Abstract
In this work, we conducted a 1200 km belt transect for field survey in typical and meadow steppes across Inner Mongolia Plateau in 2018. The field investigation, laboratory soil analysis, and quantitative ecology methods were utilized to explore the differentiation characteristics of the plant community, and their relationships with ecological factors. The results showed that a total of 140 vascular plants within 108 quadrats mainly comprised of Asteraceae, Poaceae, Rosaceae, and Fabaceae. Two-way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN) revealed eight vegetation typologies: I: Stipa sareptana var. krylovii + Dysphania aristata, II: Stipa grandis + Leymus chinensis, III: Stipa sareptana var. krylovii + Leymus chinensis, IV: Stipa grandis + Cleistogenes squarrosa, V: Stipa grandis + Carex duriuscula, VI: Stipa baicalensis + Leymus chinensis, VII: Carex pediformis + Stipa baicalensis, VIII: Leymus chinensis + Elymus dahuricus. Detrend Correspondence Analysis (DCA) confirmed the above eight vegetation typologies and indicated a relatively small variation. Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that the spatial differentiation characteristics in the typical steppe were chiefly driven by precipitation, while the influencing factor in the meadow steppe was soil nutrients, followed by temperature and precipitation. The contrast between typical and meadow steppes revealed that the spatial distribution of typical steppe was influenced by precipitation, while the contribution of heat and water in the meadow steppe was equal. The conclusion revealed that the temperature and precipitation conditions coupled with soil nutrients shaped the spatial differentiation characteristics of temperate steppe vegetation in the Inner Mongolia grassland. Therefore, this study advanced our knowledge of the spatial patterns of temperate steppe along longitude and latitude gradients, providing scientific and theoretical guidance for the biodiversity conservation and sustainable ecosystem management of the Inner Mongolia grassland.
Highlights
This study only focuses on herbaceous vegetation, desert steppe with shrubs is not considered, meadow steppe and typical steppe in the Inner Mongolia grassland were selected as the study area
From the perspective of community structure and species composition, we found that Stipa had undergone regional differentiation and species adaptation in typical and meadow steppes along the precipitation gradients of the growing season: S. baicalensis, S. grandis, and S. sareptana var. krylovii, showing wide ecological adaptability of Stipa species
This study investigated herbaceous plant communities in different steppes of the Inner Mongolia grassland and revealed the differentiation characteristics and influencing factors of temperate grassland vegetation across a 1200 km belt transect, which is essential for understanding how community structure and function will respond to future climate change
Summary
Plant community assembly is a comprehensive result of intricate interaction and adaptation of different plants modulated by long-term climate changes and anthropogenic activities [1]. The species composition of the plant community reflects a balanced system among plants, Sustainability 2022, 14, 361. Sustainability 2022, 14, 361 climate, and other environmental factors [2]. Under the background of global change, the dual interferences of climatic and anthropogenic factors break this balanced condition, which leads to changes in the structure and composition of plant communities, seriously affecting the structure, function, and productivity of ecosystems [3]. The grassland ecosystem is one of the most crucial terrestrial ecosystems, and the region most profoundly modulated by human activities, which is very sensitive to global climate change [4].
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