Effects of enclosure on the soil seed bank of two plant communities on the desert steppe

doi:10.11686/cyxb2017274

Abstract

Abstract: The soil seed bank (SSB), as a potential source of vegetation, has significance for vegetation restoration and community succession on the desert steppe. In this study, we analyzed the SSB of two plant communities (Sophora alopecuroides and Achnatherum splendens communities), fenced and unfenced, on the desert steppe in Yanchi County, Ningxia Province. Four relatively even and flat quadrats (25 m×30 m each) of S. alopecuroides and A. splendens communities, fenced and unfenced, were selected for these analyses. The soil samples from the four quadrats were separated into three layers (0-2 cm, 2-5 cm, and 5-10 cm) and sieved, and then the species of the seeds in the SSB were identified by direct observations and then by germination tests. We compared the characteristics of two communities (SSB species composition, seed density, diversity, and similarity) between fenced (enclosed) and unfenced conditions. The results showed that: 1) Enclosure increased the number of species in the SSB in both communities, but its effects on seed density in the SSB differed between the two communities. The seed density of the S. alopecuroides community SSB was slightly different between the fenced and unfenced areas, while that of the A. splendens community SSB was markedly higher inside the fenced area. 2) The number of species in the SSB and the seed density tended to decrease with increasing soil depth in both communities, inside and outside the fence. Although the number of species in different soil layers was greater in the fenced area for both communities, the effect of enclosure on the vertical distribution of seed density in the SSB differed between the two communities. 3) The diversity, evenness, and abundance of the SSB were greater inside the fenced area than outside the fenced area for both communities, but the effects of enclosure on SSB diversity differed between the two communities. The S. alopecuroides community was more stable than the A. splendens community on the desert steppe. 4) The SSBs of the two communities showed relatively high similarity, and there was a trend towards succession of the S. alopecuroides community to the A. splendens community after enclosure.

Key words: soil seed bank (SSB), community of Sophora alopecuroides, community of Achnatherum splendens, desert steppe, fence

LI Guo-qi, SHAO Wen-shan, ZHAO Pan-pan, JIN Chang-qing. Effects of enclosure on the soil seed bank of two plant communities on the desert steppe[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2018, 27(6): 52-61.

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