Influence of herbivore exclusion on the soil seed bank and the aboveground vegetation characteristics of Agropyron mongolicum dominant desert steppe grassland

doi:10.11686/cyxb2017101

Abstract

Abstract: Impacts of fencing on the soil seed bank (SSB) and the aboveground vegetation characteristics of an Agropyron mongolicum community in Yanchi County, Ningxia, were studied by germination, and vegetation survey techniques, respectively. The results showed that: 1) Herbivore exclosure significantly increased the SSB density. The total count of seeds in the SSB outside the enclosures was (1052±273) viable seeds·m^-2, but was (1885±100) viable seeds·m^-2 inside the enclosures. After herbivore exclosure, the number of annual species decreased by 8.2%, while seed density increased by 44.0%. 2) At sampling, there were 28 plant species (8 annuals+20 perennial species) present inside the enclosure and 32 species (7 annuals+25 perennial species) present outside the enclosure. 3) After enclosure, values for the Margalef richness index, Shannon-Wiener index, Pielou evenness index and Simpson dominance index of the SSB and the aboveground vegetation showed increasing trends, but the difference was not significant. However, the diversity of life form functional groups changed to some degree. 4) The similarity between seed banks of fenced and unfenced areas was 0.71, whereas the similarity between fenced and unfenced aboveground vegetation characteristics was 0.62, indicating that the impact of external disturbance on vegetation was greater than the impact on the seed bank. This study provides reference information useful for the restoration and management of vegetation in desert steppe areas.

ZHAO Pan-pan, LI Guo-qi, SHAO Wen-shan, JIN Chang-qing. Influence of herbivore exclusion on the soil seed bank and the aboveground vegetation characteristics of Agropyron mongolicum dominant desert steppe grassland[J]. Acta Prataculturae Sinica, 2018, 27(1): 42-52.

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