PJB-2018-555
DISTRIBUTION CHARACTERISTICS OF SOIL SEED BANKS AND ABOVEGROUND VEGETATIONS IN SALINIZED SOILS IN ARID REGIONS OF NORTHWEST CHINA
Li li Nan
Abstract
The seed bank of salinized soil is a valuable germplasm resource for plant salt tolerance research. The study collected 468 sampling quadrats and surveyed plant communities of 5 subtypes and 13 soil genera in saline-sodic badland of northwest China in spring, summer, and autumn, respectively. The seed banks from the soil sampling were germinated in the lab and species were identified. 21 plant species belonging to 9 families and 19 genera were found in the aboveground vegetations, and they mainly belonged to Chenopodiaceae and Poaceae. 34 plant species belonging to 14 families and 31 genera were found in the soil seed banks, and they mainly belonged to Chenopodiaceae, Gramineae, and Compositae. The species between aboveground vegetations and soil seed bank were mainly herbaceous, and they had strong adaptability to salinity and alkalinity. The reserves of soil seed banks were small. Most species were indicator halophytes of desert and its species composition was simple. In spring, summer, and autumn, soil seed densities in 5 subtypes of saline soil decreased according to the following order: meadow solonchaks > orthic solonchaks > dry solonchaks > bog solonchaks > alkalized solonchak. From 13 soil genera, there were no significant difference in soil seed density between spring, summer and autumn. Soil seed bank showed a significant vertical hierarchy. A low similarity of species composition between soil seed banks and aboveground vegetation implied that the seed bank contributed little to the restoration of the aboveground vegetation in salinized and arid regions.
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