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Changes in soil properties and plant community characteristics among different vegetation restoration models in the semiarid steppe zone of Inner Mongolia in China |
ZHANG Zhihua1,2, LI Xiaoyan2, JIANG Zhiyun2, SANG Yuqiang1 |
1. College of Forestry, Henan Agriculture University, 450002, Zhengzhou, China; 2. College of Resources Sciences and Technology, Beijing Normal University, 100875, Beijing, China |
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Abstract [Background] "Grain for Green Program" (GGP), i.e., reconversion of cropland into forest or grassland, initiated by Chinese government has a profound impact on mitigating environmental degradation. After cropland is re-converted into grassland, land use and vegetation can be altered radically within a short period, and soil physical, chemical, and microbial properties can be improved. In general, natural recovery and artificial forestation/grass planting are two main ways to restoration after re-conversion from cropland to grassland. However, there has not yet formed a unified conclusion on which way is more favorable to improve the vegetation community and soil environment. The objectives of this study were hence to discover the differences in characteristics of vegetation community and soil properties between natural recovery (N-CG) and artificial grass planting (P-CG) in the semiarid steppe region of north China, and then to assess a more suitable restoration ways in the study area. [Methods] Three sites were selected, representing two restoration ways (natural recovery and artificial forestation) and natural grassland (NG), respectively. Vegetation cover, biomass and species diversity were investigated by quadrat method in the field. Soil samplings were collected with different depths to investigate soil properties including organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN) and phosphorus (TP), bulk density (BD) and particle size distribution. Particle size composition was determined by the hydrometer method and SOM was measured by the K2Cr2O7-H2SO4 oxidation method. Additionally, TN was measured using a Nitrogen/Carbon Analyzer and TP was measured by molybdenum blue colorimetry, after H2SO4-HClO4 digestion. [Results] 1) Species diversity, plant coverage, aboveground and belowground biomass were significantly (P<0.01) lower in P-CG among the three typed sites, and the differences between N-CG and NG were not significant. Meanwhile, species composition in N-CG was similar with NG, compared with P-CG. 2) Surface soil (0-10 cm) properties were deeply affected by different restoration ways. P-CG tended to have higher bulk density and sand content, but lower SOM, TN, silt and clay content than N-CG at the soil depths of 0-10 cm, although the differences were not significant. Moreover, NG had the lowest bulk density and sand content, and the highest SOM, TN, TP, silt and clay content. [Conclusions] Soil properties and plant community characters did not return to natural grassland status as before cultivation after 12 years of re-conversion in our study area. N-CG might be a more suitable restoration way to facilitate vegetation community and improve soil physicochemical properties in the study area compared with P-CG. Extra efforts are needed to persistently investigate the changes of vegetation and soil properties in a long time within different restoration ways and to make reliable policy decisions while choosing suitable ways for re-conversion from cropland to grassland in the semiarid steppe region of north China.
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Received: 05 September 2016
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