sand particles (d≧50 μm) are stronger. The size distributions of airborne dust particles (0.1≦d≦20 μm) show that concentrations of the fi ner dust particles (0.1≦d≦0.3 μm) have a secondary peak under dry soil conditions, while they are absent under wet soil conditions. This suggests that the surface soil particle size distribution can be changed by soil moisture. Under wet soil conditions, the particles appear to have a larger size, and hence more potential saltating particles are available. This explains the occurrence of stronger saltation processes observed under wet soil conditions.
基金supported by theNational Scientific Foundation of China (grant nos. 41172158, 40472094 and 40024202)"973" (grant no. 2010CB950200)+1 种基金the Strategic Priority Research program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. XDA05120502)the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. KZCX2YW-Q1-03)
文摘Human activity during the Holocene in the Horqin region, northeastern China, has been widely documented. As an important proxy record of human activity, black carbon(BC) in sediments has been linked to climate change and human adaptation. A loess-paleosol section located in south Horqin was chosen for this study. Holocene climate change and human adaptation to the environment were discussed by analyzing BC, organic carbon(OC) and other proxies. The conclusions included:(1) before 3900 cal BP, human activity was closely related to the natural environment and cultural development was dominated by climate change. For example, the rapid decline of the agrarian Hongshan culture was caused by a slight decrease in temperature at ~5000 cal BP;(2) during 3900-3200 cal BP, the heavy dependence of human societies on nature gradually lessened and the ability of those human societies to adapt to the environment was enhanced. However, the farming-dominated Lower Xiajiadian culture was nonetheless replaced by the pastoralist Upper Xiajiadian culture due to an extremely cooling event at ~3200 cal BP;(3) during the late Holocene period, the marked influence of climate change on human activity might have lessened as a result of a clear improvement in human labor skills. After this, human living styles were influenced by cultural developments rather than climate change because humans had mastered more powerful means of productivity.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(4090104931060060)+1 种基金the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China(2009CB 421303)the 'Qing Lan' Talent Engineering Funds of Lanzhou Jiaotong University(QL-08-14A)
文摘Horqin Sandy Land is a fragile, seriously desertified region located in Inner Mongolia of China. Over- grazing is one of the primary drivers of desertification in this region. We investigated whether the establishment of grazing exclosures in areas with active sand dunes enhances soil carbon (C) sequestration and benefits soil re- covery. The results showed that soil organic C storage was 1.4, 1.9, and 3.5 times, and light fraction C storage was 2.3, 3.2, and 4.4 times in the 100-cm topsoil after 7, 12, and 25 years of grazing exclusion, respectively, compared to the case in active sand dunes. The light fraction of soil played an important role in soil C sequestration, although it might not change rapidly to provide an early indication of how soil C is increasing in response to grazing exclusion. The results indicated that soils could potentially sequester up to 13.8 Mt C in 25 years if active sand dunes in the study area were to be protected by exclosures. This corresponds to 12.8% of the estimated carbon loss (107.53 Mt) that has been associated with desertification over the past century in the Horqin Sandy Land. Our results suggested that exclosures have the capacity to increase soil C sequestration; however, decades will be required for soil C to recover to historical grassland levels observed prior to desertification.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41071187)the State Forestry Administration Industry Special Project (201004023)
文摘Species richness and abundance are two important species diversity variables that have attracted particular attention because of their significance in determining present and future species composition conditions. This paper aims to explain the qualitative and quantitative relationships between species diversity pattern and grain size (i.e. size of the sampling unit), and species diversity pattern and sampling area, and to analyze species diversity variability on active sand dunes in the Horqin Sandy Land, northeastern Inner Mongolia, China. A 50 mx50 m sampling plot was selected on the windward slope, where the dominant species was annual herb Agriophyllum squarrosum. Species composition and abundance at five grain sizes were recorded, and the species-area curves were produced for thirteen grain sizes. The range of values for species abundance tended to increase with in- creasing grain size in the study area, whereas, generally, species richness did not follow this rule because of poor species richness on the windward slope of active sand dunes. However, the homogeneity of species richness in- creased significantly. With the increase in sampling area, species abundance increased linearly, but richness in- creased logarithmically. Furthermore, variograms showed that species diversity on the windward slope of active sand dunes was weakly anisotropic and the distribution pattern was random, according to the Moran Coefficient. The results also showed that species richness was low, with a random distribution pattern. This conflicts with the results of previous studies that showed spatial aggregation in lower richness in a sampling area within a community and inferred that the physical processes play a more important role in species diversity than distribution pattern on active sand dunes. Further research into different diversity patterns and mechanisms between active sand dunes and interdune lowlands should be conducted to better understand biodiversity conservation in sand dune fields.