Welcome to Acta Prataculturae Sinica ! Today is Share:

Acta Prataculturae Sinica ›› 2009, Vol. 18 ›› Issue (4): 9-16.

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Species diversity of degraded vegetation in different age restorations in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China

ZUO Xiao-an, ZHAO Ha-lin, ZHAO Xue-yong, GUO Yi-rui,
ZHANG Tong-hui, MAO Wei, SU Na, FENG Jing   

  1. Naiman Desertification Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions of Environmental and Engineering
    Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
  • Received:2008-12-26 Online:2009-08-20 Published:2009-08-20

Abstract: Following a series of field investigations into vegetation characteristics in Horqin Sandy Land, the community composition and species diversity were analyzed along a restoration gradient of dune vegetations [non-fenced mobile dune, 11-year old dunes (mobile dune, semi-mobile dune, and semi-fixed dune), 20-year old fenced dunes (mobile dune, semi-mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, and fixed dune)] and scattered tree grassland. Vegetation cover, species richness and diversity increased with an increase in degree of fixed and fenced years of mobile dunes. The succession series of plant communities were: Pioneer plants of Agriophyllum squarrosum and a few annual plants (mobile dune stage) → Artemisia halodendrom shrub and annual, biennial herbs (semi-mobile dune and semi-fixed dune stages) → annual, biennial and perennial herbs (fixed dune stage). As the amount of grass and perennial herbs increased in the process of dune vegetation restoration, the structure of plant communities became complex and herbage quality was considerably improved.

CLC Number: