Abstract
The aim of this paper was to assess the influence of tamarisk shrubs on soil fertility, salinity and nematode communities in various habitats located in an arid desert-oasis region in northwest China. Three habitats were studied: sand dune, riparian zone and saline meadow, where tamarisk shrubs have been established in recent decades in order to vegetation restoration used as desertification control and saline land rehabilitation projects and become the dominant plant community. The parameters measured include soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen, available phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), pH, salt component, and nematode community characteristics. Enrichment ratios (a comparison of the soil measurements between soils under canopy and in the open interspaces) for soil nutrients and salinity were used to evaluate fertility and salinity islands underneath the tamarisk shrubs. The soil nematode community was used as a biological indicator of soil condition. SOC and available P and K were higher beneath the plant canopy than in the open interspaces outside that canopy. The enrichment ratios for SOC and nutrients were highest for the sand dune habitat and tamarisk shrubs clearly created islands of greater salinity under the canopies. Nematode abundance per 100 g dry soil varied considerably between the locations and habitats, with the highest abundance found in sand dune and the lowest in saline meadow. A significantly higher nematode abundance and a lower trophic diversity were found in soils under the canopy compared to the soils in the open interspaces. With the exception of saline meadow, the abundance of bacterivores increased and fungivores decreased under the canopy relative to the open interspaces, and bacterivores dominated under the canopies in the sand dune and riparian habitats. The enrichment ratios for salinity were higher than for fertility, suggesting that improved soil fertility can not limit the impact of salinization beneath tamarisk shrubs. The adverse effect of salt accumulation on the soil environment should be taken into account when using tamarisk as restoration plant species, especially in saline meadow and controlling of tamarisk density should be considered when undertaking re-vegetation projects in the arid desert oasis regions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Reference
Anderson B (1998) The case for saltcedar. Restoration and Management Notes 16:130–134
Brotherson JD, Field D (1987) Tamarix: impacts of a successful weed. Rangelands 9:110–112
Brotherson JD, Winkel V (1986) Habitat relationships of saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) in central Utah. Great Basin Naturalist 46:535–541
Busch DE, Smith SD (1995) Mechanisms associated with decline of woody species in riparian ecosystems of the southwestern US. Ecological Monographs 65:347–370
Carman JG, Brotherson JD (1982) Comparisons of sites infested and not infested with saltcedar (Tamarix pentantra) and Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia). Weed Science 30:360–364
Chapin FS, Walker BH, Hobbs RJ, Hooper DU, Lawton JH, Sala OE, Tilman D (1997) Biotic control over the functioning of ecosystems. Science 277:500–504
Chen M, Zhu JW, Sheng JD, Wu HQ (2008) Study on soil enzyme activities and soil microorganisms under canopy of Tamarix spp. shrubs at Tarim Middle River. Southwest China Journal of Agricultural Science 21:103–109 (in Chinese with English abstract)
De Loach CJ, Carruthers RI, Lovich JE, Dudley TL, Smith SD (2000) Ecological interactions in the biological control of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) in the United States: towards a new understanding. In: Spencer NR (ed) Proceedings of the International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds. Montana State University, Bozeman, pp 819–873
DiTomaso JM (1998) Impact, biology and ecology of saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) in the southwestern United States. Weed Technology 12:326–336
Gee WG, Bauder JW (1986) Particle-size analysis. In: Klute A (ed) Methods of soil analysis. Part 1. Physical and mineralogical methods. American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, pp 383–412
Glenn EP, Nagler PM (2005) Comparative ecophysiology of Tamarix ramosissima and native trees in western U.S. riparian zones. Journal of Arid Environment 61:419–446
Grubb RT, Sheley RL, Carlstrom RD (1997) Saltcedar (tamarisk). Montana State University Extension Service MT9710, Bozeman
Hart CH, White LD, McDonald A, Sheng Z (2005) Saltcedar control and water salvage on the Pecos River, Texas, 1999–2003. Journal of Environmental Management 75:399–409
Herrera CM (1976) A trophic diversity index for presence-absence food data. Oecologia 25:187–191
Institute of Soil Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISSCAS) (1978) Physical and chemical analysis methods of soils. Shanghai Science Technology Press, Shanghai
Kazunori S, Oba Y (1994) Effect of fungal to bacterial biomass ratio on the relationship between CO2 evolution and total soil microbial biomass. Biology and Fertility of Soils 17:39–44
Ladenburger CG, Hild AL, Kazmer DJ, Munn LC (2006) Soil salinity patterns in Tamarix invasions in the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, USA. Journal of Arid Environments 65:111–128
Lesica P, DeLuca TH (2004) Is tamarisk allelopathic? Plant and Soil 267:357–365
Lesica P, Miles S (2001) Growth limits on tamarisk at the northern margin of its range in Montana. Wetlands 21:240–246
Lesica P, Miles S (2004) Ecological strategies for managing tamarisk on the C.M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA. Biological Conservation 119:535–543
Li J, Zhao C, Zhu H, Li Y, Wang F (2007) Effect of plant species on shrub fertile island at an oasis–desert ecotone in the South Junggar Basin, China. Journal of Arid Environments 71:350–361
Liu MT (1996) Tamarix L. and its extending in the desert region of Xinjiang. Journal of Desert Research 16(4):428–429 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Liu B, Zhao WZ (2009) Ecological adaptability of photosynthesis and water metabolism for Tamarix Ramosissima and Nitraria Sphaerocarpa in desert–oasis ecotone. Journal of Desert Research 29:101–107 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Liu B, Zhao WZ, Yang R (2008) Characteristics and spatial heterogeneity of Tamarix ramosissim of Nebkhas at desert–oasis ecotone. Aata Ecologica Sinica 28:1446–1455 (in Chinese with English abstract)
Natale E, Zalba SM, Oggero A, Reinoso H (2010) Establishment of Tamarix ramosissima under different conditions of salinity and water availability: implications for its management as an invasive species. Journal of Arid Environments 74:1399–1407
Neher D (2001) Role of nematodes in soil health and their use as indicators. Journal of Nematology 33:161–168
Neher DA, Wu J, Barbercheck ME, Anas O (2005) Ecosystem type affects interpretation of soil nematode community measures. Applied Soil Ecology 30:47–64
Nelson DW, Sommers LE (1982) Total carbon, organic carbon and organic matter. In: Page AL, Miller RH, Keeney DR (eds) Methods of soil analysis, agronomy, Part 2, 2nd edn. ASA, Madison, pp 539–577
Pankhurst CE, Yu S, Hawke BG, Harch BD (2001) Capacity of fatty acid profiles and substrate utilization patters to describe differences in soil microbial communities associated with increased salinity or alkalinity at three locations in South Australia. Biology and Fertility of Soils 33:204–217
Peng SZ, Zhao CY, Peng HH, Zheng XL, Xu ZL (2010) Spatial distribution of Tamarix ramosissima aboveground biomass and water consumption in the lower reaches of Heihe River, Northwest China. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology 21(8):1940–1946
Pen-Mouratov S, Rakhimbaev M, Steinberger Y (2003) Seasonal and spatial variation in nematode communities in a Negev desert ecosystem. Journal of Nematology 35:157–166
Sánchez-Moreno S, Smukler S, Ferris H, O’Geen AT, Jackson LE (2008) Nematode diversity, food web condition, and chemical and physical properties in different soil habitats of an organic farm. Biology and Fertility of Soils 44:727–744
Schade JD, Hobbie SE (2005) Spatial and temporal variation in islands of fertility in the Sonoran desert. Biogeochemistry 73:541–553
Schlesinger WH, Pilmanies AM (1998) Plant–soil interactions in deserts. Biogeochemistry 42:169–187
Schlesinger WH, Raikes JA, Hartly AE, Cross AF (1996) On the spatial pattern of soil nutrients in desert ecosystems. Ecology 77:364–374
Smith SD, Devitt DA, Sala A, Cleverly JR, Busch DE (1998) Water relations of riparian plants from warm desert regions. Wetlands 18:687–696
Su YZ, Zhao HL (2003) Soil properties and plant species in an age sequence of Caragana microphylla plantations in the Horqin Sandy Land, north China. Ecological Engineering 20:223–235
Su YZ, Zhao WZ, Su PX, Zhang ZH, Wang T (2007) Ecological effects of desertification control and desertified land reclamation in an oasis–desert ecotone in an arid region: a case study in Hexi Corridor, northwest China. Ecological Engineering 29:117–124
Tomar O, Minhas P, Sharma V, Singh Y, Gupta R (2003) Performance of 31 tree species and soil conditions in a plantation established with saline irrigation. Forest Ecology and Management 177:333–346
Townshend JL (1963) A modification and evaluation of the apparatus for the Oostenbrink direct cottonwool filter extraction method. Nematologica 9:106–110
Viketoft M, Palmborg C, Sohlenius B, Kerstin HD, Bengtsson J (2005) Plant species effects on soil nematode communities in experimental grasslands. Applied Soil Ecology 30:90–103
Wall JW, Skene KR, Neison R (2002) Nematode community and tropic structure along a sand dune succession. Biology and Fertility of Soils 35:293–301
Wezel A, Rajot JL, Herbrig C (2000) Influence of shrubs on soil characteristics and their function in Sahelian agro-ecosystems in semi-arid Niger. Journal of Arid Environments 44:383–398
Whitcraft CR, Levin LA, Talley D, Crooks JA (2008) Utilization of invasive tamarisk by salt marsh consumers. Oecologia 158:259–272
Wu JH, Fu CZ, Lu F, Chen JK (2005) Changes in free-living nematode community structure in relation to progressive land reclamation at an intertidal marsh. Applied Soil Ecology 9:47–58
Yeates GW, Williams PA (2001) Influence of three invasive weeds and site factors on soil microfauna in New Zealand. Pedobiologia 45:367–383
Yeates GW, Bongers T, De Goede RGM, Freckman DW, Georgieva SS (1993) Feeding habits in soil nematode families and genera. An outline for soil ecologists. Journal of Nematology 25:315–331
Yin CH, Feng G, Tian CY, Bai DS, Zhang FS (2007) Influence of tamarisk shrub on the distribution of soil salinity and moisture on the edge of Taklamakan desert. China Environmental Science 27:670–675 (In Chinese with English abstract)
Yin CH, Feng G, Zhang FS, Tian CY, Tang CX (2010) Enrichment of soil fertility and salinity by tamarisk in saline soils on the northern edge of the Taklamakan Desert. Agricultural Water Management 97:1978–1986
Yuan BC, Li ZZ, Liu H, Gao M, Zhang YY (2007) Microbial biomass and activity in salt affected soils under arid conditions. Applied Soil Ecology 35:319–328
Zheng YM, Cui GF, Lei T, Wu SX, Sun ZC, Yuan HF (2010) Community characteristics and population patterns of Tamarix ramosissima in Dunhuang Xihu of Gansu Province, northwestern China. Journal of Beijing Forestry University 32(4):34–44
Zhi D, Li Y, Na W (2008) Nematode communities in the artificially vegetated belt with or without irrigation in the Tengger Desert, China. European Journal of Soil Biology 44:238–246
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2009CB421303). Authors are thankful to Ms. Fan Gui-ping and Dr. Wu Tian-chang for analyzing soil samples and the three anonymous reviewers for their critical review and comments on this manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Yong-zhong, S., Xue-fen, W., Rong, Y. et al. Soil Fertility, Salinity and Nematode Diversity Influenced by Tamarix ramosissima in Different Habitats in an Arid Desert Oasis. Environmental Management 50, 226–236 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9872-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9872-z