Abstract
The intermediate disturbance hypothesis (IDH) is often used as a model or investigating the linkages between disturbance intensity and biodiversity. However, the relationship between plant diversity and disturbance gradient makes it difficult to compare data from different researches and draw general models. It is importance to assess the relationship between disturbance gradients and herbaceous species diversity in the farmland center/farmland ridge/farmland boundary on varying spatial scales along the Yellow River watershed ecosystem of Henan Province in the arctic. Using community ecology techniques and quantitative measurements of disturbance, results show a linear relationship between weighted values of disturbance intensity and herbs species diversity (Shannon index), which were significantly, negatively correlated (P<0.01) in the differential ecosystem types (farmland center/farmlandridge/farmland boundary) along differential disturbance gradient. Thus, understanding a linear relationship between herbs diversity dynamics and disturbance gradient in the differential type’s landscapes is important for further research of local ecosystem functions and the goal of agricultural sustainable development in the context of biodiversity conservation. These results indicated that a synthesis quantitative index of disturbance (e.g. weighting values of disturbance) is the most essential environmental factors affecting herbs species diversity in the ecosystem to building a model. Therefore, this model plays a vital part in conserving global biodiversity and maintaining global ecosystem function. Key words: Model, herbs species diversity, disturbance gradient, significantly, the Yellow River.
Highlights
Ecological model of the relationship between species diversity and environment is important along environment gradient (Boyd, 2012; Liao and Wang, 2010; Keeling et al, 2000)
The relationship between values of weighing disturbance and the weed species diversity investigated vary significantly in the herbaceous layer along the environmental gradient on varying disturbance scales in the different disturbance intensity farmland (Figures 2 to 4). These results which shows that herb diversity (e.g. Shannon index) is expected to increase when weighting values of disturbance is reduced along disturbance gradients in the farmland areas of the Yellow River in the Weighting Values of Distur bance
Our result implies that weak disturbance should lead to higher herbs diversity in the farmland. These results suggest that herb species diversity (e.g. Shannon indicator) is expected to increase when weighting values of disturbance is reduced along disturbance gradients in the farmland boundary areas and the ridge of farmland of the Yellow River in the Henan Province (Figures 3 and 4)
Summary
Ecological model of the relationship between species diversity and environment is important along environment gradient (Boyd, 2012; Liao and Wang, 2010; Keeling et al, 2000). Many experiments have assessed the relationship between plant species diversity and disturbance intensity from IDH perspective along different disturbance gradients in theoretical ecology (Leis et al, 2005). The relationship between plant species diversity and intermediate disturbance intensity has many real world applications in the field of ecological conservation and restoration (Table 1a). Using plant community ecology techniques, this study investigated three key questions regarding the relationship between herbaceous plants species diversity and intermediate disturbance levels in the ecosystem types (e.g. farmland center, farmland ridge/farmland boundary, etc.). This study asked if the relationship between herbaceous species diversity dynamics and disturbance gradient from IDH perspective can be compressed into a general model that is universally applicable to ecosystem studies. This study shows how to link herbaceous species diversity and disturbance along disturbance gradient and can be applied to real world scenarios in order to prevent biodiversity loss and help in the management of degrading or degraded ecosystems
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