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ZHAO X N, TANG J N, FAN B L, LI Y K, WANG Q, JIN H X, ZHANG Y H, YANG X M, HE F L, LIU Y J, LIU Z H. Soil seed bank characteristics of grasslands with different desertification degrees in a high-cold region. Pratacultural Science, 2020, 37(12): 2431-2443. DOI: 10.11829/j.issn.1001-0629.2020-0184
Citation: ZHAO X N, TANG J N, FAN B L, LI Y K, WANG Q, JIN H X, ZHANG Y H, YANG X M, HE F L, LIU Y J, LIU Z H. Soil seed bank characteristics of grasslands with different desertification degrees in a high-cold region. Pratacultural Science, 2020, 37(12): 2431-2443. DOI: 10.11829/j.issn.1001-0629.2020-0184

Soil seed bank characteristics of grasslands with different desertification degrees in a high-cold region

  • To understand the response of soil seed banks to grassland desertification in alpine regions, the characteristics and dynamic changes in soil seed banks located in non-desertified alpine meadows, sandy grasslands, and mobile dunes in Maqu alpine regions were investigated and analyzed. The results showed that: 1) 32 species belonging to 13 families appeared in the soil seed bank during the desertification process of alpine meadows, and 24 species from 11 families appeared during both the turning-green period and the withering period; however, the species composition was different. 2) The three grasslands had different degrees of desertification. The density of the seed bank in the 0 – 15 cm soil layer was 3 096.0, 679.4, and 56.6 grains·m−2 in the greening stage, concentrated in the 0 – 5 cm soil layer, and the seed bank density decreased significantly as the degree of desertification increased (P < 0.05). The density during the yellowing period was lower than that during the turning-green period however, the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). 3) For both the greening period and the yellowing period, the degree of species dominance, diversity, uniformity, and abundance in the soil seed bank in the alpine meadow decreased with increasing degree of desertification. Once the typical alpine meadow was desertified, the species diversity of the seed bank noticeably decreased. 4) The similarity between the soil seed banks of the three grasslands with different desertification degrees and their vegetation was low, between 0 and 0.5; however, the similarity during the yellowing period was higher than that during the turning-green period. The results showed that the soil seed bank could be significant for the restoration of alpine desertified grassland. During the rejuvenation period, different types of degraded grasslands can be supplemented with common species or break seed dormancy to achieve vegetation restoration. Land desertification had a clear influence on the destruction of soil seed banks in alpine pastures. The density and diversity of soil seed banks decreased rapidly, zonal vegetation disappeared from the communities, and vegetation restoration became increasingly difficult. Therefore, it was an effective measure for vegetation restoration and reconstruction in alpine meadow areas to establish a scientific artificial soil seed bank.
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