Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Desert vegetation distribution and species-environment relationships in an oasis-desert ecotone of northwestern China

  • Published:
Journal of Arid Land Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Environmental heterogeneity significantly affects the structure of ecological communities. Exploring vegetation distribution and its relationship with environmental factors is essential to understanding the abiotic mechanism(s) driving vegetation succession, especially in the ecologically fragile areas. In this study, based on the quantitative analysis of plant community and environmental factors in 68 plots at 10 different transects in the Minqin oasis-desert ecotone (ODE) of northwestern China, we investigated desert vegetation distribution and species-environment relationships using multivariate analysis. Two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN), detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) methods were used. A total of 28 species, belonging to 27 genera in 8 families, were identified. Chenopodiaceae, Zygophyllaceae, Gramineae, and Leguminosae were the largest families. Annual and perennial herbs accounted for 28.60% of the total number of plants, while shrubs (42.90%) were the most dominant. Nitraria tangutorum was the constructive species of the desert plant community. We divided the 68 plots surveyed in this study into 7 community types, according to the results of TWINSPAN. The distribution of these 7 communities in the DCA ordination graph showed that species with a similar ecotype were clustered together. Results of CCA indicated that groundwater was the dominant factor influencing vegetation distribution, while distance between plot and oasis (Dis) and soil electrical conductivity (EC) were the local second-order factors. Our study suggests that optimizing the utilization of groundwater in oases is key to controlling the degradation of desert vegetation. The favorable topographic conditions of sand dunes should be fully utilized for vegetal dune stabilization, and the influence of soil salinity on the selection of afforestation tree species should be considered.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abd el-Ghani M M, Amer W M. 2003. Soil-vegetation relationships in a coastal desert plain of southern Sinai, Egypt. Journal of Arid Environments, 55(4): 607–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alamusa, Yang T T, Cao J, et al. 2017. Soil moisture influences vegetation distribution patterns in sand dunes of the Horqin Sandy Land, Northeast China. Ecological Engineering, 105: 95–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • An P, Li X G, Zheng Y R, et al. 2015. Distribution of plant species and species-soil relationship in the east central Gurbantunggut Desert, China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 25(1): 101–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Angiolini C, Landi M, Pieroni G, et al. 2013. Soil chemical features as key predictors of plant community occurrence in a Mediterranean coastal ecosystem. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 119: 91–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Böer B, Sargeant D. 1998. Desert perennials as plant and soil indicators in Eastern Arabia. Plant and Soil, 199(2): 261–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brower J E, Zar J H, von Ende. 1990. Field and Laboratory Methods for General Ecology (3rd ed.). Dubuque: William C. Brown Press, 237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang Z F, Zhu S J, Han F G, et al. 2012. Differences in response of desert plants of different ecotypes to climate warming: a case study in Minqin, Northwest China. Journal of Arid Land, 4(2): 140–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen B M, Wang G X, Cheng D L, et al. 2007. Vegetation change and soil nutrient distribution along an oasis-desert transitional zone in northwestern China. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 49(11): 1537–1547.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen B M, Wang G X, Peng S L. 2009. Role of desert annuals in nutrient flow in arid area of Northwestern China: a nutrient reservoir and provider. Plant Ecology, 201(2): 401–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen L J, Feng Q. 2013. Geostatistical analysis of temporal and spatial variations in groundwater levels and quality in the Minqin oasis, Northwest China. Environmental Earth Sciences, 70(3): 1367–1378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y P, Chen Y N, Xu C C, et al. 2012. Groundwater depth affects the daily course of gas exchange parameters of Populus euphratica in arid areas. Environmental Earth Sciences, 66(2): 433–440.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen Y P, Chen Y N, Xu C C, et al. 2016. The effects of groundwater depth on water uptake of Populus euphratica and Tamarix ramosissima in the hyperarid region of Northwestern China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23(17): 17404–17412.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng X L, An S Q, Li B, et al. 2006. Summer rain pulse size and rainwater uptake by three dominant desert plants in a desertified grassland ecosystem in northwestern China. Plant Ecology, 184(1): 1–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cooper D J, Sanderson J S, Stannard D I, et al. 2006. Effects of long-term water table drawdown on evapotranspiration and vegetation in an arid region phreatophyte community. Journal of Hydrology, 325(1–4): 21–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui Y L, Shao J L. 2005. The role of ground water in arid/semiarid ecosystems, northwest China. Ground Water, 43(4): 471–477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curtis J T, Mclntosh R P. 1951. An upland forest continuum in the prairie-forest border region of Wisconsin. Ecology, 32(3): 476–496.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dong Z B, Man D Q, Luo W Y, et al. 2010. Horizontal aeolian sediment flux in the Minqin area, a major source of Chinese dust storms. Geomorphology, 116(1–2): 58–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du J H, Yan P, Dong Y X. 2010. Phenological response of Nitraria tangutorum to climate change in Minqin County, Gansu Province, northwest China. International Journal of Biometeorology, 54(5): 583–593.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Du J H, Yan P, Dong Y X. 2011. Precipitation characteristics and its impact on vegetation restoration in Minqin County, Gansu Province, northwest China. International Journal of Climatology, 31(8): 1153–1165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • El-Keblawy A, Abdelfattah M A, Khedr A H A. 2015. Relationships between landforms, soil characteristics and dominant xerophytes in the hyper-arid northern United Arab Emirates. Journal of Arid Environments, 117: 28–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elmore A J, Manning S J, Mustard J F, et al. 2006. Decline in alkali meadow vegetation cover in California: the effects of groundwater extraction and drought. Journal of Applied Ecology, 43(4): 770–779.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan B L, Zhang A P, Yang Y, et al. 2016. Long-term effects of xerophytic shrub Haloxylon ammodendron plantations on soil properties and vegetation dynamics in Northwest China. PLoS ONE, 11(12): e0168000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fan Y. 2015. Groundwater in the Earth’s critical zone: Relevance to large-scale patterns and processes. Water Resources Research, 51(5): 3052–3069.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grubb P J. 1977. The maintenance of species-richness in plant communities: The importance of the regeneration niche. Biological Reviews, 52(1): 107–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han F G, Xu X Y, Yu Q S. 2015. Response of reproductive phenology of typical sand-fixing plants to climate change in the oasis-desert transitional zone in Minqin, Gansu, China. Journal of Desert Research, 35(2): 330–337 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernández-Cordero A I, Pérez-Chacón E, Hernández-Calvento L. 2015. Vegetation, distance to the coast, and aeolian geomorphic processes and landforms in a transgressive arid coastal dune system. Physical Geography, 36(1): 60–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hesp P, Martinez M, da Silva G M, et al. 2011. Transgressive dune field landforms and vegetation associations, Doña Juana, Veracruz, Mexico. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 36(3): 285–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang G, Li C H, Li Y. 2018. Phenological responses to nitrogen and water addition are linked to plant growth patterns in a desert herbaceous community. Ecology and Evolution, 8(10): 5139–5152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hwang J S, Choi D G, Choi S C, et al. 2016. Relationship between the spatial distribution of coastal sand dune plants and edaphic factors in a coastal sand dune system in Korea. Journal of Ecology and Environment, 39(1): 17–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ISSCAS (Institute of Soil Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences). 1978. Physical and Chemical Analysis Methods of Soils. Shanghai: Shanghai Science Technology Press, 7–59. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ji X B, Zhao W Z, Kang E, et al. 2016. Transpiration from three dominant shrub species in a desert-oasis ecotone of arid regions of Northwestern China. Hydrological Processes, 30(25): 4841–4854.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Le Maitre D C, Scott D F, Colvin C. 1999. A review of information on interactions between vegetation and groundwater. Water SA, 25(2): 137–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lepš J, Šmilauer P. 2014. Multivariate Analysis of Ecological Data Using CANOCO 5 (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press, 15–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li F, Zhao W Z. 2017. Hydrologic thresholds and changes in ANPP of artificial sand-fixing vegetation in a desert-oasis ecotone in Northwest China. Journal of Arid Environments, 146: 44–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li H Q, Li H Y, Li Q H, et al. 2011. Impact of groundwater depth on growth of Nitraria tangutorum on the northeast of Ulanbuh Desert. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 47(11): 25–30. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li H Y, Feng Q, Chen L J, et al. 2017. Hydrochemical characteristics and evolution mechanism of groundwater in the Minqin Oasis. Arid Zone Research, 34(4): 733–740. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li S J, Su P X, Zhang H N. 2018. Distribution patterns of desert plant diversity and relationship to soil properties in the Heihe River Basin, China. Ecosphere, 9(7): e02355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li X R, Xiao H L, Zhang J G. 2004. Long-term ecosystem effects of sand-binding vegetation in the Tengger Desert, northern China. Restoration Ecology, 12(3): 376–390.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li X Y, Lin L S, Zhao Q, et al. 2010. Influence of groundwater depth on species composition and community structure in the transition zone of Cele oasis. Journal of Arid Land, 2(4): 235–242.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu B, Zhao W Z, Wen Z J. 2012. Photosynthetic response of two shrubs to rainfall pulses in desert regions of northwestern China. Photosynthetica, 50(1): 109–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu B, Guan H D, Zhao W Z, et al. 2017. Groundwater facilitated water-use efficiency along a gradient of groundwater depth in arid northwestern China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 233: 235–241.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y J, Liu S Z, Ji Y F. 2014. Community structure and population ecological features of planted Haloxylon ammodendron in different habitats in Minqin Oasis. Arid Zone Research, 31(1): 94–99. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma Q L, Wang J H, Zhu S J. 2007. Effects of precipitation, soil water content and soil crust on artificial Haloxylon ammodendron forest. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 27(12): 5057–5067. (in Chinese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma Q L, Wang J H, Li X R, et al. 2009. Long-term changes of Tamarix-vegetation in the oasis-desert ecotone and its driving factors: implication for dryland management. Environmental Earth Sciences, 59(4): 765–774.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma R, Wang J H, Qu J Q, et al. 2010. Vegetation gradient characteristics and soil water environment of oasis-desert transitional zone in Minqin. Chinese Journal of Ecology, 29(6): 1075–1080. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mata-González R, McLendon T, Martin D W, et al. 2012. Vegetation as affected by groundwater depth and microtopography in a shallow aquifer area of the Great Basin. Ecohydrology, 5(1): 54–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miriti M N. 2007. Twenty years of changes in spatial association and community structure among desert perennials. Ecology, 88(5): 1177–1190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno J, Terrones A, Juan A, et al. 2018. Halophytic plant community patterns in Mediterranean saltmarshes: shedding light on the connection between abiotic factors and the distribution of halophytes. Plant and Soil, 430(1–2): 185–204.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mueller-Dumbois D, Ellenberg H. 1974. Aims and Methods of Vegetation Ecology. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 547.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ohmann J L, Spies T A. 1998. Regional gradient analysis and spatial pattern of woody plant communities of Oregon Forests. Ecological Monographs, 68(2): 151–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pan D Y, Bouchard A, Legendre P. 1998. Influence of edaphic factors on the spatial structure of inland halophytic communities: a case study in China. Journal of Vegetation Science, 9(6): 797–804.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng H J, Fu B J, Chen L D, et al. 2004. Study on features of vegetation succession and its driving force in Gansu desert areas-A case study at Minqin County. Journal of Desert Research, 24(5): 628–633. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Pi H W, Sharratt B, Lei J Q. 2017. Windblown sediment transport and loss in a desert-oasis ecotone in the Tarim Basin. Scientific Reports, 7(1), doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04971-4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qian T, Tsunekawa A, Masunaga T, et al. 2017. Analysis of the spatial variation of soil salinity and its causal factors in China’s Minqin oasis. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, doi: https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/9745264.

  • Qiu G Y, Li C, Yan C H. 2015. Characteristics of soil evaporation, plant transpiration and water budget of Nitraria dune in the arid Northwest China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 203: 107–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rzepecki A, Zeng F, Thomas F M. 2011. Xylem anatomy and hydraulic conductivity of three co-occurring desert phreatophytes. Journal of Arid Environments, 75(4): 338–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi Z, Cheng R, Liu S, et al. 2008. Carbon assimilation, δ13C and water relations of Elaeagnus angustifolia grown at two groundwater depths in the Minqin desert, China. Plant Biosystems, 142(3): 525–532.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siefert A, Ravenscroft C, Althoff D, et al. 2012. Scale dependence of vegetation-environment relationships: a meta-analysis of multivariate data. Journal of Vegetation Science, 23(5): 942–951.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson E H. 1949. Measurement of diversity. Nature, 163: 688.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sommer B, Froend R. 2014. Phreatophytic vegetation responses to groundwater depth in a drying mediterranean-type landscape. Journal of Vegetation Science, 25(4): 1045–1055.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sýkora K V, van den Bogert J C J M, Berendse F. 2004. Changes in soil and vegetation during dune slack succession. Journal of Vegetation Science, 15(2): 209–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szczuciński W. 2011. The post-depositional changes of the onshore 2004 tsunami deposits on the Andaman Sea coast of Thailand. Natural Hazards, 60(1): 115–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang J, Busso C A, Jiang D M, et al. 2016. Experimental sand burial affects seedling survivorship, morphological traits, and biomass allocation of Ulmus pumila var. sabulosa in the Horqin Sandy Land, China. Solid Earth, 7: 1085–1094.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tao Y, Wu G L, Zhang Y M. 2017. Dune-scale distribution pattern of herbaceous plants and their relationship with environmental factors in a saline-alkali desert in Central Asia. Science of the Total Environment, 576: 473–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomas F M, Foetzki A, Arndt S K, et al. 2006. Water use by perennial plants in the transition zone between river oasis and desert in NW China. Basic and Applied Ecology, 7(3): 253–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thomey M L, Collins S L, Vargas R, et al. 2011. Effect of precipitation variability on net primary production and soil respiration in a Chihuahuan Desert grassland. Global Change Biology, 17(4): 1505–1515.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urquiaga S, Cruz K H S, Boddey R M. 1992. Contribution of nitrogen fixation to sugar cane: nitrogen-15 and nitrogen-balance estimates. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 56(1): 105–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vivian-Smith G. 1997. Microtopographic heterogeneity and floristic diversity in experimental wetland communities. Journal of Ecology, 85(1): 71–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang B, Cui X. 2004. Researches on laws of water balance at transitional zone between oasis and desert in Minqin. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 24(2): 235–240. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang G H, Zhao W Z. 2015. The spatio-temporal variability of groundwater depth in a typical desert-oasis ecotone. Journal of Earth System Science, 124(4): 799–806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Li C, Li A D, et al. 2015. The degradation of Nitraria dunes and soil water in Minqin oasis. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 35(5): 1407–1421. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei X, Pan X, Zhao C, et al. 2008. Response of three dominant shrubs to soil water and groundwater along the oasis-desert ecotone in Northwest China. Russian Journal of Ecology, 39(7): 475–482.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu Y, Zhou H, Zheng X J, et al. 2014. Seasonal changes in the water use strategies of three co-occurring desert shrubs. Hydrological Processes, 28(26): 6265–6275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xi J Q, Yang Z H, Guo S J, et al. 2015. Effects of Haloxylon ammodendron planting on soil physico-chemical properties and soil microorganisms in sandy dunes. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 24(5): 44–52. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Xie Y Z, Qiu K Y, Xu D M, et al. 2015. Spatial heterogeneity of soil and vegetation characteristics and soil-vegetation relationships along an ecotone in southern Mu Us Sandy Land, China. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 15(7): 1584–1601.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu H L, Ye M, Li J M. 2007. Changes in groundwater levels and the response of natural vegetation to transfer of water to the lower reaches of the Tarim River. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 19(10): 1199–1207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Y Y, Liu L Y, Shi P J, et al. 2015. Morphology, spatial pattern and sediment of Nitraria tangutorum nebkhas in barchans interdune areas at the southeast margin of the Badain Jaran Desert, China. Geomorphology, 232: 182–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang Z H, Fang E T, Liu H J, et al. 2007. Effect of water table to niche of plant population at Minqin oasis fringe. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 27(11): 4900–4906. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zereen A, Sardar A A. 2015. Multivariate analysis of environment-vegetation complex of Vehari district, Pakistan. Bangladesh Journal of Botany, 44(3): 399–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang K C, An Z S, Cai D W. 2017. Key role of desert-oasis transitional area in avoiding oasis land degradation from aeolian desertification in Dunhuang, Northwest China. Land Degradation & Development, 28(1): 142–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y L, Ma J H, Chang X L, et al. 2012. Water resources assessment in the Minqin Basin: an arid inland river basin under intensive irrigation in northwest China. Environmental Earth Sciences, 65(6): 1831–1839.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Y, Feng Q, Xi H Y. 2017. Association between plant species diversity and edaphic factors in the lower reaches of the Heihe River, northwestern China. Chemistry and Ecology, 33(3): 181–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou H, Zhao W Z, Zhang G F. 2017. Varying water utilization of Haloxylon ammodendron plantations in a desert-oasis ecotone. Hydrological Processes, 31(4): 825–835.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Z H, Jiao J, Li Y, et al. 2012. The grey relatedness analysis between the modular structure of clonal population of Calligonum mongolicum and the environmental factors in the Minqin Desert. Scientia Silvae Sinicae, 48(5): 141–149. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu J J, Chen H, Xing X, et al. 2015. Quantification analysis of water sources of desert plants in Qaidam Basin: A case study of Golmud plot. Geographical Research, 34(2): 285–292. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu J T, Yu J J, Wang P, et al. 2014. Variability in groundwater depth and composition and their impacts on vegetation succession in the lower Heihe River Basin, north-western China. Marine and Freshwater Research, 65(3): 206–217.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu Y J, Lu Q, Wu B, et al. 2013. Effects of increased precipitation on the water use of Nitraira tangutorum at southeast edge of Badain Jaran Desert in China. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 24(1): 41–48. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (SQ2016YFHZ20617-03, 2018YFC0507102-05) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41661008, 41761051, 41761006, 41661064, 31560128, 41801102).

Author information

Author notes

  1. The second and third authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Northwest Institute of Eco-environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Peng Zhao & Jianjun Qu

  2. State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Desertification and Aeolian Sand Disaster Combating, Gansu Desert Control Research Institute, Lanzhou, 730070, China

    Peng Zhao, Xianying Xu, Qiushi Yu, Shengxiu Jiang & Heran Zhao

  3. Gansu Minqin National Field Observation and Research Station on Ecosystem of Desertification Rangeland, Minqin, 733000, China

    Peng Zhao, Xianying Xu, Qiushi Yu, Shengxiu Jiang & Heran Zhao

  4. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Peng Zhao & Jianjun Qu

Authors
  1. Peng Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jianjun Qu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xianying Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Qiushi Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Shengxiu Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Heran Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianjun Qu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhao, P., Qu, J., Xu, X. et al. Desert vegetation distribution and species-environment relationships in an oasis-desert ecotone of northwestern China. J. Arid Land 11, 461–476 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-019-0055-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40333-019-0055-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation