| The spatial distribution of nutrients in Medicago sativa-Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb community along an abandoned slope in the cropping-pastoral ecotone of the Loess Plateau |
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| DOI：10.7606/j.issn.1000-7601.2015.05.37 |
| Key Words: cropping-pastoral ecotone abandoned grassland nutrients content spatial distribution |
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| Abstract: |
| The distribution of nutrients in plant community could reflect the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems, and thus provide evidence for the availability of soil resources for the ecosystems as well as for the understanding of the evolution of plant community in the ecosystems. In this study, we analyzed the spatial distribution of biomass and nutrients in Medicago sativa-Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb community along an abandoned slope in the cropping-pastoral ecotone of the Loess Plateau. The objectives were to understand how nutrients were distributed along abandoned grass slope and to establish the relationships between nutrients distribution and community succession. The results showed that the grass communities were dominated by Medicago sativa in the upper slope, by Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb in the lower slope, and by both of them in the middle slope. Plant biomass and N content had similar spatial distribution patterns, which varied among plant species. The best fit models of the spatial distribution for both Medicago sativa and Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb were spherical model for P content, and Gaussian model for K content, respectively. The biomass and nutrients contents in the Medicago sativa-Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb community has a relatively strong spatial dependence. The spatial variability of them was mainly due to the constructional factors. The spatial auto correlations of each variable showed similar trend with distance but varied with variables. Additionally, the spatial auto-correlation of Artemisia sacrorum Ledeb was greater than that of Medicago sativa. The results from this study suggested that the spatial auto correlation and dependence of grass biomass and nutrients contents became increased with the succession of artificial grass community to natural community. |