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Arid Land Geography ›› 2024, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (4): 662-671.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2023.272

• Biology and Pedology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Biomass and soil nutrient characteristics of five dominant plant species in the desert grassland of the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains

ZHANG Zhiming1,2(), SUN Xiaomei2,3, BAO Duanhong1,2, YAO Baohui1,2, WANG Zhicheng1,2, SU Junhu1,2()   

  1. 1. Grassland College of Gansu Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of the Ministry of Education, Grassland Engineering Laboratory of Gansu Province, Sino-U.S. Centers for Grazing Land Ecosystem Sustainablity, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    2. Gansu Agricultural University-Massey University Research Centre for Grassland Biodiversity, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
    3. College of Resources and Environment, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou 730070, Gansu, China
  • Received:2023-06-09 Revised:2023-07-26 Online:2024-04-25 Published:2024-05-17
  • Contact: SU Junhu E-mail:Zhangzhiming857@163.com;sujh@gsau.edu.cn

Abstract:

To clarify the relationship between plant biomass and soil nutrients of dominant plants in desert grasslands, this study selected five dominant plant species: Peganum harmala, Setaria viridis, Festuca sinensis, Puccinellia distans, and Agropyron cristatum. We measured their biomass and root-zone soil nutrients to explore biomass allocation and its relationship with soil nutrients. The results are as follows: (1) There were significant differences in total biomass and root-shoot ratio among the five dominant plant species (P<0.05), with Peganum harmala having the highest total biomass and Puccinellia distans having the lowest. The perennial plants Peganum harmala, Puccinellia distans, Festuca sinensis, and Agropyron cristatum had most of their biomass allocated below ground, whereas the annual plant Setaria viridis had most of its biomass above ground. The order of root-shoot ratio among the five plants was as follows: Puccinellia distans>Agropyron cristatum>Festuca sinensis>Peganum harmala>Setaria viridis. (2) There were significant differences (P<0.05) in root-zone soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, available potassium, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, and their stoichiometric characteristics among the five plant species. The order of soil C:N ratio among the five plants was as follows: Puccinellia distans>Setaria viridis>Agropyron cristatum>Peganum harmala>Festuca sinensis. (3) Variations in plant biomass, root-shoot ratio, and soil nutrients varied among the plants. The root-zone soil total potassium of Peganum harmala, Setaria viridis, and Festuca sinensis and the root-zone soil moisture of Puccinellia distans and Agropyron cristatum exhibited weak variation, whereas the other plant characteristics, soil nutrients, and stoichiometric characteristics exhibited moderate variation. The biomass of the five dominant plant species exhibited a positive correlation with the root-zone soil available nitrogen and total potassium (P<0.05). The allocation of plant biomass and soil nutrient composition significantly vary among different species and life histories in the desert grassland ecosystem. In the future, it will be necessary to restore degraded desert ecosystems by applying appropriate fertilization based on the nutrient requirements of different dominant plant species.

Key words: desert grassland, biomass, root-shoot ratio, soil nutrient characteristics, the northern foothills of the Qilian Mountains