Abstract
BackgroundSoil and vegetation have a direct impact on the process and direction of plant community succession, and determine the structure, function, and productivity of ecosystems. However, little is known about the synergistic influence of soil physicochemical properties and vegetation features on vegetation restoration. The aim of this study was to investigate the co-evolution of soil physicochemical properties and vegetation features in the process of vegetation restoration, and to distinguish the primary and secondary relationships between soil and vegetation in their collaborative effects on promoting vegetation restoration in a subtropical area of China.MethodsSoil samples were collected to 40 cm in four distinct plant communities along a restoration gradient from herb (4–5 years), to shrub (11–12 years), to Pinus massoniana coniferous and broadleaved mixed forest (45–46 years), and to evergreen broadleaved forest (old growth forest). Measurements were taken of the soil physicochemical properties and Shannon–Wiener index (SD), diameter at breast height (DBH), height (H), and biomass. Principal component analysis, linear function analysis, and variation partitioning analysis were then performed to prioritize the relative importance of the leading factors affecting vegetation restoration.ResultsSoil physicochemical properties and vegetation features showed a significant trend of improvement across the vegetation restoration gradient, reflected mainly in the high response rates of soil organic carbon (SOC) (140.76%), total nitrogen (TN) (222.48%), total phosphorus (TP) (59.54%), alkaline hydrolysis nitrogen (AN) (544.65%), available phosphorus (AP) (53.28%), species diversity (86.3%), biomass (2906.52%), DBH (128.11%), and H (596.97%). The soil properties (pH, SOC, TN, AN, and TP) and vegetation features (biomass, DBH, and H) had a clear co-evolutionary relationship over the course of restoration. The synergistic interaction between soil properties and vegetation features had the greatest effect on biomass (55.55%–72.37%), and the soil properties contributed secondarily (3.30%–31.44%). The main impact factors of biomass varied with the restoration periods.ConclusionsIn the process of vegetation restoration, soil and vegetation promoted each other. Vegetation restoration was the cumulative result of changes in soil fertility and vegetation features.
Highlights
Soil and vegetation have a direct impact on the process and direction of plant community succession, and determine the structure, function, and productivity of ecosystems
Vegetation features increased remarkably with vegetation restoration, and the response rates increased by 86.36%, 2906.52%, 128.11%, and 596.97% respectively
The highest values of species diversity and biomass were observed in the old growth forest, and the highest values of diameter at breast height (DBH) and H were observed in the 45–46 years restoration period
Summary
Soil and vegetation have a direct impact on the process and direction of plant community succession, and determine the structure, function, and productivity of ecosystems. Establishing the mechanisms of plant communities in the process of recovery has concentrated mainly on species composition, and their quantitative characteristics and spatial distribution While these factors are relatively clear (Xiang et al 2013; Chen et al 2019), there is still a lack of indepth research on the feedback relationships between plant and soil, and the succession processes and regulation mechanisms of plant communities (Hu et al 2017; Wang et al 2018a). Soil nutrients and water are the key factors in regulating vegetation development, as confirmed by the results of some fertilization experiments (Chang and Turner 2019) and different forest succession series (Huang et al 2017). Knowledge of how soil, vegetation and their interaction act on vegetation restoration is of particular importance for predicting future ecological restoration and development
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