Abstract
BackgroundManagement regimes for vegetation restoration of degraded grasslands can significantly affect the process of ecological succession. However, few studies have focused on variation in the soil seed bank during vegetation restoration under different management regimes, especially in saline-alkaline grassland habitats. Our aim was to provide insights into the ecological effects of grassland management regimes on soil seed bank composition and vegetation establishment in mown, fenced, transplanted and natural grassland sites, all dominated by the perennial rhizomatous grass Leymus chinensis.MethodologyWe studied species composition and diversity in both the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation in differently managed grasslands in Northeast China. An NMDS (nonmetric multidimensional scaling) was used to evaluate the relationship between species composition, soil seed banks, aboveground vegetation and soil properties.Principal FindingsFenced and mown grassland sites had high density and species richness in both the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation. The Transplanted treatment exhibited the highest vegetation growth and seed production of the target species L. chinensis. Seeds of L. chinensis in the soil occurred only in transplanted and natural grassland. Based on the NMDS analysis, the number of species in both the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation were significantly related to soil Na+, Cl-, RSC (residual sodium carbonate), alkalinity, ESP (exchangeable sodium percentage) and AP (available phosphorus).ConclusionsSoil seed bank composition and diversity in the saline-alkaline grassland were significantly affected by the management regimes implemented, and were also significantly related to the aboveground vegetation and several soil properties. Based on vegetative growth, reproductive output and maintenance of soil seed bank, the transplanting was identified as the most effective method for relatively rapid restoration of the target species L. chinensis. This approach could be beneficial for the restoration of dominant species in a wide range of degraded grassland ecosystems.
Highlights
As a consequence of global environmental changes and human utilization, many of the world’s ecosystems have degraded since the middle of the 20th century, including large proportions of grasslands [1,2,3,4], wetlands and coastal saline marshes [5, 6] and forests [7]
Soil seed bank composition and diversity in the saline-alkaline grassland were significantly affected by the management regimes implemented, and were significantly related to PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone
We addressed the following questions: (i) What is the response of the soil seed bank to the management regimes applied? (ii) Do the management regimes affect the growth and seed production of the dominant species L. chinensis? (iii) Which parameters of the saline-alkaline soil influence the composition of the soil seed bank and aboveground vegetation under different management regimes? (iv) In relation to the soil seed bank, which management regime is better for the restoration L. chinensis? The results obtained in this study will provide insights into the ecological influence of management regimes on vegetation establishment within degraded ecosystems
Summary
As a consequence of global environmental changes and human utilization, many of the world’s ecosystems have degraded since the middle of the 20th century, including large proportions of grasslands [1,2,3,4], wetlands and coastal saline marshes [5, 6] and forests [7]. Our aim was to provide insights into the ecological effects of grassland management regimes on soil seed bank composition and vegetation establishment in mown, fenced, transplanted and natural grassland sites, all dominated by the perennial rhizomatous grass Leymus chinensis
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