The potential effects of aeolian processes on the vegetation in a semiarid area: geochemical evidence from plants and soils

摘要

Aeolian processes are the key factors controlling the redistribution of nutrient elements in arid and semiarid regions and have a significant effect on plant distribution. However, the potential relationship between aeolian sediments and vegetation is still unknown in a desert environment. By evaluating the concentrations of Ba, Cu, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Zn in the different plants of typical dominant species and co-located soils in the Otindag Desert, northern China, we evaluated the potential effects of aeolian processes on the vegetation. The biological accumulation parameters and the grain size distribution of dune soil in the study area were analyzed by some focused manner. The results showed the following: (1) For the various soils around different species, the order of the relative content of the six elements in the soil by dominant species was Stipa klemenzil, Artemisia frigida, Carex spp., and Caragana microphylla Lam. In this order, the dominant particle size ranges of the soils around these species were 0-63, 63-125, 125-250, and 250-500 mu m, respectively. (2) Cu, Mg, Mn, Ni, and Zn in soil tend to be concentrated in the finer particles and Ba tends to be concentrated in the coarser particles. (3) S. klemenzil, A. frigida, and C. microphylla Lam had high absorption rates of Cu and Zn, and the leaves of C. microphylla Lam and A. frigida were significantly enriched in Cu and Mg, and Cu, respectively. According to the above results, we conclude that aeolian processes can potentially influence the absorption of specific nutrients by plants by influencing the texture and element redistribution of soil particles, thereby promoting or hindering the growth of specific vegetation communities.