Structure and Richness of Carex meyeriana Tussocks in Peatlands of Northeastern China

Soil Degradation Effects on Plant Diversity and Nutrient in Tussock Meadow Wetlands

“…Soil nutrients are vital factors affecting community structure and plant growth in wetland ecosystem, with the changes in nutrient content and their ratios being a master control on plant nutrients (Gusewell and Koerselman 2002;Wang et al 2018a). Soil degradation constrains plant growth, and then hinders the development and stability of wetland community, by influencing nutrient cycling (Tian 1998).…”

“…Soil degradation not only leads to the change in fundamental physicochemical properties of soil, but also causes the variation of biogeochemical cycling of nutrient elements, which both affect the growth and production of wetland plants (Jiménez-Ballesta et al 2018;Liu et al 2018). Additionally, long-term soil degradation induces the large shifts in dominant species and their associated ecosystem functions (Zhao et al 2017;Wang et al 2018a). Therefore, monitoring the community structure and nutrient dynamic is important for the wetland conservation and restoration.…”

“…Variations of community characteristics, including community structure, species composition and plant diversity, are common ecological phenomenon in wetland ecosystem (Lou et al 2015(Lou et al , 2018. Previous studies have highlighted that plant diversity and community composition can change in responses to environmental fluctuations, especially with a variation of soil physiochemical properties (Ma et al 2017;Wang et al 2018a). Although plants with high stoichiometric homeostasis can maintain a relatively constant nutrient concentration in their tissues to adapt to environmental changes, the reduction of available nutrient will still limit the growth of the dominant specie, and then influence the development and stability of plant community (Yu et al 2011(Yu et al , 2015.…”

“…The tussock-forming species, Carex schmidti, is a dominant pasture species in Momoge wetland. This species has abundant root systems Zhang et al 2019a), a strong accumulation ability , and it is able to support a rich biodiversity (Wang et al 2018a). In recent decades, C. schmidtii tussocks have degraded due to long-term soil degradation (Pan et al 2006;Wang et al 2019), and their dominant position is gradually replaced by some weed species (e.g., Echinochloa caudate and Polygonum persicaria).…”

Eco-physiological Responses of Carex Schmidtii to Soil Salinization in a Chinese Wetland

“…The sponge network structure (hummock) formed by root and peat provides favorable conditions for water conservation and sewage purification in tussock sedge wetlands [13]. Simultaneously, the microtopography created by hummocks not only increases the surface area to support plants being free from inundation, but also expands the living space range of plants to obtain the resources of sunlight, water and nutrients [14]. However, soil salinization of tussock wetland becomes increasingly serious and has resulted in the dying-off of C. schmidtii tussocks.…”