摘要
Background: Soil and vegetation have a direct impact on the process and direction of plant community succession, and determine the structure, function, and productivity of ecosystems. However, little is known about the synergistic influence of soil physicochemical properties and vegetation features on vegetation restoration. The aim of this study was to investigate the co-evolution of soil physicochemical properties and vegetation features in the process of vegetation restoration, and to distinguish the primary and secondary relationships between soil and vegetation in their collaborative effects on promoting vegetation restoration in a subtropical area of China.Methods: Soil samples were collected to 40 cm in four distinct plant communities along a restoration gradient from herb(4–5 years), to shrub(11–12 years), to Pinus massoniana coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest(45–46 years), and to evergreen broadleaved forest(old growth forest). Measurements were taken of the soil physicochemical properties and Shannon–Wiener index(SD), diameter at breast height(DBH), height(H), and biomass. Principal component analysis, linear function analysis, and variation partitioning analysis were then performed to prioritize the relative importance of the leading factors affecting vegetation restoration.Results: Soil physicochemical properties and vegetation features showed a significant trend of improvement across the vegetation restoration gradient, reflected mainly in the high response rates of soil organic carbon(SOC)(140.76%), total nitrogen(TN)(222.48%), total phosphorus(TP)(59.54%), alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen(AN)(544.65%),available phosphorus(AP)(53.28%), species diversity(86.3%), biomass(2906.52%), DBH(128.11%), and H(596.97%).The soil properties(pH, SOC, TN, AN, and TP) and vegetation features(biomass, DBH, and H) had a clear coevolutionary relationship over the course of restoration. The synergistic interaction between soil properties and vegetation features had the greatest effect on biomass(55.55%–72.37
基金
supported by the National Forestry Public Welfare Industry Research Project (grant no. 201504411)
the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 31570447 and 31300524)。
