NDLI: Role of desert annuals in nutrient flow in arid area of Northwestern China: a nutrient reservoir and provider

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Chen, Bao Ming Wang, Gen Xuan Peng, Shao Lin
Copyright Year	2008
Abstract	Previous studies have tested the “vernal dam” hypothesis of spring ephemeral herbs in hardwood forests. The desert annual is a component of the desert ecosystem that takes advantage of water resources and temperature conditions during the rainy season to rapidly complete its life cycle within several months. To understand the role desert annual/ephemeral plants play in nutrient flow, we studied vegetation cover, nitrogen content and litter production of annual plants and litter decomposition rate in plant communities dominated by four shrubs (Haloxlon ammodendron, Hedysarum scoparium, Calligonum mongolicum, and Nitraria tangutorum) and two dominant annuals (Agriophyllum squarrosum and Halogeton arachnoideus Moq) in Minqin, northwestern China. Results indicate that over half of the total vegetation cover was provided by annuals. Annuals also took up a large amount of nitrogen (0.46–3.78 g N m$^{−2}$) along the oasis–desert ecotone. Litter production and nutrient content were higher in areas dominated by annual plants than in areas dominated by shrubs. Furthermore, the litter decomposition rate of the annuals was higher than that of the shrubs, except for the shrub H. ammodendron, although almost all of the litter’s carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) remained after 6 months of decomposition. Without the annuals, more nutrients and rainwater might be lost through leaching or dust transfer caused by the wind erosion. In addition, green twigs of the annuals are the food for some animals, we found some green twigs and litter from annuals left in front of gerbil and rabbit burrows, sometimes even blocking these burrows. Thus, desert summer annuals, like nutrient reservoirs and providers, take up nutrients during the rainy season, providing some animals and microbes with food, and finally release these nutrients after death.
Starting Page	401
Ending Page	409
Page Count	9
File Format	PDF
ISSN	13850237
Journal	Plant Ecology
Volume Number	201
Issue Number	2
e-ISSN	15735052
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2008-11-05
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Annual plant Ephemeral Nitrogen Nutrient Vernal dam Plant Sciences
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Ecology Plant Science

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