Changes in levels of enzymes and osmotic adjustment compounds in key species and their relevance to vegetation succession in abandoned croplands of a semiarid sandy region

• Published in: Ecology and evolution Vol. 10; no. 4; pp. 2269 - 2280
• Main Authors: Yang, Liu, Lai, Liming, Zhou, Jihua, Li, Qiaoyan, Yi, Sangui, Sun, Qinglin, Zheng, Yuanrun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.02.2020; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Abandonment; Agricultural land; Arid regions; Catalase; Climate change; community succession; comprehensive drought evaluation; Drought; Drought resistance; Drying; Ecological succession; Environmental restoration; Enzymes; Evapotranspiration; Grasses; Grasslands; Hylaeus altaicus; Hypotheses; Metabolism; Ordos Plateau; Original Research; Peroxidase; Plant species; Proline; Reclamation; Restoration; Semi arid areas; Soils; Species; Superoxide dismutase; Sustainability; Vegetation; Ordos Plateau; drought resistance; comprehensive drought evaluation; community succession
• ISSN: 2045-7758; 2045-7758
• DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6067

Reclamation of cropland from grassland is regarded as a main reason for grassland degradation; understanding succession from abandoned cropland to grassland is thus crucial for vegetation restoration in arid and semiarid areas. Soil becomes dry when cropland is reverted to grassland, and enzyme and osmotic adjustment compounds may help plants to adapt to a drying environment. Croplands that were abandoned in various years on the Ordos Plateau in China, were selected for the analysis of the dynamics of enzymes and osmotic adjustment compounds in plant species during vegetation succession. With increasing number of years since abandonment, levels of superoxide dismutase increased in Stipa bungeana, first decreased and then increased in Lespedeza davurica and Artemisia frigida, and fluctuated in Heteropappus altaicus. Levels of peroxidase and catalase in the four species fluctuated; levels of proline, soluble sugar, and soluble protein either decreased or first increased and then generally decreased. According to a drought resistance index, the drought resistance of the four species was ranked in descending order as follows: S. bungeana > A. frigida > H. altaicus > L. davurica. The drought resistance ability of the different species was closely linked with vegetation succession from communities dominated by annual and biennial species (with main accompanying species of L. davurica and H. altaicus) to communities dominated by perennial species (S. bungeana and A. frigida) when soil became dry owing to increasing evapotranspiration after cropland abandonment. The restoration of S. bungeana steppe after cropland abandonment on the Ordos Plateau is recommended both as high‐quality forage and for environmental sustainability. Enzyme and osmotic adjustment compounds of different species were used to build D index to evaluate drought resistance ability of key species. The drought resistance of the four species was ranked in descending order as follows: Stipa bungeana > Artemisia frigida > Heteropappus altaicus > Lespedeza davurica. The restoration of S. bungeana steppe after cropland abandonment on the Ordos Plateau is recommended.