Biodiversity and soil pH regulate the recovery of ecosystem multifunctionality during secondary succession of abandoned croplands in northern China. (1st February 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zheng, Jiahua; Zhang, Feng; Zhang, Bin; Chen, Daling; Li, Shaoyu; Zhao, Tianqi; Wang, Qi; Han, Guodong; Zhao, Mengli
• Is Part Of: Journal of environmental management. Volume 327(2023)
• Publication Date: 2023-02-01
• Subjects: Ecosystem multifunctionality -- Spontaneous restoration -- Biodiversity -- 'Grain-for-green' program -- Typical steppe -- Desert steppe; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Environmental management -- Periodicals; Environment -- Periodicals; Ecology -- Periodicals; 363.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116882
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0301-4797

Abstract

Abstract: The 'Grain-for-Green' program in China provides a valuable opportunity to investigate whether spontaneous restoration can reverse the deterioration of grassland ecosystem functions. Previous studies have focused on individual ecosystem functions, but the response of and mechanisms driving variation in ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) during restoration are poorly understood. Here, we quantified EMF using productivity, nutrient cycling, and water regulation functions along abandoned croplands in a recovery chronosequence (5, 15 and 20 years) and in natural grasslands in the desert steppe and typical steppe. We also analyzed the effects of plant and microbial diversity and an abiotic factor (soil pH) on EMF. Our results showed that EMF increased gradually concomitant with recovery time, shifting toward EMF values comparable to those in natural grasslands in both desert and typical steppe. Similar results were found for the productivity function, the water regulation function, and soil organic carbon. However, even after 20 years of restoration, EMF did not reach the levels observed in natural grasslands. Structural equation modeling showed that the driving mechanisms of EMF differed between the two steppe types. Specifically, in the desert steppe, plant diversity, especially the diversity of perennial graminoids and perennial herbs, had a positive effect on EMF, but in the typical steppe, soil bacterial diversity had a negative effect, while soil pH had a positive effect on EMF. Our results demonstrated that spontaneous grassland restoration effectively enhanced EMF, and emphasized the importance of biodiversity and soil pH in regulating EMF during secondary succession. This work provides important insights for grassland ecosystem management in arid and semi-arid regions. Graphical abstract: A conceptual framework of EMF recovery patterns and driving mechanisms during secondary succession in desert steppe and typical steppe. In the desert steppe, spontaneous restoration promoted EMF by increasing plant diversity. By contrast, spontaneous restoration promoted EMF by inhibiting soil microbial diversity but increasing soil pH in the typical steppe. Solid green arrows refer to positive effects and dashed red arrows refer to negative effects. PD: plant diversity; BD: bacterial diversity. Image 1 Highlights: Ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) increased significantly with secondary succession. Twenty years is not sufficient for the restoration of EMF both in desert steppe and typical steppe. Plant diversity had positive effects on the recovery of EMF in desert steppe. In the typical steppe, bacterial diversity had negative effects on EMF recovery, but neutral pH had positive effects.