Formation of litter crusts and its multifunctional ecological effects in a desert ecosystem

Jia, Chao; Liu, Yü; He, Honghua; Miao, H.; Huang, Ze; Zheng, Jiyong; Han, Fengpeng; Wu, Gao‐Lin

doi:10.1002/ecs2.2196

Cited by 20 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…In these two aspects, wind erosion could be efficiently reduced and controlled. Moreover, the higher biomass in the station could let more litter get into the soil, which provides nutrition and improves the soil structure (Jia, Huang, Miao, Lu, Li, Liu, Shen, He, & Wu, ; Jia, Liu, He, Miao, Huang, Zheng, Han, & Wu, ) that enhances the soil water holding capacity. Meanwhile, the observed better soil water conditions could provide a better scenario for the plant growth, higher biomass production, and total coverage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar photovoltaic panels significantly promote vegetation recovery by modifying the soil surface microhabitats in an arid sandy ecosystem

et al. 2019

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The arid sandy areas have great potential for producing solar power, and a large number of solar photovoltaic (PV) power (SPP) stations have been set‐up in these regions across the world. Construction of SPP at large scale certainly changes the land surface with consequences on the local ecosystem. However, few studies have focused on these impacts. This study explored the influence of SPP on vegetation by modifying microhabitats. The soil water content (SWC), evaporation, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), soil and air temperature (AT), vegetation coverage, biomass, and species richness were measured under different positions of the SPP and outside. The results showed that SWC in the station was much higher than that observed outside the SPP, and the evaporation in the SPP was lower than outside (P < .05). The PAR below the PV panel line zone is much lower than the interval (IT) zone. The surface coverage, biomass, and species richness were significantly higher in the SPP than outside the IT zone and outside the SPP (P < .05). The AT under the panel was 1.67 times lower than above during the plant growing season. The microhabitat index has a high correlation with biomass, coverage, and species richness. PV panels could impact microhabitat in arid sandy areas and accelerate vegetation recovery progress and quality. The SPP construction would not only supply clean energy but also bring unintended ecological benefits in the future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solar photovoltaic panels significantly promote vegetation recovery by modifying the soil surface microhabitats in an arid sandy ecosystem

et al. 2019

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“…Additionally, shrub mortality decreased soil pH values in both bare sand and moss crusts (Figure 2b). This reduction was mainly due to the decomposition of litter and plant root residues following shrub mortality, which altered soil nutrient cycling, promoted soil respiration, and resulted in short‐term soil acidification (Jia et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2021). A similar trend was observed for soil EC, as reduced levels of organic residues after shrub mortality led to decreased cation sorption, limiting soil nutrient transformation and efficiency (Bronick & Lal, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moss crusts mitigate the negative impacts of shrub mortality on the nutrient multifunctionality of desert soils

Zhang,

Yin,

Zhang

et al. 2023

Soil Science Soc of Amer J

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The distribution of biological soil crusts (BSCs) and shrubs in temperate deserts often forms a common landscape surface feature. As climate change continues, desert shrubs experience varying rates of mortality, which can have severe negative impacts on soil structure and functions. However, it remains uncertain whether moss crusts, prevalent beneath shrub canopies, can mitigate the effects of shrub mortality on soil nutrient environments. Therefore, this study focuses on the Gurbantunggut Desert, a typical temperate desert in northern China, with a primary focus on the dominant shrubs, Ephedra przewalskii, and the advanced stage of moss crust development within BSCs. We collected soil samples from bare sand and moss crusts under living shrubs and dead shrubs and analyzed them for their carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium contents. Additionally, we calculated soil nutrient multifunctionality, which measures a soil's ability to sustain multiple ecosystem services simultaneously, to provide a comprehensive assessment of the effects of shrub mortality on soil nutrient function. Our results indicate that shrub mortality led to reductions in soil moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, and levels of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in exposed sand compared to the sand under living shrubs. However, the presence of moss crusts significantly alleviated the adverse effects of shrub mortality on soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium levels. The nutrient multifunctionality index of the moss crust only decreased by 4%, while bare sand experienced a 67% reduction following shrub mortality. Standard error of the mean analysis results revealed that when shrubs and crusts coexisted, the impact of shrubs on soil nutrient multifunctionality was much stronger than that of the moss crust. Specifically, total nutrient content was the most influential factor driving changes in soil nutrient multifunctionality. In conclusion, in desert ecosystems with declining shrubs, moss crusts can mitigate the reduction in soil nutrient contents caused by shrub degradation, thereby maintaining soil stability and nutrient multifunctionality as a viable substitute.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

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“…To study the effect of litter crust on sandy soil properties and the bacterial communities in different temporal formation stages of litter crust, four sites (sandy land, 1‐year litter crust, 3‐year litter crust, and 5‐year litter crust) were chosen based on the adhesion degree of the sandy soil–litter mixture and the colour of the litter crust (Jia, Liu, et al, 2018). From each site, nine replicate sandy soil samples were chosen and collected from three sandy soil layers (0–2 cm, 2–5 cm, 5–10 cm) with nine replicate plots in July 2019.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The accumulation of organic surface materials in drylands can have particularly strongly affects on the structure of soil microbiomes and the associated maintenance of vital ecological functions and other sandy soil properties (Kuske, Yeager, Johnson, Ticknor, & Belnap, 2012). In particular, the formation of litter crusts can play an important role in reestablishing soil functioning in drylands (Jia et al, 2018; Liu et al, 2018). For example, litter crust decomposition processes have been shown to support plant and microbial growth through the provision of carbon (C) and other nutrients and can influence ecosystem C cycling and storage (Chapin, Matson, & Mooney, 2011; Tlaskal, Voriskova, & Baldrian, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant litter crust role in nutrients cycling potentials by bacterial communities in a sandy land ecosystem

et al. 2021

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Plant litter is most important in mediating soil functioning during ecosystem recovery. In sandy ecosystems, the formation of a plant litter crust plays a crucial role in the process of restoration. This research explored the influence of the plant litter crust on sandy soil properties and the bacterial community, and the effect of the bacterial taxa on soil functions through driving sandy soil nutrients cycling and multienzyme activities. Our study focused on a range of litter crust ages and depths and used high‐throughput sequencing of the V4‐V5rRNA gene region. Our results show that the composition and diversity of bacterial communities in the plant litter crust relate to litter crust depth especially in the top sandy soil layer. We found strong correlations between soil bacterial community composition and most soil properties. Further analysis showed that Chloroflexi was important in the nutrients cycling and enzyme activities; Proteobacteria contribute to the cycling of most nutrients; Firmicutes contribute to most enzyme activities during the formation of plant litter crust in sandy ecosystems. In summary, our findings provide evidence that plant litter has significant positive impacts on soil functioning within dryland ecosystems through the contribution of bacterial taxa to soil nutrients cycling and multiple enzyme activities. The study further underlines the roles of plant litter in sandy ecosystems and the importance of sandy soil properties and microbial communities in sandy plant litter crust formation and function.

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Formation of litter crusts and its multifunctional ecological effects in a desert ecosystem

Cited by 20 publications

References 49 publications

Solar photovoltaic panels significantly promote vegetation recovery by modifying the soil surface microhabitats in an arid sandy ecosystem

Solar photovoltaic panels significantly promote vegetation recovery by modifying the soil surface microhabitats in an arid sandy ecosystem

Moss crusts mitigate the negative impacts of shrub mortality on the nutrient multifunctionality of desert soils

Plant litter crust role in nutrients cycling potentials by bacterial communities in a sandy land ecosystem

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