Assessing revegetation effectiveness on an extremely degraded grassland, southern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, using terrestrial LiDAR and field data

Li, Haidong; Gao, Jixi; Hu, Qingwu; Li, Yingkui; Tian, Jiarong; Liao, Chengrui; Ma, Weibo; Xu, Yueren

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2019.05.013

Cited by 26 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Artificial restoration mainly includes afforestation and revegetation of a seriously degraded land (Kang et al 2018, Liao et al 2019). These studies have explored the artificial restoration of ecosystems , screening of suitable plant species (Li et al 2019a), the effects of fencing enclosures on soil seed banks (Shang et al 2013), and the effects of micro-topography on revegetation (Li et al 2019a). These studies have explored the artificial restoration of ecosystems , screening of suitable plant species (Li et al 2019a), the effects of fencing enclosures on soil seed banks (Shang et al 2013), and the effects of micro-topography on revegetation (Li et al 2019a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies have explored the artificial restoration of ecosystems , screening of suitable plant species (Li et al 2019a), the effects of fencing enclosures on soil seed banks (Shang et al 2013), and the effects of micro-topography on revegetation (Li et al 2019a). Previous studies have shown that Artemisia sphaerocephala, Artemisia younghusbandii, and Heteropappus gouldii are suitable as the pioneer species for revegetation of a sandy land (Li et al 2019a, Liao et al 2019. Previous studies have shown that Artemisia sphaerocephala, Artemisia younghusbandii, and Heteropappus gouldii are suitable as the pioneer species for revegetation of a sandy land (Li et al 2019a, Liao et al 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Types of ecological restoration include artificial and natural restoration, which are considered as two effective measures for the management of degraded ecosystems (Jin et al 2014, Liao et al 2019. In 2015, the General Office of State Council of China promulgated "the opinions on accelerating the construction of an ecological civilization," proposing that natural restoration is the main measure in the process of ecological restoration and should be combined with artificial recovery; both these measures have been used to control desertification in the Tibetan Plateau (Li et al 2019a). Natural restoration is an ecosystem management approach to reduce the adverse effects of unreasonable human activities, such as overgrazing, extensive land reclamation, and excessive firewood collection , Peng et al 2019.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many scholars have initiated studies on ecological restoration to control the spread of aeolian desertification and restore degraded grasslands. These studies have explored the artificial restoration of ecosystems , screening of suitable plant species (Li et al 2019a), the effects of fencing enclosures on soil seed banks (Shang et al 2013), and the effects of micro-topography on revegetation (Li et al 2019a). Li et al (2013) investigated the spatiotemporal variability of soil moisture in an aeolian riparian ecotone in an extremely dry year and found that the soil moisture content showed great spatial and temporal variability, and had a great effect on artificial restoration of the sandy land.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Li et al (2013) investigated the spatiotemporal variability of soil moisture in an aeolian riparian ecotone in an extremely dry year and found that the soil moisture content showed great spatial and temporal variability, and had a great effect on artificial restoration of the sandy land. Previous studies have shown that Artemisia sphaerocephala, Artemisia younghusbandii, and Heteropappus gouldii are suitable as the pioneer species for revegetation of a sandy land (Li et al 2019a, Liao et al 2019. However, few studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of ecological restoration on soil properties of sandy land, as well as the relationships between soil and plants in a phase of vegetation recovery, in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of ecological restoration on soil properties of the aeolian sandy land around Lhasa, southern Tibetan Plateau

Liao

et al. 2020

Ecosphere

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2020. Effects of ecological restoration on soil properties of the aeolian sandy land around Lhasa, southern Tibetan Plateau. Ecosphere 11(1):e03009.Abstract. The ecological restoration of aeolian sandy land has not only improved the function of ecosystem services, such as wind prevention and sand fixation, but has also indirectly reduced the regional economic losses caused by sandstorms. However, the interaction between vegetation and soil properties after natural and artificial restoration of the sandy land in southern Tibetan Plateau has not been sufficiently studied. In the present study, we selected four vegetation types, including artificial forest (A), revegetated shrub (B), natural shrub (C), and natural grassland (D), in the sandy land in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin, Tibet, China, and investigated the changes in soil particle size and nutrients at depths of 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm, finally examining the potential relationships between soil properties and leaf nutrients. Our results indicated that in the topsoil (0-20 cm), the natural shrub (C) and natural grassland (D) have greater silt content, recorded as 50.77% and 62.16%, respectively, compared to the artificial forest (A) and revegetated shrub (B). Natural grassland (D) had the highest silt content and the lowest soil bulk density (SBD) among the four vegetation types. There was no significant difference in the soil organic matter (SOM) in the topsoil of the different vegetation types. However, at the depth of 20-40 cm, the SOM content of the different vegetation types was in the following order: natural grassland (D) (23.37 g/ kg) > natural shrub (C) (17.42 g/kg) > revegetated shrub (B) (14.85 g/kg) > artificial forest (A) (8.43 g/kg). The ammonium nitrogen content in the revegetated shrub (B) was higher compared to the other vegetation types. The SOM content was significantly correlated with the total phosphorus (TP) and available phosphorus (AP) of the sandy land. The leaf total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus exhibited a positive correlation with SBD, AP, and available potassium. These findings can provide useful information to optimize the patterns of natural and artificial restoration for controlling desertification in similar eco-regions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effects of ecological restoration on soil properties of the aeolian sandy land around Lhasa, southern Tibetan Plateau

Liao

et al. 2020

Ecosphere

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Feasibility of terrestrial laser scanning for quantification of vegetation structure parameters of restored sandy land in the southern Qinghai–Tibeten Plateau

Tian

et al. 2020

Land Degrad Dev

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The efficiency of ecosystem restoration of degraded land is typically assessed using vegetation structure parameters (VSP). However, the field measurement of VSP, particularly in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), which is a problematic area for ecological restoration because of its harsh environment, is generally time‐consuming and labour intensive. Therefore, new methods for VSP measurement should be developed. In this study, VSP were quantified at the individual scale, including their number, height, and crown width. Furthermore, the quadrat scale, such as vegetation coverage (VC) and leaf area index (LAI) on a restored sandy plot (100 m × 100 m) in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin, is quantified using terrestrial laser scanning. Thereafter, the TLS‐derived VSP are validated by field measurements. To extract the VSP of low‐height vegetation (shrubs) at the individual scale, three approaches are tested: the manual measurement of VSP from TLS data, individual vegetation segmentation (IVS) without specific root locations, and IVS with specific root locations. The results indicate that the VSP of shrubs can be manually derived from the TLS data and are consistent with field measurements. By specifying the root locations before performing the IVS, the identification rate of the number of shrubs can be improved significantly from 40.3% to 100%. The height extracted by the IVS corresponds better with the manual measurement (R2 > 0.99) than with the crown width (R2 < 0.65). At the quadrat scale, the optimal resolution is analyzed to extract the VC. The analysis suggests that the optimal resolution for extracting the VC based on the canopy height model is in the 1‐2 cm range. In extracting the LAI using the voxel‐based method, it is discovered that the appropriate voxel size is linearly dependent on the mean point spacing (y = 2.143x, R2= 0.826). This study provides useful guidance for monitoring the effectiveness of ecological conservation and restoration on the QTP.

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Stability and micro‐topographic effects of Sophora moorcroftiana population on a restored alluvial fan, Southern Tibetan Plateau

Liao

et al. 2021

Land Degrad Dev

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The Tibetan Plateau, a vulnerable eco-region undergoing global change, is hard to revegetate where land has become desertified due to the harsh habitat conditions. Sophora moorcroftiana shrubs, which are widely distributed in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin of Tibet, China, have been naturally restored on desertified land during the last few decades. However, the influences of microtopography on the distribution and structure of the S. moorcroftiana population have been rarely reported. Here, we first describe the spatial variation of S. moorcroftiana population on a restored alluvial fan, and then explore the effects of microtopography on the restored S. moorcroftiana population, through a series of field surveys combined with the data collected by terrestrial laser scanning. The results indicate that the dominant age structure was adult shrubs (30-60 cm). Although the topographic effect had no significant impacts on soil organic matter and some other structural traits, which remained stable on the restored alluvial fan, it changed population density, plant growth, and distribution. The habitat conditions on the southwest aspect wapproximately 20-25 slope with altitudes ranging between 3,593-3,643 m, conditions that mostly favouring the distribution of the shrub population. The micro-topography played an important role in species distribution and growth of the S. moorcroftiana population. Our findings could help to understand the effect of micro-topography on plant population structure and distribution for ecological restoration of desertified land in the Southern Tibetan Plateau.

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Assessing revegetation effectiveness on an extremely degraded grassland, southern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, using terrestrial LiDAR and field data

Cited by 26 publications

References 29 publications

Effects of ecological restoration on soil properties of the aeolian sandy land around Lhasa, southern Tibetan Plateau

Effects of ecological restoration on soil properties of the aeolian sandy land around Lhasa, southern Tibetan Plateau

Feasibility of terrestrial laser scanning for quantification of vegetation structure parameters of restored sandy land in the southern Qinghai–Tibeten Plateau

Stability and micro‐topographic effects of Sophora moorcroftiana population on a restored alluvial fan, Southern Tibetan Plateau

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