1.State Key Laboratory of Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Control,College of Soil;and Water Conservation Science and Engineering,Northwest A&F University,Yangling,Shaanxi 712100,China
2.Institute of Soil and Water Conservation,Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water;Resources,Yangling,Shaanxi 712100,China
3.Lhasa Institute of Plateau Biology,Lhasa 850000,China
Objective This study aims to elucidate the synergistic evolutionary patterns between plant communities and soil environments in the Pisha sandstone area following farmland abandonment, thereby providing a scientific basis for vegetation restoration and reconstruction. Methods A space-for-time substitution approach was employed, with naturally restored farmlands abandoned for 5, 8, 15, 20, 28, and 40 years in the Pisha sandstone area of Ordos selected as study sites. Through field quadrat surveys and laboratory soil analyses, plant community characteristics 〔species composition, aboveground biomass (AGB), diversity indices〕 and soil nutrient and moisture dynamics were investigated. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was applied to clarify the relationships between plants and soils. Results (1) A total of 79 plant species from 23 families and 57 genera were recorded, and they were predominantly perennial herbs and xerophytic species, primarily distributed across Asteraceae, Poaceae, and Fabaceae. The community succession sequence of dominant species was Allium ledebourianum + Setaria viridis (5~8 years) → Agropyron cristatum (15 years) → Agropyron cristatum + Artemisia lavandulifolia (20 years) → Lespedeza daurica + Astragalus melilotoides (28~40 years). The community hierarchy evolved from a single herbaceous layer to a shrub-herb mixed layer, with gradually increasing stability. Aboveground community biomass showed a trend of first decreasing and then increasing, while species richness and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index exhibited a fluctuating decrease-increase-decrease pattern. In contrast, the Simpson diversity index and Pielou evenness index showed relatively stable variations. (2) The contents of soil organic matter (SOM), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and available potassium (AK) in the topsoil (0—20 cm) were 33.23%, 52.27%, 52.17%, and 39.28% higher than those in the subsoil (20—40 cm), respectively, indicating a prominent surface aggregation effect. The contents of total nitrogen (STN) and total phosphorus (STP) were relatively close between the two soil layers. The variation rates of topsoil nutrients (SOM, AN, AP) were 1.27, 1.50, and 2.69 times those of the subsoil, respectively, suggesting that topsoil nutrients were more responsive to vegetation succession. Overall, during the 40-year abandonment period, the contents of soil nutrients and soil water content (SWC) showed a fluctuating decrease-increase-decrease trend with increasing abandonment age. (3) CCA analysis revealed that SOM, STN, SWC, AK, and abandonment duration were key factors driving plant-soil synergistic evolution (p<0.05). Environmental constraints shifted across successional stages. Early-stage succession (5~8 years) was limited by organic matter, mid-stage (15~20 years) by mineral nutrients, and late-stage (28~40 years) dynamics were primarily regulated by soil moisture. It was recommended that different regulation measures be adopted for different successional stages, namely, soil conservation in the early stage, nutrient supplementation in the middle stage, and optimization of community composition and water adaptability in the late stage, so as to accelerate the synergistic restoration of vegetation and soil. Conclusion Over the 40-year abandonment period in the Pisha sandstone area of Ordos, plant communities transitioned from annual herbs to perennial herbs and shrubs, with the community hierarchy tending to be complex and stable (evolving from a single herb layer to a shrub-herb mixed layer). Topsoil nutrients are more sensitive to the succession process, and their variation characteristics are basically consistent with those of community biomass and species diversity, reflecting significant vegetation-soil synergistic effects.
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