Drought intensity and post-drought precipitation determine vegetation recovery in a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

Xiangyun Li; Zhaobin Song; Ya Hu; Jingjuan Qiao; Yuheng Chen; Shaokun Wang; Ping Yue; Min Chen; Yuguang Ke; Chong Xu; Qiang Yu; Xiaoan Zuo

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167449

Drought intensity and post-drought precipitation determine vegetation recovery in a desert steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jan 1:906:167449. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167449. Epub 2023 Oct 11.

Authors

Xiangyun Li¹, Zhaobin Song¹, Ya Hu², Jingjuan Qiao¹, Yuheng Chen³, Shaokun Wang⁴, Ping Yue⁴, Min Chen⁴, Yuguang Ke⁵, Chong Xu⁵, Qiang Yu⁶, Xiaoan Zuo⁷

Affiliations

¹ Urat Desert-grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Region, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
² Urat Desert-grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Region, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
³ Ecology and Biodiversity Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, the Netherlands.
⁴ Urat Desert-grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000, China; Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Region, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China.
⁵ Hulunber Grassland Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 100081 Beijing, China.
⁶ School of Grassland Science, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 10008, China.
⁷ Urat Desert-grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000, China; Naiman Desertification Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou 730000, China; Key Laboratory of Stress Physiology and Ecology in Cold and Arid Region, Gansu Province, Lanzhou 730000, China. Electronic address: zuoxa@lzb.ac.cn.

PMID: 37832659
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167449

Abstract

Extreme drought events are expected to increase in frequency and severity, posing significant threats to ecosystems worldwide. While considerable research has been concentrated on the effects of climate extremes on the stability of grasslands, the process by which grassland productivity may recover after extreme drought events are still not well understood. Here, we conducted a four-year (2019-2022) recovery investigation after four-year's (2015-2018) extreme drought treatments of different intensities (control, press and pulse) to explore the vegetation recovery of desert-grassland ecosystems Inner Mongolia, China. Press drought involved a 66 % reduction in natural precipitation from May to August, while pulse drought reduced it by 100 % during June and July. We found that both press and pulse droughts led to a sharp decrease in aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP) after four years, primarily due to reduced growth, density, and productivity of annual and perennial plants. However, ANPP under pulse drought could recover fully after four years of stopping of drought treatment, and it could not under press drought. Additionally, community structure (i.e., species richness, plant density, and height) fully recovered within 1 year after the end of the two extreme drought treatments. Both plant density and height contributed to the ANPP recovery after press and pulse droughts. Structural equation modeling (SEM) results further revealed that the reduction in ANPP during the extreme drought was primarily due to a decrease in plant density caused by reduced soil water content. The recovery of ANPP in pulse drought was directly caused by increased soil water content in the post-extreme drought. These results suggest that drought intensity and precipitation determine ANPP recovery in a degraded desert steppe. Our findings are crucial for deepening understanding of the processes and mechanisms of ecosystem recovery after extreme drought, as well as for the successful management and protection of grassland ecosystems.

Keywords: Climate change; Extreme drought; Functional traits; Post drought; Productivity.

MeSH terms

China
Droughts*
Ecosystem*
Grassland
Plants
Soil
Water

Substances

Soil
Water