Soil Properties under Artificial Mixed Forests in the Desert-Yellow River Coastal Transition Zone, China
Mixed forests play a key role in the environmental restoration of desert ecosystems and in order to address the improvement of soil properties by different mixed vegetation types. We selected four typical mixed vegetation types (including: <i>Populus alba var. pyramidalis</i> × <i>...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1174 |
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| author | Haonian Li Zhongju Meng Xiaohong Dang Puchang Yang |
| author_facet | Haonian Li Zhongju Meng Xiaohong Dang Puchang Yang |
| author_sort | Haonian Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Mixed forests play a key role in the environmental restoration of desert ecosystems and in order to address the improvement of soil properties by different mixed vegetation types. We selected four typical mixed vegetation types (including: <i>Populus alba var. pyramidalis</i> × <i>Caragana korshinskii</i>, <i>P. pyramidalis</i> × <i>Hedysarum mongdicum</i>, <i>P. pyramidalis</i> × <i>Hedysarum scoparium</i> and <i>Hedysarum scoparium</i> × <i>Salix cheilophila</i>) that have been restored for 22 years and the moving sandy land in the transition zone between the desert and the Yellow River in northern China. We compared the differences in soil properties using a total of 45 soil samples from the 0–30 cm soil layer (10 cm units). We found that revegetation had a significant positive effect on fine particles, soil nutrients, soil bulk density (SBD), and soil fractal dimension (D) values. Soil D values under different types of vegetation range from 2.16 to 2.37. Soil nutrients and fractal dimension showed highly significant or stronger negative correlations with SBD and sand and highly significant or stronger positive correlations with clay and silt. The construction of <i>P. pyramidalis</i> × <i>C. korshinskii</i> improved the soil texture better than other vegetation restoration types. Compared to the mobile sandy land, organic carbon (SOC), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen (AN), total nitrogen (TN), total potassium (TK), clay, and silt increased by 161%, 238%, 139%, 30%, 125%, 69%, 208%, and 441% respectively. As mentioned above, <i>P. pyramidalis</i> × <i>C. korshinskii</i> is a suitable type of mixed vegetation restoration for the area. In addition, establishing vegetation with high nitrogen fixation rates in desert ecosystems tolerant to drought and aeolian conditions is beneficial in reversing the trend of desertification. This research will suggest vegetation building strategies for controlling desertification. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:26:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1f17ba88a0e54a27af8bcd0d6d6c8806 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:26:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-1f17ba88a0e54a27af8bcd0d6d6c88062023-12-03T13:39:36ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-07-01138117410.3390/f13081174Soil Properties under Artificial Mixed Forests in the Desert-Yellow River Coastal Transition Zone, ChinaHaonian Li0Zhongju Meng1Xiaohong Dang2Puchang Yang3College of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010010, ChinaCollege of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010010, ChinaCollege of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010010, ChinaCollege of Desert Control Science and Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010010, ChinaMixed forests play a key role in the environmental restoration of desert ecosystems and in order to address the improvement of soil properties by different mixed vegetation types. We selected four typical mixed vegetation types (including: <i>Populus alba var. pyramidalis</i> × <i>Caragana korshinskii</i>, <i>P. pyramidalis</i> × <i>Hedysarum mongdicum</i>, <i>P. pyramidalis</i> × <i>Hedysarum scoparium</i> and <i>Hedysarum scoparium</i> × <i>Salix cheilophila</i>) that have been restored for 22 years and the moving sandy land in the transition zone between the desert and the Yellow River in northern China. We compared the differences in soil properties using a total of 45 soil samples from the 0–30 cm soil layer (10 cm units). We found that revegetation had a significant positive effect on fine particles, soil nutrients, soil bulk density (SBD), and soil fractal dimension (D) values. Soil D values under different types of vegetation range from 2.16 to 2.37. Soil nutrients and fractal dimension showed highly significant or stronger negative correlations with SBD and sand and highly significant or stronger positive correlations with clay and silt. The construction of <i>P. pyramidalis</i> × <i>C. korshinskii</i> improved the soil texture better than other vegetation restoration types. Compared to the mobile sandy land, organic carbon (SOC), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen (AN), total nitrogen (TN), total potassium (TK), clay, and silt increased by 161%, 238%, 139%, 30%, 125%, 69%, 208%, and 441% respectively. As mentioned above, <i>P. pyramidalis</i> × <i>C. korshinskii</i> is a suitable type of mixed vegetation restoration for the area. In addition, establishing vegetation with high nitrogen fixation rates in desert ecosystems tolerant to drought and aeolian conditions is beneficial in reversing the trend of desertification. This research will suggest vegetation building strategies for controlling desertification.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1174desertificationvegetation restorationmixed forestsoil physical and chemical propertiesfractal feature |
| spellingShingle | Haonian Li Zhongju Meng Xiaohong Dang Puchang Yang Soil Properties under Artificial Mixed Forests in the Desert-Yellow River Coastal Transition Zone, China Forests desertification vegetation restoration mixed forest soil physical and chemical properties fractal feature |
| title | Soil Properties under Artificial Mixed Forests in the Desert-Yellow River Coastal Transition Zone, China |
| title_full | Soil Properties under Artificial Mixed Forests in the Desert-Yellow River Coastal Transition Zone, China |
| title_fullStr | Soil Properties under Artificial Mixed Forests in the Desert-Yellow River Coastal Transition Zone, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil Properties under Artificial Mixed Forests in the Desert-Yellow River Coastal Transition Zone, China |
| title_short | Soil Properties under Artificial Mixed Forests in the Desert-Yellow River Coastal Transition Zone, China |
| title_sort | soil properties under artificial mixed forests in the desert yellow river coastal transition zone china |
| topic | desertification vegetation restoration mixed forest soil physical and chemical properties fractal feature |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/8/1174 |
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