Effects of shrub encroachment on plant and soil microbial in the forest-grassland ecotone

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2022.0318

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Understanding the effects of shrub encroachment on plant and soil microorganisms in the forest-grassland ecotone will help improve the understanding and management of shrub encroachment in the forest-grassland ecotone.

Methods In this study, different levels (light, moderate and heavy) of shrub encroachment were selected in the forest-grassland ecotone of Dongling Mountain Nature Reserve in Beijing, to explore the effects of shrub encroachment on plant diversity, soil microbial diversity, plant individual trait and soil nutrients by plot method and high-throughput sequencing technology. The correlation between plant diversity, soil microbial diversity, plant individual trait and soil nutrients were also developed in order to further explore the effects of shrub encroachment on plants and soil microorganisms and associated mechanisms.

Important findings Our results showed that: 1) Shrub encroachment significantly reduced the diversity of plants with the different responses of arbor, shrub and herb, among which the diversity index of herb plants decreased in the largest level. 2) Shrub encroachment significantly increased the diversity of soil fungal microorganisms. 3) Shrub encroachment significantly increased the height and crown width of shrubs, while soil total nitrogen and organic carbon contents increased significantly with the increasing shrub encroachment level. 4) The partial least squares path model (PLS-PM) revealed that shrub encroachment had a direct impact on plant and soil microorganisms, whereas plant individual trait and soil nutrients did not have a direct impact on them. The redundancy analysis (RDA) further showed that shrub height made great contribution to the interpretation of changes in plant diversity, and soil total nitrogen content was the main factor in affecting soil microbial diversity. There was a stronger correlation of soil fungal microbial diversity with plant diversity than its relationship with soil bacterial microbial.

Key words: shrub encroachment, plant diversity, soil microbial diversity, forest-grassland ecotone, Dongling Mountain Nature Reserve

ZHANG Qi, FENG Ke, CHANG Zhi-Hui, HE Shuang-Hui, XU Wei-Qi. Effects of shrub encroachment on plant and soil microbial in the forest-grassland ecotone[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2023, 47(6): 770-781.

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https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2023/V47/I6/770

Figures/Tables 7

References 43

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灌丛化程度(灌木盖度) Shrub encroachment degree (shrub cover)	草本层优势种 Herb layer dominant species	灌木层优势种 Shrub layer dominant species	乔木层优势种 Arbor layer dominant species
轻度 Light (18%)	披碱草 Elymus dahuricus 山野豌豆 Vicia amoena	沙棘 Hippophae rhamnoides 金露梅 Potentilla fruticosa	白桦 Betula platyphylla 黑桦 Betula dahurica
中度 Moderate (30%)	地榆 Sanguisorba officinalis 披碱草 Elymus dahuricus	沙棘 Hippophae rhamnoides 山刺玫 Rosa davurica	白桦 Betula platyphylla 落叶松 Larix gmelinii
重度 Heavy (48%)	披碱草 Elymus dahuricus 龙牙草 Agrimonia pilosa	沙棘 Hippophae rhamnoides 六道木 Abelia biflora	白桦 Betula platyphylla 落叶松 Larix gmelinii

灌丛化程度(灌木盖度) Shrub encroachment degree (shrub cover)	草本层优势种 Herb layer dominant species	灌木层优势种 Shrub layer dominant species	乔木层优势种 Arbor layer dominant species
轻度 Light (18%)	披碱草 Elymus dahuricus 山野豌豆 Vicia amoena	沙棘 Hippophae rhamnoides 金露梅 Potentilla fruticosa	白桦 Betula platyphylla 黑桦 Betula dahurica
中度 Moderate (30%)	地榆 Sanguisorba officinalis 披碱草 Elymus dahuricus	沙棘 Hippophae rhamnoides 山刺玫 Rosa davurica	白桦 Betula platyphylla 落叶松 Larix gmelinii
重度 Heavy (48%)	披碱草 Elymus dahuricus 龙牙草 Agrimonia pilosa	沙棘 Hippophae rhamnoides 六道木 Abelia biflora	白桦 Betula platyphylla 落叶松 Larix gmelinii

指标 Index	轻度 Light	中度 Moderate	重度 Heavy
灌木冠幅 Shrub crown width (cm)	108.50 ± 3.75^c	131.55 ± 5.86^b	218.20 ± 2.51^a
灌木高度 Shrub height (cm)	129.66 ± 2.94^c	170.29 ± 8.62^b	215.92 ± 4.88^a
乔木胸径 Arbor diameter at breast height (cm)	23.50 ± 4.64^a	24.22 ± 2.76^a	21.48 ± 1.19^a
乔木高度 Arbor height (cm)	550.43 ± 12.02^a	551.53 ± 16.99^a	560.83 ± 11.57^a
草本高度 Herb height (cm)	43.35 ± 1.22^a	40.60 ± 1.97^b	33.47 ± 2.76^b
土壤全氮含量 Soil total nitrogen content (%)	0.28 ± 0.04^c	0.40 ± 0.02^b	0.57 ± 0.06^a
土壤全磷含量 Soil total phosphorus content (%)	0.07 ± 0.004^a	0.07 ± 0.001^a	0.07 ± 0.006^a
土壤全钾含量 Soil total potassium content (%)	2.17 ± 0.09^a	2.23 ± 0.09^a	2.28 ± 0.11^a
土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon content (%)	3.13 ± 0.33^c	4.79 ± 0.66^b	6.59 ± 0.61^a
土壤pH Soil pH	6.43 ± 0.02^a	6.52 ± 0.08^a	6.56 ± 0.1^a

指标 Index	轻度 Light	中度 Moderate	重度 Heavy
灌木冠幅 Shrub crown width (cm)	108.50 ± 3.75^c	131.55 ± 5.86^b	218.20 ± 2.51^a
灌木高度 Shrub height (cm)	129.66 ± 2.94^c	170.29 ± 8.62^b	215.92 ± 4.88^a
乔木胸径 Arbor diameter at breast height (cm)	23.50 ± 4.64^a	24.22 ± 2.76^a	21.48 ± 1.19^a
乔木高度 Arbor height (cm)	550.43 ± 12.02^a	551.53 ± 16.99^a	560.83 ± 11.57^a
草本高度 Herb height (cm)	43.35 ± 1.22^a	40.60 ± 1.97^b	33.47 ± 2.76^b
土壤全氮含量 Soil total nitrogen content (%)	0.28 ± 0.04^c	0.40 ± 0.02^b	0.57 ± 0.06^a
土壤全磷含量 Soil total phosphorus content (%)	0.07 ± 0.004^a	0.07 ± 0.001^a	0.07 ± 0.006^a
土壤全钾含量 Soil total potassium content (%)	2.17 ± 0.09^a	2.23 ± 0.09^a	2.28 ± 0.11^a
土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon content (%)	3.13 ± 0.33^c	4.79 ± 0.66^b	6.59 ± 0.61^a
土壤pH Soil pH	6.43 ± 0.02^a	6.52 ± 0.08^a	6.56 ± 0.1^a

微生物多样性指数 Microbial diversity index	植物多样性指数 Plant diversity index
微生物多样性指数 Microbial diversity index	辛普森指数 Simpson index	香农维纳指数 Shannon-Wiener index	Pielou均匀度指数 Pielou evenness index	Margalef丰富度指数 Margalef richness index
真菌香农维纳指数 Fungal Shannon-Wiener index	-0.70^*	-0.74^*	0.40	-0.71^*
真菌辛普森指数 Fungal Simpson index	-0.71^*	-0.74^*	0.42	-0.69^*
真菌Pielou均匀度指数 Fungal Pielou evenness index	0.63	-0.68^*	0.35	0.65
真菌Chao1指数 Fungal Chao1 index	-0.76^*	-0.78^*	0.53	-0.71^*
细菌香农维纳指数 Bacteria Shannon-Wiener index	0.48	0.53	0.01	0.62
细菌辛普森指数 Bacteria Simpson index	0.34	0.38	0.04	0.47
细菌Pielou均匀度指数 Bacteria Pielou evenness index	0.36	0.40	0.04	0.47
细菌Chao1丰富度指数 Bacteria Chao1 index	0.63	-0.70^*	0.07	-0.80^*