Effects of Artificial Sand Fixing on Community Characteristics of a Rare Desert Shrub

Abstract

Eremosparton songoricum (Fabaceae) is a rare, native, clonal small shrub of the deserts of central Asia. Although human activities have greatly fragmented the distribution of E. songoricum, it occurs in areas where artificial sand fixing (AS) has been implemented. We sought to explore whether AS promotes survival and growth of E. songoricum. In the Gurbantunggut Desert of northwestern China in June 2010, we established 10 plots in an area where sand fixing occurred (5-10 years previously) and 11 plots on original sand substrate on which some plants had settled without fixing sand. Sand fixing changed soil properties and biological characteristics in sand-fixed plots. The soil surface where sand fixing occurred was covered by algal crusts and some lichen, but not bare sand (BS). Soil nutrients; water content of deep soil (30-150 cm); overall plant and herbaceous species richness, diversity, abundance, and cover; above- and belowground biomass; and cover, biomass, and height of E. songoricum in the sand-fixed plots were significantly greater than in plots of BS. However, distribution of E. songoricum individuals in the 2 types of plots did not differ. Our results indicate AS may enhance survival of E. songoricum and increase the overall diversity and stability of the desert plant community. We suggest AS as a way to protect this rare desert plant in situ.

Biological soil crusts determine the germination and growth of two exotic plants

“…Accordingly, our tested species could obtain increasing amounts of available nutrients with the succession from bare sand to cyanobacteria crust and then to lichen and moss crusts. In addition, studies have reported that BSCs favor nutrient uptake by vascular plants and facilitate biomass accumulation in plant tissues (Harper & Belnap, ; Langhans, Storm, & Schwabe, ; Liu, Tao, Qiu, Zhang, & Zhang, ; Thiet, Doshas, & Smith, ). Our results also demonstrated that the plant height growth and aboveground biomass were much higher with the BSCs than with bare sand, especially the aboveground biomass, which was higher with the moss crusts than with the other substrates.…”

The Relationship between Diaspore Characteristics with Phylogeny, Life History Traits, and Their Ecological Adaptation of 150 Species from the Cold Desert of Northwest China

“…Short-lived or ephemeral plants obtain certain development. Amaranthaceae is in a clearly dominant position while Brassicaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, Poaceae, and so forth are common [21, 23, 24]. …”

“…Plant types with both short and long vegetative periods were evolved in this area [24] and short (ephemeral) plants included annuals, ainnuals/biennials, and biennials herb, so vegetative periods were divided into annuals (AH), annuals/biennials (ABH), biennials (BH), biennials/perennials (BPH), perennials (PH), shrubs (S), semishrubs (SS), small arbor (SA), annuals ephemerals (AE), annuals/biennials ephemerals (ABE), and biennial ephemerals (BE) (Table 1). …”

Root biomass distribution of planted Haloxylon ammodendron in a duplex soil in an oasis: desert boundary area

“…Desertification is a land-degradation process caused by intensification of human activities and climate change in fragile ecosystems of arid and semi-arid areas, and constitutes a major threat to the sustainability of agriculture and economic development (Zhu and Liu 1988;Lal 2000;Wang 2000). Preventive measures have been developed and successfully implemented in China, and include the use of wheat-straw, and planting of indigenous dune-adapted shrubs to curb desertification and alleviate its influence on crops, pasture, and human life (Zhang et al 2004;Li et al 2009;Liu et al 2013). Further, once a population of indigenous shrubs is established, it can accrue more resources, either actively through root uptake of soil water and nutrients, or passively by accumulating wind-blown dust and litter (Garner and Steinberger 1989;Gutie´rrez et al 1993;Burke et al 1995); this accrual creates a feedback mechanism that facilitates invasion and colonization by other plant species (Li et al 2009).…”