Plant and Plant Physiology

Effects of biological soil crust type on herbaceous diversity in the Gurbantunggut Desert

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  • 1. School of Geographical Sciences, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen 041000, Shanxi, China
    2. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, Xinjiang, China

Received date: 2020-05-30

  Revised date: 2020-08-11

  Online published: 2021-04-25

Abstract

As pioneer community and ecosystem engineers in desert ecosystems, biological soil crusts (BSCs) play critical roles in maintaining soil surface stability and improving ecosystem function in arid regions. BSCs affect the seed dispersal, germination, and survival of vascular plants. However, the effect of BSCs on herbaceous plant diversity in the Gurbantunggut Desert is still unknown. In this study, we investigated the factors influencing herbaceous plant diversity in bare sand and three BSC types (algae, lichen, and moss crusts) in northern, central, and southern regions of the Gurbantunggut Desert. We detected significant differences in soil physicochemical properties among BSC types. For example, soil organic matter, total N, total P, total K, clay, silt, and fine sand contents significantly increased with BSC development; however, sand and coarse sand contents declined significantly. Moreover, spatial heterogeneity was obvious among desert regions. The nutrient content and pH in bare sand and algal crusts at Site 2 were lower than those at Site 1 and Site 3. Herbaceous plant richness and Shannon-Wiener diversity increased with BSC succession. The species composition and community structure also varied significantly among BSC types and desert areas. Soil physicochemical properties, soil organic matter, available P, total K, pH, and silt were identified as key factors shaping the herbaceous plant community structure. The changes in microtopography and species composition in different BSC types, biological properties of seeds and soil, and environmental heterogeneity may all contribute to herbaceous plant species composition and abundance in BSCs, leading to herbaceous plant community succession.

Cite this article

LI Bin,WU Zhifang,TAO Ye,ZHOU Xiaobing,ZHANG Bingchang . Effects of biological soil crust type on herbaceous diversity in the Gurbantunggut Desert[J]. Arid Zone Research, 2021 , 38(2) : 438 -449 . DOI: 10.13866/j.azr.2021.02.15

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