Responses of distribution pattern of desert riparian forests to hydrologic process in Ejina oasis

Abstract

By using the theories and methods of landscape ecology and the technology of GIS and RS, a study has been carried out on the responses of distribution pattern of desert riparian forest to hydrologic process on the basis of the hydrologic data from 1990 to 2000 and the TM image of 2001 year. The results showed that: (1) there appears an even distribution pattern for the relative forest area in oasis, however, the degenerated forest diaplays an increasing tendency from west to east; (2) the desert riparian forest in Ejina is in completely degenerated process at the patch scale; (3) the number of patch is influenced not only by hydrologic process, but also by agricultural activity such as cultivation. The severe deterioration of the degraded vegetation in whole oasis initiates from lower reaches, and gradually impels to upstream; the fragmentation of landscape in the terminal site is more obvious, which is influenced by river shape and decreasing flux of water. It is found that the influence of surface hydrologic process to the ground hydrologic process of desert riparian forest in Ejina oasis is little for the recent ten years. The relative area of the degenerated forest increased with increasing ground water depth in the direction of parallel to river channel. On the contrary, in the direction perpendicular to river channel, there is a decreasing tendency for the average patch area of the forest and the degenerated forest with increasing ground water depth.