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Spatial Patterns and Natural Recruitment of Native Shrubs in a Semi-arid Sandy Land

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  • Bo Wu
  • Hongxiao Yang

Abstract

Passive restoration depending on native shrubs is an attractive approach for restoring desertified landscapes in semi-arid sandy regions. We sought to understand the relationships between spatial patterns of native shrubs and their survival ability in sandy environments. Furthermore, we applied our results to better understand whether passive restoration is feasible for desertified landscapes in semi-arid sandy regions. The study was conducted in the semi-arid Mu Us sandy land of northern China with the native shrub Artemisia ordosica. We analyzed population structures and patterns of A. ordosica at the edges and centers of land patches where sand was stabilized by A. ordosica-dominated vegetation. Saplings were more aggregated than adults, and both were more aggregated at the patch edges than at the patch centers. At the patch edges, spatial association of the saplings with the adults was mostly positive at distances 0.3–6.6 m, and turned from positive to neutral, and even negative, at other distances. At the patch centers, the saplings were spaced almost randomly around the adults, and their distances from the adults did not seem to affect their locations. A greater number of A. ordosica individuals emerged at the patch edges than at the patch centers. Such patterns may have resulted from their integrative adjustment to specific conditions of soil water supply and sand drift intensity. These findings suggest that in semi-arid sandy regions, native shrubs that are well-adapted to local environments may serve as low-cost and competent ecological engineers that can promote the passive restoration of surrounding patches of mobile sandy land.

Suggested Citation

  • Bo Wu & Hongxiao Yang, 2013. "Spatial Patterns and Natural Recruitment of Native Shrubs in a Semi-arid Sandy Land," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(3), pages 1-10, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0058331
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0058331
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Francesc Montané & Pere Casals & Mark R T Dale, 2011. "How Spatial Heterogeneity of Cover Affects Patterns of Shrub Encroachment into Mesic Grasslands," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(12), pages 1-9, December.
    2. Thomas J Rodhouse & Kathryn M Irvine & Kerri T Vierling & Lee A Vierling, 2011. "Estimating Temporal Trend in the Presence of Spatial Complexity: A Bayesian Hierarchical Model for a Wetland Plant Population Undergoing Restoration," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(12), pages 1-9, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Li, N. & Yan, C.Z. & Xie, J.L., 2015. "Remote sensing monitoring recent rapid increase of coal mining activity of an important energy base in northern China, a case study of Mu Us Sandy Land," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 129-135.
    2. Zhiyong Zhang & Bo Zhang & Xiao Zhang & Xiaohui Yang & Zhongjie Shi & Yanshu Liu, 2019. "Grazing Altered the Pattern of Woody Plants and Shrub Encroachment in a Temperate Savanna Ecosystem," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-18, January.
    3. Lina Jiang & Xiao Wang & Long Li & Zhongjie Shi & Xiaohui Yang, 2017. "Spatial Association of Shrubs and Their Interrelation to Burrowing Site Preference of Subterranean Rodents on Dune Slope in the Otindag Sandy Land, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-15, September.
    4. Jiankang Liu & Kebin Zhang, 2018. "Spatial Pattern and Population Structure of Artemisia ordosica Shrub in a Desert Grassland under Enclosure, Northwest China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-18, May.
    5. Jan J Quets & Stijn Temmerman & Magdy I El-Bana & Saud L Al-Rowaily & Abdulaziz M Assaeed & Ivan Nijs, 2014. "Use of Spatial Analysis to Test Hypotheses on Plant Recruitment in a Hyper-Arid Ecosystem," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-11, March.

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