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Spatial heterogeneity of soil and vegetation characteristics and soil-vegetation relationships along an ecotone in Southern Mu Us Sandy Land, China

  • Soils, Sec 5 • Soil and Landscape Ecology • Research Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the changes in the spatial heterogeneity of soil properties at different soil layers, the spatial heterogeneity of soil and vegetation characteristics along an ecotone, and soil-vegetation relationships along the ecotone in a critical area of desertification.

Materials and methods

A study site was established across a Lespedeza potaninii (dominant) community (LPC) and an Artemisia ordosica (dominant) community (AOC), with the ecotone between these two communities. In this study, “along the ecotone” means from LPC, via the ecotone, and then to AOC. Three parallel transects (300-m long) were arranged at 50-m intervals along the site. Along each transect, at 10-m spacings, 1 m × 1-m quadrats were marked for the vegetation survey and soil sampling. Soil samples were analyzed in the laboratory after natural air-drying. Data analyses were conducted with a combination of classical and geostatistical methods.

Results and discussion

In most cases, species importance values and soil properties changed significantly (P < 0.05) along the ecotone. Most soil and vegetation variables were moderately spatially autocorrelated. Kriging interpolated maps showed patch patterns of soil chemical properties. The C/(Co + C) values of soil properties were larger at 5–10-cm than those at 0–5-cm. Vegetation characteristics were mainly positively correlated with soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and electrical conductivity (EC). TN at 0–5-cm (TN1), EC at 0–5-cm (EC1), and available potassium at 5–10-cm (AK2) were selected as the predictors for plant species richness and diversity in the stepwise regression analysis between vegetation characteristics and soil properties.

Conclusions

Soil nutrients decreased significantly (P < 0.05) along the ecotone. Soil and vegetation properties had moderate spatial heterogeneity. Soil properties had a stronger spatial heterogeneity at subsurface layers compared to surface layers. TN1, EC1, and AK2 were the predominant factors for the plant community structure along the ecotone in the critical area of desertification.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the staff of the Sidunzi Agricultural Research Center in Ningxia for their provision of accommodation during our field investigation. We thank Weiting Gao, Chun Jin, and Xudong Zhang for their field assistance. We also thank Dr. Joy Reid, Tobias Gärtner, and Pragyan Patnaik for their detailed revision of this paper. This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31160484), by the China Scholarship Council (CSC), and also by the Special Research Project of Prior Stages of the National 973 Program of China (2010CB434805).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Grassland Sciences, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, 750021, P.R. China

    Yingzhong Xie & Dongmei Xu

  2. Institute of Geobotany, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30167, Hannover, Germany

    Kaiyang Qiu & Richard Pott

  3. Institute of Design for Agricultural Survey in Ningxia, Yinchuan, 750002, P.R. China

    Xiangfeng Shi

  4. School of Agriculture, Ningxia University, 750021, Yinchuan, P.R. China

    Tuoye Qi

  5. Institute of Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, 60438, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Tuoye Qi

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  1. Yingzhong Xie
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  2. Kaiyang Qiu
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  3. Dongmei Xu
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  4. Xiangfeng Shi
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Correspondence to Yingzhong Xie, Kaiyang Qiu or Richard Pott.

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Xie, Y., Qiu, K., Xu, D. et al. Spatial heterogeneity of soil and vegetation characteristics and soil-vegetation relationships along an ecotone in Southern Mu Us Sandy Land, China. J Soils Sediments 15, 1584–1601 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1114-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1114-6

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