The “bug island” effect of shrubs and its formation mechanism in Horqin Sand Land, Inner Mongolia

Zhao, Hao; Liu, Rentao

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2013.01.009

Cited by 36 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Results were in accordance with previous research on ground arthropod communities of shrub patches [ 3 , 9 , 11 ]. The positive effects of microhabitats on ground arthropods in this severely resource-limited desert steppe ecosystem could be ascribed to the multiple functions of shrubs, serving as primary producers, providers of resources and modulators of the physical environment (e.g., microclimate, soil nutrient and water availability) under their crown [ 10 , 39 ]. These ecological functions may combine to create a favorable microhabitat with relatively mild microclimates, secure oviposition sites, high resource availability and shelter, thereby resulting in a greater degree of arthropod activity and colonization in areas under shrubs versus those in open areas [ 3 , 6 , 39 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Distribution and Diversity of Ground Arthropods in Microhabitats Following a Shrub Plantation Age Sequence in Desertified Steppe

Liu

Zhu²,

Song³

et al. 2013

PLoS ONE

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In desertified regions, shrub-dominated patches are important microhabitats for ground arthropod assemblages. As shrub age increases, soil, vegetation and microbiological properties can change remarkably and spontaneously across seasons. However, relatively few studies have analyzed how ground arthropods respond to the microhabitats created by shrubs of different plantation ages across seasons. Using 6, 15, 24 and 36 year-old plantations of re-vegetated shrubs (Caragana koushinskii) in the desert steppe of northwestern China as a model system, we sampled ground arthropod communities using a pitfall trapping method in the microhabitats under shrubs and in the open areas between shrubs, during the spring, summer and autumn. The total ground arthropod assemblage was dominated by Carabidae, Melolonthidae, Curculionidae, Tenebrionidae and Formicidae that were affected by plantation age, seasonal changes, or the interaction between these factors, with the later two groups also influenced by microhabitat. Overall, a facilitative effect was observed, with more arthropods and a greater diversity found under shrubs as compared to open areas, but this was markedly affected by seasonal changes. There was a high degree of similarity in arthropod assemblages and diversity between microhabitats in summer and autumn. Shrub plantation age significantly influenced the distribution of the most abundant groups, and also the diversity indices of the ground arthropods. However, there was not an overall positive relationship between shrub age and arthropod abundance, richness or diversity index. The influence of plantation age on arthropod communities was also affected by seasonal changes. From spring through summer to autumn, community indices of ground arthropods tended to decline, and a high degree of similarity in these indices (with fluctuation) was observed among different ages of shrub plantation in autumn. Altogether the recovery of arthropod communities was markedly affected by seasonal variability, and they demonstrated distinctive communal fingerprints in different microhabitats for each plantation age stage.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal Distribution and Diversity of Ground Arthropods in Microhabitats Following a Shrub Plantation Age Sequence in Desertified Steppe

Liu

Zhu²,

Song³

et al. 2013

PLoS ONE

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“…Consequently, under dry climatic conditions, the "remaining habitat" at dune bottom probably would become a "reserves" (i.e. shelter) for the conservation of ground-active arthropods (Zhao and Liu, 2013) among dune microhabitats.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ground-active arthropod responses to rainfall-induced dune microhabitats in a desertified steppe ecosystem, China

2016

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Different microhabitats along dune slope were found to affect the distribution of plant performances and soil properties in desertified ecosystems. However, the ground-active arthropod responses to rainfall-induced dune microhabitats were largely unknown in desertified regions. At dune top, midslope and bottom, ground-active arthropods were sampled by the method of pitfall traps in addition to the herbaceous and soil measurements during spring, summer and autumn from 2012 to 2013. Ground-active arthropod had a strong dynamics in time, seasonally and yearly in responses to rainfall-induced dune microhabitats and the variations were significant higher than those of soil and herbaceous properties. The abundance distribution of dominant taxa (i.e. Melolonthidae, Carabidae, Glaphyridae, Tenebrionidae and Formicidae families) among dune microhabitats was similar between seasons within the same year, whereas they differed markedly between two sampling years with varying rainfall patterns. A significant (P<0.05) difference in total abundance, taxa richness and Shannon index among dune microhabitats was found only in certain season time, particularly in 2013; however, no significant (P>0.05) differences were found among dune microhabitats when averaged on three sampling seasons within the year of either 2012 or 2013. In all, the taxonomical structure differed considerably from the community structure in ground-active arthropod response to rainfall-induced dune microhabitats. The spatial distribution of taxonomical groups among dune microhabitats was significantly affected by inter-annual rainfall changes, whereas that of community structure was affected by both intra-and inter-annual rainfall changes in desertified ecosystems.

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“…Grasses probably gain nutrients mainly from the surface soil layers, but shrubs may acquire some P from deeper soil layers [2], thus changing the soil nutrients. Shrubs improve the local micro-climate, reduce the wind velocity, retain dust and sand, increase the soil litter biomass and soil moisture, improve the soil texture, and help retain nutrients available to vascular plants [77]. Recent studies have reported that soil nutrient concentrations are also usually related to shrub size, cover, and age [2,22,78], with large shrubs and cover enriching soil nutrients.…”

Section: The Main Factors Controlling Soil Nutrients Over Shrub Encromentioning

confidence: 99%

Shrub Encroachment Shapes Soil Nutrient Concentration, Stoichiometry and Carbon Storage in an Abandoned Subalpine Grassland

et al. 2019

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Soil nutrient stoichiometry plays a substantial role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycling. However, the changes in soil nutrient stoichiometry with shrub encroachment (SE) remain poorly understood, especially in subalpine areas. We examined the changes in soil nutrient concentration, nutrient stoichiometry, and organic carbon (OC) storage (at a depth of 0–5, 5–10 and 10–20 cm) in three successional shrub encroachment stages (early, mid and late) in an abandoned subalpine Eulalia pallens (Hackel) Kuntze grassland. An ANOVA showed that SE did not produce serious soil acidification, but significantly increased the soil OC and total phosphorous (TP) concentration, and improved the stoichiometry ratio of soil OC to total nitrogen (OC:TN) in all layers. OC storage tended to increase with SE. SE thus did not indicate degradation of the grassland. A redundancy analysis (RDA) and partial RDA revealed that the shrub relative cover and soil water content were the most important factors affecting the soil nutrient concentration, that the soil available phosphorous (AP), nitrogen, potassium, calcium (ACa), and magnesium concentration and shrub relative cover were the most important factors influencing soil nutrient stoichiometry ratios, and that soil OC:TN, TN:TP, OC:TN:TP, and AP:ACa ratios, bulk density, and pH were the most important factors influencing soil OC storage over SE. Our study provides insights into SE in grassland areas, and potentially provides a useful reference for ongoing grassland conservation and restoration in subalpine regions.

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The “bug island” effect of shrubs and its formation mechanism in Horqin Sand Land, Inner Mongolia

Cited by 36 publications

References 14 publications

Seasonal Distribution and Diversity of Ground Arthropods in Microhabitats Following a Shrub Plantation Age Sequence in Desertified Steppe

Seasonal Distribution and Diversity of Ground Arthropods in Microhabitats Following a Shrub Plantation Age Sequence in Desertified Steppe

Ground-active arthropod responses to rainfall-induced dune microhabitats in a desertified steppe ecosystem, China

Shrub Encroachment Shapes Soil Nutrient Concentration, Stoichiometry and Carbon Storage in an Abandoned Subalpine Grassland

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