Steppe Areas Research Articles

Assessment of potential soil erosion in Mongolia based on the RUSLE model and RCP 8.5 scenario

AbstractDue to its relatively high altitude and a continental climate, environmental issues related to soil erosion and land degradation more seriously affect the ecosystem and crop production in Mongolia. As detailed soil erosion and land degradation assessments have only been performed in some regions of Mongolia, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the soil vulnerability on a national scale and predict future soil erosion under climate change prior to establishing an appropriate management plan. The revised universal soil loss equation model was chosen for this study, which reflects geographic and climatic characteristics in a vast area as the Mongolian territory. We evaluated soil erosion using historical data from 1993 and 2013 and generated predictions in the near (2041–2060) and far future (2061–2080) periods under the representative concentration pathway 8.5 scenario. The soil erosion rates were divided into six classes: very low, low, medium, high, very high and extreme. The total of 46,039 km2 of the Mongolian territory was classified as very high and extreme risk, which is predicted to increase up to 48,961 and 51,769 km2, in the near and far future periods, respectively. At the national scale, most of the soil erosion appeared in bare area, as it covers more than 60% of the total area. Meanwhile, the highest soil erosion risk was expected in high mountain ranges and ecologically vulnerable regions of the Gobi Desert and steppe area. This study identifies three land cover types with high priority for management and areas that should be considered first in the sustainable national land use and soil management plans considering regional characteristics.

Causal relationship between seasonal variation in surface roughness and dust and sandstorm occurrence in arid and semi-arid Mongolia

In this study, the causal relationship between seasonal variations in surface conditions and DSS generation was investigated through the integrated use of the C-band backscatter coefficient (J 0) of the Sentinel 1 microwave satellite from the optical satellite sensor (Terra/MODIS). Because of the very high reflectance of the background soil in sparsely vegetated bare land, it has been difficult to rely solely on optical satellite data for accurate surface condition assessment in previous studies. Therefore, we used SAR and optical data to represent the spatial variability of backscatter coefficients for different surface conditions in the Gobi Desert and Steppe areas, and employed the C-band backscatter coefficient from the Sentinel-1 microwave satellite as a key parameter. The results show that in the Gobi Desert region, the correlation between the seasonal variation of backscatter coefficients and NDVI is highly significant, with a maximum correlation coefficient in fall (R=0.645, p<0.001) an inverse correlation in summer (R=-0.216, p<0.001), indicating little seasonal variation between NDVI and backscatter coefficients. In conclusion, surface roughness (σ0) is relatively low and stable from winter to the following spring and increases with plant growth in summer. In the Gobi Desert region, surface roughness changes little throughout the year, but in the steppe region, surface roughness increases with vegetation growth during the rainy season, which suppresses the generation of DSS.

Assessment of the state of the cenopopulation of Cousinia mindschelkensis B. Fedtsch. of Karakuys Gorge in the Karatau Reserve

The article presents an assessment of the state of the cenopopulation of Cousinia mindschelkensis B. Fedtsch. of Karakuys gorge in Karatau reserve. The data on distribution and cenoflora of the rare endemic species Cousinia mindschelkensis were obtained. Herbarium materials from the main herbarium funds were studied to further clarify the places of distribution of the species. Cenopopulations of the studied species were located on the northern slope of the Syrdarya Karatau, in the Karakuys Gorge on stony and rubble, rocky slopes, steppe areas of the lower belt of the mountains, occupying small areas of 1100 to 1300 meters. The study of the number, density and age spectrum of cenopopulations showed that most of them have an age spectrum with two maxima, the highest density of Cousinia mindschelkensis plants is observed in cenopopulation. The study of Cousinia mindschelkensis cenopopopulations revealed that they are located within their optimum, there is no special threat of extinction for this species here.

Economic efficiency of cultivation of indeterminant hybrids of cherry tomatoes in winter greenhouses of the steppe area of Ukraine

Economic efficiency of cultivation of indeterminant hybrids of cherry tomatoes in winter greenhouses of the steppe area of Ukraine

Ecological role of introduced species and autochthon plants in protective tree belts of South Siberia

Assessment of the condition and morphological structure of tree species that constitute protective forest belts in southern Siberia has shown that plants perform ecological and economic functions under the most extreme conditions. The regions of Southern Siberia are characterized by a complex of negative environmental factors that have an adverse effect on the condition and growth of tree species of protective forest belts (soil conditions, lack of moisture, strong wind, salinization and deflation processes). Poplar and elm are used as introduced species in protective forest belts in South Siberia. Plants are characterized by intensive growth and average salt tolerance. Protective forest belts of autochthonous plant species (birch, pine, larch) have a more satisfactory condition compared to introduced species. However, poplar and elm grow in more difficult conditions (steppe areas of Khakassia), which determines their condition. In terms of growth intensity, as well as horizontal protection, introduced species largely exceed autochthonous plant species. Key words: protective forest belt, species, autochthonous plants, condition, morphological characterization

Bronze age paleosols in the steppe area of the southern Cis-Urals in solving the problems of paleopedology and archaeology (a case-study of the Tashla IV site in the Orenburg region)

The aim of the study. To study the Bronze Age paleosols (Yamnaya and Srubnaya cultures), perform paleoclimatic reconstructions and comparison with previously studied synchronous paleosols in the Cis-Urals steppe. Location and time of the study. The studied site is located in the Orenburg region in the steppe area of the Southern Cis-Urals. In July 2019 and 2021 together with researchers from the archaeological laboratory of the Orenburg Pedagogical University, rescue excavations were carried out at the Tashla IV kurgan cemetery, located near the Tashla village. Kurgans 1 (Yamnaya culture) and 2 (Srubnaya culture) were studied. Methods. A comprehensive morphogenetic analysis of the soils buried beneath the kurgans and surface soils of the studied site was carried out; the soils were described in detail and classified in the field. Soil samples were analyzed for particle size distribution, loss of ignition, pH of the water extraction, content of organic and carbonate carbon, exchangeable bases and magnetic susceptibility. To carry out the paleoclimatic reconstructions, the chronosequence and comparative geographic methods were used. Results. It was established that the studied soils were buried under the kurgans at the beginning of the development of both cultures, when the stages of climatic aridization were close to their ending or ended in the first half of the 4th millennium BC (Yamnaya culture) and at the turn of the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC (Srubnaya culture). The climatic aridization during the Early stage of the Srubnaya culture was more significant than in the Early (Repinsky) stage of the Yamnaya culture, and this conclusion was made for the first time for the studied region. Conclusions. The studied soils properties could be grouped according to the characteristic times of their response to changes in external conditions: magnetic susceptibility, associated with microbiological activity, refers to rapidly changing properties, i.e. in the first decades, whereas changes in other studied properties require from several decades to hundreds of years. Comparison of the Srubnaya paleosol buried under kurgan 2 in the studied site with other soils of the same culture in the region made it possible to place it more accurately on the time scale, attributing to the very beginning of the 18th century BC, and additionally to characterize in detail the climate change within the time span of the Srubnaya culture of the Cis-Urals steppe.

Русь и Орда: возможности реконструкции экономических процессов методами археозоологии

Our analysis of archaeozoological collections found on archaeological sites allowed to build a complex picture of the meat diet of medieval settlements in Eastern Europe and to reconstruct the structure of meat supply in Eastern European towns and villages in forest, forest-steppe and steppe areas, as well as to determine the similarities and differences in this structure across different landscapes and cultural zones. We found that the dominant meat in the diet of the medieval population in all studied landscapes, regardless of settlement form was beef. For Rus’ towns, which existed for several centuries, we identified the tendency to increase the share of beef in the meat diet from the early (12th century) to the latest (16th century and later) periods. Beef also dominated the meat consumption of townspeople in the Golden Horde in the 13th–14th centuries.
 The study shows that cattle were raised in rural settlements and regularly delivered to the towns for hides and meat. Nomadic cattle, such as sheep and horses were delivered to the towns and slaughtered episodically to produce hides. In the artisanal quarters of the towns, our archaeozoological research registered accumulations of domestic ungulate bones with a specific taxonomic and anatomical set – the remains of large-scale slaughter of nomadic and rural livestock. These quarters also did the primary processing of hides – our study found clear markers of processing industries in archaeozoological collections. The study of isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) in more than 150 bone samples of domestic ungulates of forest and steppe areas proved the feasibility of using 13C isotope tags to capture the status of domestic ungulates: local and outsider; 15N isotope signals describe the contribution of farmed fodder to the diet of specific animals. We managed to discover the movement of nomadic steppe cattle from the arid zone for slaughtering and hides to the forest-steppe Bolgar town, and to record the fact of cattle exchange between steppe and forest territories, as well as between different regions of medieval Rus’.

LA QUESTION DE L’EPIGRAVETTIEN ORIENTAL

he designation, under the name of Epigravettian, of all industries in Central and Eastern Europe from the last glacial maximum and up to the end of isotopic stage 2, masks the variety of industries and prevents an understanding of the adaptations of hunter-gatherer societies to climate variations. - For Eastern Europe (Dnieper, Boug and Don basins): Eastern Gravettian, Final Eastern Gravettian, Local Aurignacoid Industries (Muralovkian, Zamiatnine culture and others), Early Epigravettian of the steppe area, gap, Mezinian of the Dnieper Basin, late Epigravettian of the steppe area, - For the northeastern foothills of the Carpathians (Dniester, Prut and Bistrita basins) : Eastern Gravettian, Aurignacoid Industries, gap, Early Epigravettian (Molodovian s.s.), gap, Final Epigravettian, - For Central Europe: Eastern Gravettian, gap, Aurignacoid Industries, gap, Sagvarian, gap, Magdalenian and Late Epigravettian. The typological and technological studies of lithic and bone industries reveal large differences, due to strong changes in human systems during the last glacial maximum. And the mere presence of backed bladelets (which also exist in the Solutrean, Badegoulian and Magdalenian cultures in Western Europe) is not sufficient to cluster these industries under the same name of Epigravettian. So we propose to give different names to these different industries.

Становление института подворного пользования земельными участками в казахских кочевых хозяйствах Степного края во второй половине XIX – начале XX в.

The modernization processes that began in Russia in the post-reform period pursued the goal of transforming not only all spheres of socio-political life, but also involving national suburbs with varying degrees of intensity in the format of the imperial space. Among such regions was the Steppe region, where in the chronological peri-od under consideration, the policy of the official authorities was aimed at the actual and legal consolidation of the right of the state to dispose of the lands of the indigenous population. This trend received its formal consoli-dation in the Steppe position, the norms of which proclaimed the entire land fund of the Kazakh steppe to be the property of the state. Along with this legal imperative, the state legislated a new land-legal institution in the form of household and hereditary use, which was a type of property rights to land. By introducing such a legal institution, the government authorities sought to fully regulate the “Kyrgyz” land use, to facilitate the transition of nomadic society to a sedentary way of life, to promote the involvement of community-autonomous groups in the economic development of vast steppe areas, as well as subordinate their resources to the tasks of resolving the agrarian issue as an integral part of the economic development of the state.

RESULTS OF USING SPECTRORADIOMETERS FOR IN SOIL MOISTURE OF MONGOLIAN STEPPE ECOSYSTEM

Abstract. Determining soil moisture remains an important issue in environmental, agricultural, and crop fields. The use of remote sensing data in the study of soil surface moisture has many benefits, such as: saving time, resources, and money, as well as monitoring soil condition (surface soil moisture). Based on point data from field measurements, can be used to obtain results of soil moisture. The importance of this study is highlighted by the useof spectral measurements and laboratory-determined moisture content of a variety of soils with different geographical conditions spread over three different natural zones, combined with satellite data. The purpose of this research is to determine and analyse surface soil moisture using Sentinel-2 satellite data and Spectro radiometric measurements. For this research area, four areas representative of forest steppe, steppe, and Gobi eco-regions of Mongolia were selected, field research was conducted, data were collected, and Sentinel-2 satellite data was processed and analysed. According to the results of the spectral reflectance measured during the field research, the high reflectance of the wet soil spectrum in the forest field, and the low reflectance of the spectrum representing the Gobi region, respectively, this create the possibility of studying soil moisture by spectral measurement and analysis. The relationship between the spectral reflectance of the red (665 nm) and near-violet (842 nm) light regions shows that the soil of the forest-steppe region is relatively moist compared to the soil of the Gobi region and that the Gobi soil is drier, and the field soil is drier, and these parameters are confirmed by laboratory analysis. A model developed from a linear relationship between field-measured spectrometer reflectance and laboratory-determined moisture provides a formula that can be used for regular monitoring of moisture content using the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) estimated from satellite data. Surface soil moisture (%) = −44.133*NDWI − 11.553. The NDWI calculated from the spectroradiometer compared to the humidity determined in the laboratory had a linear correlation of R2=0.74 or 74%, and when comparing the humidity calculated from Sentinel-2, the agreement was high. In terms of space, the results calculated from satellite data show that the forest and steppe areas have relatively high humidity compared to the Gobi region, and the total area representing the Gobi region has a lower moisture content. Based on these results, it is considered that it is possible to continuously determine the amount of moisture from satellite data using NDWI (surface soil moisture) in a certain space-time range and use it for soil control and monitoring.

Improving grassland classification accuracy using optimal spectral-phenological-topographic features in combination with machine learning algorithm

Accurate mapping of large-scale grassland types is important for grassland and water resources management. The similarity of spectral characteristics between grassland types lowers the classification accuracy of different grassland types. To improve the classification accuracy of large-scale grasslands, this study proposed a new framework which integrates Sentinel-2 images with DEM and climate zones data. In this framework, optimal spectral-phenological-topographic features are fed into Random Forest (RF) model based on Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. The proposed framework was applied in Inner Mongolia, China. A grassland map of the region was obtained with an overall accuracy (OA) exceeding 80 %, which is higher than the OA (60 %-70 %) of current large-scale grassland type classification studies. In WIM (Western Inner Mongolia) and NEIM (Northeast Inner Mongolia), the OA reaches 96.97 % and 95.85 %, respectively. SWIR2 band and elevation have a clear advantage in distinguishing different grassland types. Compared to 1980s, the area of temperate meadow steppe (TMS) and temperate desert steppe (TDS) have increased by 111.94 % and 126.00 %, respectively. The area of temperate typical steppe (TTS) decreased by 7.38 %. The framework proposed in this study has a great potential to be applied to improve large-scale grassland classification in other regions in future.

Vegetation Dynamics of North African Steppe (Case Study of the Moulouya Plateau In Morocco)

Abstract The North African steppe areas represent a heritage of great economic and ecological importance. These areas, which were once prosperous, are currently experiencing significant degradation and a decrease in productivity due to several factors. The objective of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of the steppe vegetation, identify the responsible factors, and present perspectives for their management and restoration. The methodological approach adopted for the characterization of climatic and socioeconomic conditions and the analysis of vegetation dynamics combined classical geomatics methods with a data mining method by mobilizing several sources and on important temporal horizons. This study was optimized by using the Google Earth Engine platform. Results showed that steppe areas are characterized by their plant richness and great potential for resilience despite their low vegetation cover. The analysis of the dynamics of change has highlighted a regressive trend in steppe vegetation during the study period (1995–2020). This study has been able to highlight the extent of the dynamics of the steppes in the study area during the last 26 years and to identify the human activity as the main trigger for the transformation that steppe areas are currently undergoing. Such results improve our knowledge of these areas and open perspectives for their management.

LEPIDOPTERA OF THE MYKHAILIVSKA TSILYNA NATURE RESERVE

This work presents the results of the analysis of literature sources and the results of own research on the Lepidoptera of the Nature Reserve “Mykhailivska tsilyna”. In total, during 2019-2023, about 800 specimens of lepidopterans were collected on the reserve territory. The work presents a generalized list of lepidopteran species documented on the territory of the reserve which is supplemented by the results of research over the past three years. Since the Nature Reserve foundation in 2009, livestock grazing has been banned and haying areas have been limited, which has led to significant overgrowth and forestation of reserve’s territory. In some places the crown closure of the new stands reaches more than 70%. The data obtained by us on the group of pyralid butterflies of the reserve indicate a small proportion of the steppe component in their fauna. Unfortunately, we are not able to compare the data over a long period of time - before 2015, even if there were any studies on this group, they were of a non-systematic nature. Currently, the fauna of the lepidoptera registered by us in the Nature Reserve “Mykhailivska tsilyna”, as well as those reported in the literature, includes 340 species from 18 family groups.
 The work planned in the territory organization project to reduce tree growth and remove forest strips are likely to reduce biodiversity in this area. At the same time, further overgrowth of the steppe will reduce the number or loss of butterfly species whose development is associated with steppe vegetation. In our opinion, it is necessary to stop and prevent further forestation of the reserved area. This can be done by applying one of the following methods: periodic mowing of the steppe areas that are still preserved; moderate cattle grazing; release of a wild population of large ungulates into the territory and ensuring their living conditions; periodic controlled burning of certain areas in the fall. However the current environmental legislation prohibits the use of all of the above methods on the territory of nature reserves.

Modeling Dynamics of Soil Erosion by Water Due to Soil Organic Matter Change (1980–2020) in the Steppe Zone of Russia

This research aims to evaluate the dynamics of soil loss through soil erosion by water in agricultural lands in steppe areas using a modification of the RUSLE2 model from the 1980s to the 2010s. The calculation was performed using a raster model of data that included a model of the slope angle, slope length, soil erodibility, rainfall and snowmelt erosivity factors, types of land use, and cover management factor. All data were taken from open sources. The average soil erosion in the territory studied amounted to 1.48 t ha−1 year−1 in the 1980s and 1.72 t ha−1 year−1 in the 2010s. The discrepancy with other studies was 12% for the level of the 1980s and 2–7% for the level of the 2010s. The main factor leading to an increase in soil loss was soil erodibility due to the loss of soil organic matter, which affected about 52% of the studied lands. The increase in the amount of soil loss occurred against a background of compensating processes: reduction in precipitation and climate change (getting drier), as well as the overgrowth of agricultural lands with natural steppe vegetation. Modified model RUSLE2 has shown good results correlated with other studies for the research area.

Construction and Practice of Livelihood Efficiency Index System for Herders in Typical Steppe Area of Inner Mongolia Based on Super-Efficiency Slacks-Based Measure Model

Inner Mongolia is one of the main animal husbandry production bases in China, with herders being the main animal husbandry producers. A systematic analysis of the efficiency of herding households’ livelihoods and the influencing factors is of great importance to formulate effective policies to support herding households’ livelihoods, enhance their social adaptability, and alleviate the vulnerability of poor people in herding areas. This study used a typical steppe of Inner Mongolia as the research area. It used the interview data of herding households from 2021, constructed the evaluation index system of herding households’ livelihood efficiency, analyzed the redundancy of the inputs and outputs of herding households’ livelihoods, and examined the key factors affecting herding households’ livelihood efficiency. The results indicate that (1) the pure technical effectiveness of the livelihood efficiency of typical grassland herding households in Inner Mongolia is the highest; the comprehensive technical efficiency and scale efficiency are low. The scale return of most herders’ livelihoods shows a decreasing state. (2) According to the results of the model, under the premise of the output not being reduced, reducing the amount of social capital input can effectively save resources. Without increasing the input, the room for improvement in the living level is the most obvious. (3) The pasture area, the communication network, and the access to information have significant negative effects on the efficiency of herders’ livelihoods; infrastructure and water supply have significant positive impacts. In summary, we built a model for evaluating the livelihood efficiency of herders in typical grassland areas of Inner Mongolia, which can provide a reference for the revitalization work of pastoral areas and related research in the future.

Relationship between variations in ecological conditions and the dynamics of intra-specific morphological diversity of Artemisia herba-alba Asso in Algeria

Abstract This research work focused on the study of morphological diversity in 270 types of Artemisia herba-alba, known as “white wormwood,” from different bioclimatic stages and its relationship with the distribution and adaptation of the species. The phenotypic parameters studied include the aerial vegetative part of the leaves and the flowers. The existing relationships between the ecological conditions and the genetic dynamics expressed by the morphological polymorphism of the populations concerned have been established. Results obtained allowed us to admit that we have two ecotypes in Algeria: the first one has five flowers per capitulum and can be found at the level of the three bioclimatic floors studied; whereas the second one has eight flowers per capitulum occupying only the territories with a Saharan climate. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and UPGMA dendrogram allowed us to observe a very significant intra- and inter-population morphological polymorphism at the level of each site and between the different sites. This wide variability thus observed for A. herba-alba could help research on a large collection of individuals and therefore to choose the most effective ecotypes in order to reintroduce this species in the steppe areas of Algeria.

Variations in Phenology Identification Strategies across the Mongolian Plateau Using Multiple Data Sources and Methods

Satellite data and algorithms directly affect the accuracy of phenological estimation; therefore, it is necessary to compare and verify existing phenological models to identify the optimal combination of data and algorithms across the Mongolian Plateau (MP). This study used five phenology fitting algorithms—double logistic (DL) and polynomial fitting (Poly) combined with the dynamic threshold method at thresholds of 35% and 50% (DL-G35, DL-G50, Poly-G35, and Poly-G50) and DL combined with the cumulative curvature extreme value method (DL-CUM)—and two data types—the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF)—to identify the start (SOS), peak (POS), and end (EOS) of the growing season in alpine meadow (ALM), desert steppe (DRS), forest vegetation (FV), meadow grassland (MEG), and typical grassland (TYG) of the MP. The optimal methods for identifying the SOS, POS, and EOS of typical grassland areas were Poly-G50 (NSE = 0.12, Pbias = 0.22%), DL-G35/50 (NSE = −0.01, Pbias = −0.06%), and Poly-G35 (NSE = 0.02, Pbias = 0.08%), respectively, based on SIF data. The best methods for identifying the SOS, POS, and EOS of desert steppe areas were Poly-G35 (NSE = −0.27, Pbias = −1.49%), Poly-G35/50 (NSE = −0.58, Pbias = −1.39%), and Poly-G35 (NSE = 0.29, Pbias = −0.61%), respectively, based on EVI data. The data source explained most of the differences in phenological estimates. The accuracy of polynomial fitting was significantly greater than that of the DL method, while all methods were better at identifying SOS and POS than they were at identifying EOS. Our findings can help to facilitate the establishment of a phenological estimation system suitable for the Mongolian Plateau and improve the observation methods of vegetation phenology.

Comparing the performance of machine learning algorithms for estimating aboveground biomass in typical steppe of northern China using Sentinel imageries

Monitoring aboveground biomass (AGB) is crucial for assessing, managing, and utilizing grassland ecosystems. While the technical form of combining remote sensing and machine learning algorithms is widely used to estimate AGB at a regional scale, few studies have assessed and compared the performance of popular algorithms on the typical steppe in northern China. In this study, the northern Xilinhot, a representative area of typical steppe in China, was selected as the study area to compare the performance of six widely used machine learning algorithms for AGB estimation, namely stepwise linear regression (SLR), partial least square regression (PLS), principal component regression (PCR), random forest (RF), support vector machines (SVM), and k-nearest neighbors (KNN). Additionally, the study explored the modeling capability of multisource variables from Sentinel imagery and auxiliary data. The results showed that (1) considering the aspects of prediction accuracy, noise resistance, ease of operation, and transferability, the SLR algorithm is more suitable for estimating typical steppe AGB in northern China at the Sentinel scale. (2) Vegetation Indices (VI) play a significant role in the development of selected models, with significant contributions from both traditional and soil-adjusted indices. (3) Sentinel C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is unsuitable for modeling typical steppe AGB. (4) Among the selected environmental factors, only clay content and soil pH are significantly linearly correlated with AGB, while elevation, precipitation, temperature, soil pH, and sand content are advantageous for RF prediction. This study can provide important technical references for the research on AGB in typical steppe in northern China.

Sand Burial, Rather than Salinity or Drought, Is the Main Stress That Limits the Germination Ability of Sophora alopecuroides L. Seed in the Desert Steppe of Yanchi, Ningxia, China.

Global change and environmental pollution have reawakened ecologists to the great threat of multi-stress interactions to different growth stages of plants. Sophora alopecuroides L., a dune plant, has been widely studied for its medicinal components and strong salinity tolerance. S. alopecuroides seeds, obtained from the desert steppe of Yanchi, Ningxia, China, were used to analyze the effects of sand burial, salinity, drought, and their interactions on seed germination (germination percentage, germination energy, and germination index). The results showed that sand burial and salinity stress had significant effects on the seed germination ability of S. alopecuroides, and drought stress had no significant effect, but the interaction of the three stresses had a significant effect. Under different drought-stress treatments, the interaction of no sand burial and a certain degree of salinity stress significantly improved the germination ability of S. alopecuroides, and the overall intensity of the effects of the three stresses showed that sand burial > salinity > drought. Considering the germination percentage, germination energy, and germination index of S. alopecuroides under various stress interactions, the treatment of no sand burial × 1% soil saline-alkali content × 18-20% soil water content was adopted to maximize the germination ability of S. alopecuroides. In the desert steppe area of Yanchi, Ningxia, sand burial stress was still the most limiting factor for seed germination of S. alopecuroides, and soil saline-alkali content should be increased moderately, and soil moisture should be ensured to obtain the best germination ability.

Range Dynamics of Striped Field Mouse (Apodemus agrarius) in Northern Eurasia under Global Climate Change Based on Ensemble Species Distribution Models.

The striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius Pallas, 1771) is a widespread species in Northern Eurasia. It damages crops and carries zoonotic pathogens. Its current and future range expansion under climate change may negatively affect public health and the economy, warranting further research to understand the ecological and invasive characteristics of the species. In our study, we used seven algorithms (GLM, GAM, GBS, FDA, RF, ANN, and MaxEnt) to develop robust ensemble species distribution models (eSDMs) under current (1970-2000) and future climate conditions derived from global circulation models (GCMs) for 2021-2040, 2041-2060, 2061-2080, and 2081-2100. Simulation of climate change included high-, medium-, and low-sensitivity GCMs under four scenarios (SSP1-2.6, SSP2-4.5, SSP3-7.0, and SSP5-8.5). We analyzed the habitat suitability across GCMs and scenarios by constructing geographical ranges and calculating their centroids. The results showed that the range changes depended on both the sensitivity of GCMs and scenario. The main trends were range expansion to the northeast and partial loss of habitat in the steppe area. The striped field mouse may form a continuous range from Central Europe to East Asia, closing the range gap that has existed for 12 thousand years. We present 49 eSDMs for the current and future distribution of A. agrarius (for 2000-2100) with quantitative metrics (gain, loss, change) of the range dynamics under global climate change. The most important predictor variables determining eSDMs are mean annual temperature, mean diurnal range of temperatures, the highest temperature of the warmest month, annual precipitation, and precipitation in the coldest month. These findings could help limit the population of the striped field mouse and predict distribution of the species under global climate change.