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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sand rice,a promising future crop for desert and marginal lands in northern China

The pioneer Amaranthaceae species sand rice(Agriophyllum squarrosum)is an annual psammophyte that is widely distributed in the deserts and sand fields of northern China.The well-balanced nutritional values,long consumption history,and extreme stress tolerance of sand rice have fascinated scientists,prompting its development as a climate-resilient crop.Sand rice has been successfully introduced and cultivated on sandy and loess lands over the past decade,while large-scale artificial planting has been carried out in the Ulan Buh and Tengger deserts.However,the yield is far below the maximum potential,as estimated by the highest yield per plant ever found in the Tengger desert during our survey of wild populations.The current domestication of sand rice relies mainly on natural selection and mutagenesis breeding.A few elite lines with modified agronomic traits,such as compact architecture,high productivity,reduced trichomes,and short plant stature,have been developed from natural populations and a chemical mutagenesis library.Breeding new cultivars and broader cultivation of sand rice in deserts and marginal lands will stimulate economic growth and diversify the food supply,especially for the area west of the Hu Huanyong Line,thus contributing to environmental sustainability in northern China.

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

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