Contrasting effects of plant above- and below-ground functional traits on ecosystem services in artificial forestlands and natural grasslands across vegetation zones

IF 3.9 2区 农林科学 Q1 AGRONOMY
Jing Wang, Wenwu Zhao, Jingyi Ding
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Analysing the status of ecosystem services and their driving mechanisms along environmental gradients is highly important for the reconstruction and protection of regional ecosystems. Exploration of the effects of plant functional traits on ecosystem services is important for revealing the formation mechanisms of ecosystem services. However, the complex effects of plant functional traits on ecosystem services, especially below-ground functional traits, which play critical roles in carbon sequestration, water conservation and soil conservation services, have not been explored in depth.

Methods

Data on plant functional traits and ecosystem services were collected from different vegetation zones (steppe, forest-steppe and forest) in a loess hilly gully region. Two representative small watersheds were selected for field experiments in each vegetation zone, each watershed contains artificial forestlands (Robinia pseudoacacia and Caragana korshinskii) and natural grasslands (i.e., areas that underwent natural recovery after farmland abandonment), and a total of 162 quadrats were set up throughout the study area.

Results

The leaf area and specific leaf area gradually increased from the steppe zone to the forest zone, and the leaf thickness, leaf tissue density, and leaf carbon content gradually decreased across this gradient. The root functional traits (except for root tissue density and root carbon content) of each vegetation type decreased in all the soil layers in the following order: forest-steppe zone > steppe zone > forest zone. The trends of all ecosystem services were consistent with those of leaf area. In artificial forestlands, plant above-ground functional traits had greater effects on carbon sequestration and soil conservation services than did below-ground functional traits, whereas water conservation services were strongly linked with below-ground functional traits. The above-ground plant functional traits in the natural grasslands had greater effects on all the ecosystem services than did the below-ground functional traits.

Conclusions

Natural grasslands are suitable for vegetation restoration in these three vegetation zones. Moreover, it is necessary to plant artificial forests in forest-steppe and forest zones to improve soil conservation and carbon sequestration services to cope with extreme climate change.

不同植被带人工林地和天然草地植物地上、地下功能性状对生态系统服务功能的影响对比
分析生态系统服务功能的现状及其驱动机制,对区域生态系统的重建和保护具有重要意义。探索植物功能性状对生态系统服务功能的影响,对于揭示生态系统服务功能的形成机制具有重要意义。然而,植物功能性状对生态系统服务功能的复杂影响,特别是在固碳、水土保持等功能中发挥重要作用的地下功能性状尚未得到深入研究。方法收集黄土丘陵沟壑区不同植被带(草原、森林-草原和森林)的植物功能性状和生态系统服务功能数据。每个植被带选取2个具有代表性的小流域进行田间试验,每个小流域包含人工林地(刺槐和柠条)和天然草地(即退耕后自然恢复的区域),整个研究区共设置162个样方。结果从草原带到林带,叶面积和比叶面积逐渐增大,叶厚、叶组织密度和叶碳含量在整个梯度上逐渐减小。各植被类型的根系功能性状(除根系组织密度和根系碳含量外)在各土层均呈下降趋势,依次为:森林-草原区>;草原区>;森林区。各生态系统服务功能的变化趋势与叶面积的变化趋势一致。在人工林地中,植物地上功能性状对固碳和土壤保持功能的影响大于地下功能性状,而水分保持功能与地下功能性状的关系密切。天然草原地上植物功能性状对各生态系统服务功能的影响大于地下植物功能性状。结论3个植被带均适宜天然草地植被恢复。此外,有必要在森林草原和林带种植人工林,以改善土壤保持和固碳服务,以应对极端气候变化。
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来源期刊
Plant and Soil
Plant and Soil 农林科学-农艺学
CiteScore
8.20
自引率
8.20%
发文量
543
审稿时长
2.5 months
期刊介绍: Plant and Soil publishes original papers and review articles exploring the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and that enhance our mechanistic understanding of plant-soil interactions. We focus on the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and seek those manuscripts with a strong mechanistic component which develop and test hypotheses aimed at understanding underlying mechanisms of plant-soil interactions. Manuscripts can include both fundamental and applied aspects of mineral nutrition, plant water relations, symbiotic and pathogenic plant-microbe interactions, root anatomy and morphology, soil biology, ecology, agrochemistry and agrophysics, as long as they are hypothesis-driven and enhance our mechanistic understanding. Articles including a major molecular or modelling component also fall within the scope of the journal. All contributions appear in the English language, with consistent spelling, using either American or British English.
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