Aims Understanding the ecological restoration functions of the Coriaria nepalensis-Erianthus rufipilus community in phosphorus-enriched degraded mountain areas can guide ecological restoration and community assembly in degraded mountain areas. Our aim was to assess the degree of ecological restoration of the Coriaria nepalensis- Erianthus rufipilus community in three aspects: community assembly process and non-point source pollution control of dominant species and the community.
Methods We conducted a point pattern analysis of three dominant species (Coriaria nepalensis, Erianthus rufipilus and Eupatorium adenophorum) in a plot located on a degraded mountain of the phosphorus-enriched area in the Lake Dianchi Watershed in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China. The effects of dominant species and the reconstructive community on surface runoff and soil nutrient loss were monitored using runoff plots in the wet season. We compared surface runoff and nitrogen and phosphorus loss in these plots under natural rainfall conditions with reference plots.
Important findings Coriaria nepalensis, Erianthus rufipilus and the reconstructive community of these two species effectively decreased surface runoff, soil loss and nutrients loss. The individual number of dominant species was low, and no significant associations were found in species pairs, which suggest each species’ distribution patterns may be associated with specific habitats. These results indicate that the reconstructive community of C. nepalensis and Erianthus rufipilus could lead to effective ecological restoration in the phosphorus-enriched degraded mountain area of the Lake Dianchi watershed, but individual numbers of dominant species should be increased in this reconstructive community in order to develop community structure and control non-point source pollution loss.