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Influence of soil moisture and electrical conductivity on the growth of Phragmites australis (Cav.) in the Keriya oasis, China

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Abstract

In this study, we sought to explore the changes of soil moisture and soil electrical conductivity (EC), as well as to study the relationships between these soil properties and the vegetative indexes of plant coverage, height and crown density and diameter during the Phragmites australis (P. australis) growth period. By combining floristic and edaphic variables (soil moisture and EC), we found that at 0–10 cm depth, the soil moisture varied greatly, while the soil moisture at 10–50 cm depth, EC at 0–50 cm depth, and vegetation properties varied only moderately. A great amount of evaporation offered a possible reason for this moderate variability in soil moisture and EC. Geostatistical analyses revealed that the soil moisture at 0–50 cm depth, and the density of P. australis (Cav.) had a strong spatial autocorrelation, while the EC at 0–50 cm depth had only a weak spatial autocorrelation depending on the nugget effect. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between the soil moisture and vegetation characteristics at the depth of 0–50 cm, but there was a negative correlation between EC and vegetation characteristics at the depth of 30–50 cm. Furthermore, an increase in soil moisture had a positive effect on P. australis (Cav.) growth, while an increase in EC had a negative effect.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31360200; No. 41461111; No. 41561089; No. 31270742), the German Volkswagen Foundation EcoCAR Project (No. Az88497), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 2105M570867).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environmental Science, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China

    Zulpiya Mamat, Umut Halik, Ilyas Nurmamat, Abdulla Abliz & Tayierjiang Aishan

  2. Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology (Ministry of Education), Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China

    Zulpiya Mamat, Umut Halik, Ilyas Nurmamat, Abdulla Abliz & Tayierjiang Aishan

  3. Ecological Postdoctoral Research Station, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China

    Zulpiya Mamat

  4. Earthquake Administration of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Urumqi, 830011, China

    Zulpiya Mamat

  5. Faculty of Mathematics and Geography, Catholic University of Eichstaett-Ingolstadt, 85071, Eichstaett, Germany

    Umut Halik

  6. College of Tourism, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, 830046, China

    Polat Muhtar

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  1. Zulpiya Mamat
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  2. Umut Halik
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  3. Polat Muhtar
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  4. Ilyas Nurmamat
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  5. Abdulla Abliz
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Correspondence to Umut Halik.

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Mamat, Z., Halik, U., Muhtar, P. et al. Influence of soil moisture and electrical conductivity on the growth of Phragmites australis (Cav.) in the Keriya oasis, China. Environ Earth Sci 75, 423 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5394-y

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