Spatial variation in grassland vegetation and herbage mass in the Ejina oasis along the Heihe River in the southern Gobi Desert, China

Our study area, Ejina, is located in the southern Gobi Desert, Inner Mongolia, China, where the annual precipitation is 3,600 mm. The Heihe River flows from the Qilian Range through the study area, and the desert landscape along the river includes oases formed by forests and grasslands. We establish...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Grassland science 2024-07, Vol.70 (3), p.95-108
Main Authors: Shiyomi, Masae, Chen, Jun, Yamamura, Yasuo, Hori, Yoshimichi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Annual precipitation
Biomass
Correlation
Deserts
Electrical conductivity
Electrical resistivity
Evaporation
Evaporation rate
Grasslands
Moisture content
Moisture gradient
Oases
Riparian vegetation
River banks
River flow
Rivers
Salinity
Salinity effects
Soil water
Spatial variations
Species richness
Swamps
Vegetation
Water content
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Summary:Our study area, Ejina, is located in the southern Gobi Desert, Inner Mongolia, China, where the annual precipitation is 3,600 mm. The Heihe River flows from the Qilian Range through the study area, and the desert landscape along the river includes oases formed by forests and grasslands. We established a survey area of approximately 1.5 ha in grassland facing a seasonal swamp, a branch of the Heihe River. We posed the following questions in this desert grassland: (1) how do soil water content (SWC) and salinity change with distance from the riverbank? (2) How do vegetation, aboveground biomass, and species richness change with distance from the riverbank? (3) How much can be supplied to grazing animals, and how many animals can be grazed? Our results indicated that (1) the SWC is high within 20 m of the riverbank and low beyond 20 m, the standing biomass is positively correlated with SWC, but there was no evidence of a correlation between salinity and distance to water; the electrical conductivity was high both inland and adjacent to the riparian swamp. (2) Vegetation could be classified to six classes, following a gradient from the riverbank (swamp margin) to the dry inland area beyond 20 m from the riverbank. Species richness and aboveground biomass were highly correlated. Classification result led us to recommend that generalist species tolerant of the distinct moisture gradient in the site be used in restoration efforts. (3) Per‐hectare aboveground biomass was 478.93 dry weight (dw) kg, 321.2 ha of equivalent grassland would be required to graze 100 goats annually.
ISSN:1744-6961
1744-697X
DOI:10.1111/grs.12421