Dynamics of soil seed bank and its role in plant community regeneration during alpine meadow degradation

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2024.0095

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims The alpine meadows on the eastern Qingzang Plateau have degraded in some areas due to long-term overgrazing. As a crucial resource for degraded ecosystem restoration, the dynamics of soil seed banks and their role in degraded alpine meadow restoration remain unclear.

Methods We chose four different degradation levels of alpine meadows to construct a degradation gradient on the eastern Qingzang Plateau. We investigated the plant community and soil seed bank along the degraded gradient, explored the changes of plant community and seed bank along the degradation gradient, and analyzed the potential role of seed banks in alpine meadow regeneration and degraded alpine meadow restoration.

Important findings The results showed that: 1) the species richness and relative abundance of the plant community decreased significantly along the degradation gradient, but the species richness of the seed bank increased first and then decreased, and the seed density decreased significantly along the degraded gradient. 2) The similarity of species composition between the plant community and soil seed bank gradually increased with the degradation gradient, which suggests that the role of soil seed bank in plant community regeneration increased along the degraded gradient. 3) Compared with the plant community, there is a hysteresis response of the soil seed bank to alpine meadow degradation, which can buffer the influence of alpine meadow degradation on the plant community to a certain extent. Our findings indicated that the different responses of plant community and soil seed bank to degradation, and soil seed bank is crucial for the degraded alpine meadow restoration on the Qingzang Plateau. However, the potential role of the seed bank in the degraded alpine meadows restoration will be limited because of the depletion of seed bank resources at the seriously degraded level. These results can provide a scientific basis for the protection, restoration, and management of degraded alpine meadows on the Qingzang Plateau.

Key words: alpine meadow, degradation, restoration, soil seed bank, Qingzang Plateau, plant community

ZHANG Hui, ZHAO Yun-Peng, LIU Xiao-Chen, GUO Zeng-Peng, HU Guo-Rui, FENG Yan-Hao, MA Miao-Jun. Dynamics of soil seed bank and its role in plant community regeneration during alpine meadow degradation[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2025, 49(1): 74-82.

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Figures/Tables 6

References 35

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退化水平 Degradation level	优势物种 Dominate species	生境描述 Habitat description
对照 Control (I)	禾叶嵩草、线叶嵩草、垂穗披碱草、草玉梅 Carex hughii, Carex capillifolia, Elymus nutans, and Anemone rivularis	生长季适度放牧(5-10月), 放牧家畜为牦牛和藏羊, 该样地是青藏高原东部地区典型的高寒草甸。植物群落的盖度为100%。 Moderate grazing in the growing season (from May to October), the grazing animals are yaks (Bos mutus) and Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries). This sample is a typical alpine meadow in the eastern Qingzang Plateau. The plant community coverage was 100%.
轻度退化草甸 Light degraded meadow (II)	禾叶嵩草、垂穗披碱草、草玉梅、鹅绒委陵菜 Carex hughii, Elymus nutans, Anemone rivularis, and Argentina anserina	生长季放牧强度过高(5-10月), 放牧强度高于对照, 但低于重度退化草甸样地, 放牧的家畜为牦牛和藏羊, 植物群落出现轻度退化, 群落的优势功能群(莎草科和禾本科)的比例减少, 双子叶杂类草数量更多, 局部地区出现小面积斑块。植物群落的盖度为70%-80%。 Overgrazing in the growing season (from May to October). The grazing intensity was higher than that of the control, and the grazing intensity was lower than that of the moderately degraded meadow. The grazing livestock were yaks and Tibetan sheep, the plant community was slightly degraded, the proportion of dominant functional groups (Cyperaceae and Poaceae) of the alpine meadow community decreased, the number of dicotyledonous weeds increased, and a small gap appeared in local areas. The plant community coverage is 70%-80%.
中度退化草甸 Moderate degraded meadow (III)	鹅绒委陵菜、草玉梅、密花香薷、细叶亚菊 Argentina anserina, Nemone rivularis, Elsholtzia densa, and Ajania tenuifolia	生长季过度放牧(5-10月), 放牧强度高于对照和轻度退化草甸, 但低于重度退化草甸样地, 放牧的家畜为牦牛和藏羊, 植物群落出现大面积退化, 群落的优势功能群从莎草科和禾本科转变为双子叶杂类草, 局部地区出现大面积斑块。植物群落的盖度为40%-50%。 Overgrazing in the growing season (from May to October), the grazing intensity was higher than that in the control meadow and light degraded meadows, but lower than that in the seriously degraded meadow plots. The grazing livestock were yaks and Tibetan sheep, and the plant community deteriorated in a large area. The dominant functional group of the community changed from sedge and grass to dicotyledonous weeds, and large gaps appeared in local areas. The plant community coverage is 40%-50%.
重度退化草甸 Seriously degraded meadow (IV)	密花香薷、鹅绒委陵菜、草玉梅 Elsholtzia densa, Argentina anserina, and Anemone rivularis	全面过度放牧(0-12月), 全年长期受到牲畜(如牦牛和藏羊)的过度放牧和践踏, 植物群落物种多样性丧失, 几乎没有禾本科和莎草科植物, 群落被双子叶的杂类草占绝对优势。植物群落的盖度为20%-30%。 Overall overgrazing throughout the year (0-12 months), long-term overgrazing and trampling by livestock (yaks and Tibetan sheep), loss of plant community species diversity, almost no grasses and sedges, the community is dominated by dicotyledonous weeds. The plant community coverage is only 20%-30%.

退化水平 Degradation level	优势物种 Dominate species	生境描述 Habitat description
对照 Control (I)	禾叶嵩草、线叶嵩草、垂穗披碱草、草玉梅 Carex hughii, Carex capillifolia, Elymus nutans, and Anemone rivularis	生长季适度放牧(5-10月), 放牧家畜为牦牛和藏羊, 该样地是青藏高原东部地区典型的高寒草甸。植物群落的盖度为100%。 Moderate grazing in the growing season (from May to October), the grazing animals are yaks (Bos mutus) and Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries). This sample is a typical alpine meadow in the eastern Qingzang Plateau. The plant community coverage was 100%.
轻度退化草甸 Light degraded meadow (II)	禾叶嵩草、垂穗披碱草、草玉梅、鹅绒委陵菜 Carex hughii, Elymus nutans, Anemone rivularis, and Argentina anserina	生长季放牧强度过高(5-10月), 放牧强度高于对照, 但低于重度退化草甸样地, 放牧的家畜为牦牛和藏羊, 植物群落出现轻度退化, 群落的优势功能群(莎草科和禾本科)的比例减少, 双子叶杂类草数量更多, 局部地区出现小面积斑块。植物群落的盖度为70%-80%。 Overgrazing in the growing season (from May to October). The grazing intensity was higher than that of the control, and the grazing intensity was lower than that of the moderately degraded meadow. The grazing livestock were yaks and Tibetan sheep, the plant community was slightly degraded, the proportion of dominant functional groups (Cyperaceae and Poaceae) of the alpine meadow community decreased, the number of dicotyledonous weeds increased, and a small gap appeared in local areas. The plant community coverage is 70%-80%.
中度退化草甸 Moderate degraded meadow (III)	鹅绒委陵菜、草玉梅、密花香薷、细叶亚菊 Argentina anserina, Nemone rivularis, Elsholtzia densa, and Ajania tenuifolia	生长季过度放牧(5-10月), 放牧强度高于对照和轻度退化草甸, 但低于重度退化草甸样地, 放牧的家畜为牦牛和藏羊, 植物群落出现大面积退化, 群落的优势功能群从莎草科和禾本科转变为双子叶杂类草, 局部地区出现大面积斑块。植物群落的盖度为40%-50%。 Overgrazing in the growing season (from May to October), the grazing intensity was higher than that in the control meadow and light degraded meadows, but lower than that in the seriously degraded meadow plots. The grazing livestock were yaks and Tibetan sheep, and the plant community deteriorated in a large area. The dominant functional group of the community changed from sedge and grass to dicotyledonous weeds, and large gaps appeared in local areas. The plant community coverage is 40%-50%.
重度退化草甸 Seriously degraded meadow (IV)	密花香薷、鹅绒委陵菜、草玉梅 Elsholtzia densa, Argentina anserina, and Anemone rivularis	全面过度放牧(0-12月), 全年长期受到牲畜(如牦牛和藏羊)的过度放牧和践踏, 植物群落物种多样性丧失, 几乎没有禾本科和莎草科植物, 群落被双子叶的杂类草占绝对优势。植物群落的盖度为20%-30%。 Overall overgrazing throughout the year (0-12 months), long-term overgrazing and trampling by livestock (yaks and Tibetan sheep), loss of plant community species diversity, almost no grasses and sedges, the community is dominated by dicotyledonous weeds. The plant community coverage is only 20%-30%.

群落类型 Community type	退化水平 Degradation level	R²	p
植物群落 Plant community	I vs II	0.21	0.096
	I vs III	0.25	0.046^*
	I vs IV	0.57	0.015^*
	II vs III	0.12	0.380
	II vs IV	0.42	0.015^*
	III vs IV	0.38	0.015^*
土壤种子库 Soil seed bank	I vs II	0.55	0.015^*
	I vs III	0.62	0.015^*
	I vs IV	0.57	0.015^*
	II vs III	0.18	0.096
	II vs IV	0.44	0.015^*
	III vs IV	0.50	0.015^*
植物群落与土壤种子库 Plant community-soil seed bank	I vs I	0.75	0.016^*
	II vs II	0.46	0.016^*
	III vs III	0.44	0.015^*
	IV vs IV	0.49	0.015^*

群落类型 Community type	退化水平 Degradation level	R²	p
植物群落 Plant community	I vs II	0.21	0.096
	I vs III	0.25	0.046^*
	I vs IV	0.57	0.015^*
	II vs III	0.12	0.380
	II vs IV	0.42	0.015^*
	III vs IV	0.38	0.015^*
土壤种子库 Soil seed bank	I vs II	0.55	0.015^*
	I vs III	0.62	0.015^*
	I vs IV	0.57	0.015^*
	II vs III	0.18	0.096
	II vs IV	0.44	0.015^*
	III vs IV	0.50	0.015^*
植物群落与土壤种子库 Plant community-soil seed bank	I vs I	0.75	0.016^*
	II vs II	0.46	0.016^*
	III vs III	0.44	0.015^*
	IV vs IV	0.49	0.015^*