Effects of Grazing, Wind Erosion, and Dust Deposition on Plant Community Composition and Structure in a Temperate Steppe
Effects of Grazing, Wind Erosion, and Dust Deposition on Plant Community Composition and Structure in a Temperate Steppe
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DOI：
10.1007/s10021-020-00526-3
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发表时间：
2020-06
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Mengmei Zheng;Jian Song;Jingyi Ru;Zhenxing Zhou;Mingxing Zhong;Lin Jiang;D. Hui;S. Wan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mengmei Zheng;Jian Song;Jingyi Ru;Zhenxing Zhou;Mingxing Zhong;Lin Jiang;D. Hui;S. Wan
放牧可以通过觅食直接影响植物群落的组成和结构，并通过增加风蚀和沙尘暴间接影响生态系统功能和生态服务。然而，放牧、风蚀和灰尘沉积的综合影响尚未得到探讨。作为为期7年（2010-2016年）的野外操作实验的一部分，本研究旨在研究放牧和模拟风沙过程（风蚀和沙尘沉积）对中国蒙古高原温带草原植物群落覆盖和物种丰富度的影响。放牧减少了4.2%的总覆盖，特别是高个子植物（> 20厘米高）的覆盖，但导致9.1%的物种丰富度。风蚀也减少了17.0%的总覆盖主要通过抑制矮个子植物与土壤氮素流失，但对物种丰富度没有影响。灰尘沉积增加了5.7%的总覆盖，但导致了7.3%的物种丰富度下降，驾驶一些矮小的植物物种灭绝。风蚀和灰尘沉积与放牧的植被覆盖和物种丰富度的叠加效应，虽然没有检测到的风成过程和放牧之间的相互作用，可以检测到由于我们的方法的限制。风蚀和降尘处理下的生态系统总生产力、生态系统呼吸和净生产力的变化与风沙过程引起的植被覆盖和物种丰富度的变化呈正相关，凸显了植物群落变化在调节生态系统碳循环中的重要作用。我们的研究结果表明，植物性状（例如冠层高度）和土壤养分可能是了解植物群落对草原管理和自然灾害反应的关键。
Grazing can affect plant community composition and structure directly by foraging and indirectly by increasing wind erosion and dust storms and subsequently influence ecosystem functioning and ecological services. However, the combined effects of grazing, wind erosion, and dust deposition have not been explored. As part of a 7-year (2010–2016) field manipulative experiment, this study was conducted to examine the impacts of grazing and simulated aeolian processes (wind erosion and dust deposition) on plant community cover and species richness in a temperate steppe on the Mongolian Plateau, China. Grazing decreased total cover by 4.2%, particularly the cover of tall-stature plants (> 20 cm in height), but resulted in 9.1% greater species richness. Wind erosion also reduced total cover by 17.0% primarily via suppressing short-stature plants associated with soil nitrogen loss, but had no effect on species richness. Dust deposition enhanced total cover by 5.7%, but resulted in a 7.3% decrease in species richness by driving some of the short-stature plant species to extinction. Both wind erosion and dust deposition showed additive effects with grazing on vegetation cover and species richness, though no detectable interaction between aeolian processes and grazing could be detected due to our methodological constraints. The changes in gross ecosystem productivity, ecosystem respiration, and net ecosystem productivity under the wind erosion and dust deposition treatments were positively related to aeolian process-induced changes in vegetation cover and species richness, highlighting the important roles of plant community shifts in regulating ecosystem carbon cycling. Our findings suggest that plant traits (for example, canopy height) and soil nutrients may be the key for understanding plant community responses to grassland management and natural hazards.