Browsing by Author "Lin, Jixiang"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The feasibility of using soil seed bank for natural regeneration of degraded sandy grasslands
    (Elsevier, 2022-09) Wang, Yongcui; Chu, Lei; Liu, Zhimin; Ala, MuSa; Lin, Jixiang; Qian, Jianqiang; Zhou, Quanlai; Wang, Lixin; Earth Sciences, School of Science
    Desertification in degraded grasslands is manifested through the development of bare sandy patches, which eventually lead to habitat fragmentation. The ability of these bare sandy patches to regenerate naturally through in-situ soil seed banks is not well understood. To fill this knowledge gap, we randomly selected 24 bare sandy patches with areas ranging from 19 to 898 m2 in a desertified grassland of the Horqin sandy land, Northern China to determine whether soil seed bank can be used for natural regeneration of bare sandy patches. Species composition and density of soil seed bank as well as aboveground vegetation composition, abundance and coverage were investigated. We then determined their relationships with in-situ habitat characteristics. Our observations showed that the studied area had low soil seed bank density and species richness, as well as depauperate soil seed bank communities. Consequently, local soil seed bank was not able to provide sufficient seed source for natural regeneration. This was indicated by the relationships between aboveground vegetation, soil seed bank and the in-situ habitat characteristics. For bare patches with an area between 300 m2 and 900 m2, increase the soil seed bank density and species richness should be the main restoration measures. For bare patches with a small area of less than 50 m2, restoration of vegetation density should be the main measure. Our data highlighted that different extents of desertification, indicated by different bare patches, are requiring distinct restoration measures.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The impact of grazing on seedling patterns in degraded sparse‐elm grassland
    (Wiley, 2018) Wang, Yongcui; Chu, Lei; Daryanto, Stefani; Wang, Lixin; Lin, Jixiang; MuSa, Ala; Earth Sciences, School of Science
    Over‐grazing by livestock in semi‐arid ecosystems is one of the main causes of desertification. Although over‐grazing presents a global environmental challenge, only a few studies have investigated grazing impacts on the composition of species and functional groups of seedling bank. In this study, we determined whether the composition of seedling species and functional groups, as well as the correlations between the seedlings of sparse‐elm (Ulmus pumila var. sabulosa or U. pumila) and other species changed under three grazing intensities in the degraded sparse‐elm grassland in the Horqin Sandy Land, China. Species composition and abundance of established seedlings were surveyed and the relationships between seedlings of U. pumila and other species were analyzed. The results showed that plant communities under moderate grazing were more stable than the other two grazing intensities due to higher seedling density, higher species richness and higher number of perennial herbs. Seedlings of U. pumila could even prevent noxious seedlings growth under moderate grazing. We concluded that moderate grazing could benefit the recovery of this sparse‐elm grassland in the Horqin Sandy Land.