Dam inundation simplifies the plant community composition

Zheng, Jie; Arif, Muhammad; Zhang, Songlin; Yuan, Zuoqiang; Zhang, Limiao; Li, Jiajia; Ding, Dongdong; Li, Changxiao

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149827

Cited by 48 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Yet, K is found in higher concentrations in soluble substances. Microorganisms in deeper soil settle more densely on litter during the early stages of decomposition [ 63 ], resulting in a rapid loss [ 64 ]. Consequently, KNAI has an inverse relationship with burial depth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Annual Herbaceous Plant Leaching and Decomposition to Periodic Submergence in Mega-Reservoirs: Changes in Litter Nutrients and Soil Properties for Restoration

Xie

Arif

et al. 2021

Biology

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Litter decomposition is an important soil nutrient source that promotes vegetation in deteriorated riparian zones worldwide. The periodic submergence and sediment burial effects on two prominent annual herbaceous plants (Echinochloa crusgali and Bidens tripartite) are little known in mega-reservoir settings. Our study focuses on the mass and carbon loss and nutrient release from E. crusgali and B. tripartitle litter and changes in soil properties, which are important for riparian zone rehabilitation in the Three Gorges Dam Reservoir, China. This study adopted the litter bag method to explore the nutrient change characteristics and changes in soil properties at different sediment burial depths under flooding scenarios. Three burial depths (0 cm, 5 cm, and 10 cm) were used for these two plants, and the experiment lasted for 180 days. The results revealed that the litter decay rate was high at first in the incubation experiment, and the nutrient loss rate followed the pattern of K > P > N > C. The relationship between % C remaining and % mass remaining was nearly 1:1, and the total amount of P exhibited a leaching–enrichment–release state in the decomposition process. Nutrients were changed significantly in the soil and overlying water at the first decomposition stage. Still, the total soil nutrient change was insignificant at the end, except for the 10 cm burial of B. tripartitle. Moreover, oxidation–reduction potential was the main factor in the litter decomposition process at different burial depths. This study indicated that sediment deposition reduced litter mass loss, slowed down the release of N and P, and retained more C, but promoted the release of K. Conclusively, in litter decomposition under waterlogging, the total soil nutrient content changed little. However, litter does more to the soil than that. Therefore, it is necessary to study the residual soil litter’s continuous output after the water level declines for restoration purposes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of Annual Herbaceous Plant Leaching and Decomposition to Periodic Submergence in Mega-Reservoirs: Changes in Litter Nutrients and Soil Properties for Restoration

Xie

Arif

et al. 2021

Biology

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“…The Ruxi River is one of the largest tributaries of the TGR. The b terized by a subtropical southeast monsoonal climate [1,3,[62][63][64][65]. The averag perature is 18.2 °C [2,4,62], and the frost-free period is 341 days.…”

Section: Study Site and Experimental Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The averag perature is 18.2 °C [2,4,62], and the frost-free period is 341 days. The ann hours are 1327.5, with a sunshine rate of 29% [64,65]. The total solar radia 83.7 × 4.18 kJ/cm 2 .…”

Section: Study Site and Experimental Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Responses of Ecological Stoichiometric Characteristics of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus to Periodic Submergence in Mega-Reservoir: Growth of Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens

Ding

Liu

Arif

et al. 2021

Plants

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Ecological stoichiometric studies can be useful for managing the deteriorated riparian zones of mega-reservoirs in which nutrients significantly impact the balanced vegetation cover. The present study aims to explore the effects of periodic submergence on the stoichiometric ecological characteristics of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), as well as the growth conditions of two leading conifer species (Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens) in the hydro-fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) region, China. The stoichiometrical contents of C, N, and P in fine roots, leaves, and branches, and the growth conditions of T. distichum and T. ascendens were measured in July 2019. The results showed that periodic submergence affected the stoichiometric characteristics and growth conditions of these two woody species, and the impact was restrained, but both grew well. The effects of inundation on the C, N, and P ecological stoichiometric characteristics differed in different parts of trees. In general, the C contents showed the following pattern: leaves > branches > fine roots. The N and P content showed the following pattern: leaves > fine roots > branches, while the C/N and C/P ratios showed an opposite trend to that of N and P. The N and P content in all parts of T. distichum (with means of 17.18 and 1.70 g/kg for leaves, 4.80 and 0.57 g/kg for branches, and 6.88 and 1.10 g/kg for fine roots, respectively) and T. ascendens (with means of 14.56 and 1.87 g/kg for leaves, 5.03 and 0.63 g/kg for branches, and 8.17 and 1.66 g/kg for fine roots, respectively) were higher than the national average level (with means of 14.14 and 1.11 g/kg for leaves, 3.04 and 0.31 g/kg for branches, and 4.85 and 0.47 g/kg for fine roots, respectively). Except for N and P contents in the leaves of T. distichum, there was a significant correlation between N and P elements in other parts (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, the N/P ratio (10.15, 8.52, 6.44, and 7.93, 8.12, 5.20 in leaves, branches, and fine roots of T. distichum and T. ascendens, respectively) was lower than the critical ratio of 14. The growth conditions of T. distichum and T. ascendens were significantly negatively correlated with their leaf C contents and significantly positively correlated with their fine root N and P contents. This study showed that T. distichum and T. ascendens could maintain their normal growth needs by properly allocating nutrients between different organs to adapt to the long periodic submergence in the hydro-fluctuation zone of the TGR region.

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“…Gramineae contains many common dominant plants in wetland habitats ( Xie et al, 2015 ). Compositae taxa often exhibit rapid evolution and can adapt to riparian habitats by means of reproductive dominance and resistance to stress ( Liu et al, 2021 ; Zheng et al, 2021 ). The herbaceous plants observed, such as P. distichum , P. arundinacea , and T. angustifolia , were typical hydrophytes of the Yangtze River Basin and highly dependent on water ( Sharma et al, 2008 ; Liao et al, 2010 ; Li et al, 2015 ; Guechi and Benabdesselam, 2020 ; Noyszewski et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of South-to-North Water Diversion Project Cascade Dams on Riparian Vegetation Along the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Hanjiang River, China

Yang

et al. 2022

Front. Plant Sci.

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The influence of the construction of dams for water diversion on the ecological environment has attracted recent widespread attention. Over time, dams have emerged as one of the most important factors affecting the vegetation along the riparian zones of rivers. To elucidate the effects of cascade dams on riparian vegetation along the middle and lower reaches of the Hanjiang River, we examined riparian vegetation types upstream and downstream from dams. A total of 14 sample sites and 131 quadrats perpendicular to the river were investigated in June 2019, and 14 sample sites and 134 quadrats were investigated in October 2019. The riparian vegetation was divided into 15 (in June) and 11 (in October) vegetation types by two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN). Significant differences were found between the vegetation types upstream and downstream of dams. Redundancy analysis (RDA) showed that soil moisture content, distance from the water, altitude and soil total nitrogen (TN) were the main environmental factors affecting plants distributions, and soil moisture content was the main factor affecting the zonal distribution of vegetation. By analyzing the impact of cascade dams on the hydrological regime, we found that the construction of cascade dams led to the differentiation of vegetation types upstream and downstream of the dam, and the riparian habitats were fragmented by these dams. This study provides both an important reference for the protection of riparian vegetation and riparian ecosystems and a basis for the management and restoration of river ecosystems after the construction of cascade dams.

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Dam inundation simplifies the plant community composition

Cited by 48 publications

References 84 publications

Response of Annual Herbaceous Plant Leaching and Decomposition to Periodic Submergence in Mega-Reservoirs: Changes in Litter Nutrients and Soil Properties for Restoration

Response of Annual Herbaceous Plant Leaching and Decomposition to Periodic Submergence in Mega-Reservoirs: Changes in Litter Nutrients and Soil Properties for Restoration

Responses of Ecological Stoichiometric Characteristics of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus to Periodic Submergence in Mega-Reservoir: Growth of Taxodium distichum and Taxodium ascendens

Effects of South-to-North Water Diversion Project Cascade Dams on Riparian Vegetation Along the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Hanjiang River, China

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