Effects of different soil and water conservation measures on plant diversity and productivity in Loess Plateau

Understorey Plant Functional Traits of Platycladus orientalis Depends on Crown Closure and Soil Properties in the Loess Plateau, China

“…Additionally, LTD is significantly negatively correlated with LN, LP, and H; this may be due to the barren and dry soil of the Loess Plateau, leading to overly dense leaf tissues that restrict the penetration and diffusion of nutrients, ultimately affecting plant growth [36]. SLA is significantly negatively correlated with LC and LTD, similar to the significant negative correlation between LTD and H. For instance, research by Duan et al (2023) suggests that, in harsh survival environments, plants allocate more synthesized substances into leaf structures, increasing the distance for internal water diffusion to enhance drought resistance [19]. However, there is no correlation between H and LC, SLA, or LV, it may be that species with the independently evolved organs dominate the population.…”

“…In order to maintain the uniformity of environmental factors and avoid interference from other variables in the experiment, we chose to set the study area in the Xindian National Soil and Water Conservation Park (110 • 17 ′ 20 ′′ E, 37 • 31 ′ 09 ′′ N), located in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China (Figure 1). In 2021, the annual average temperature is 8.3 • C (The lowest temperature is −7.5 • C and the highest is 38.4 • C), with an annual average rainfall of 486 mm, mainly concentrated in August, at an elevation ranging from 690 to 1016 m [19]. The total area of the Soil and Water Conservation Park is 1.44 km 2 , with Platycladus orientalis forests covering 0.49 km 2 , accounting for 34.3% of the total area.…”

“…The Loess Plateau, as one of the regions with the most severe soil erosion in the world, has long been troubled by soil erosion issues [19]. Long-time vegetation restoration projects, such as converting cropland to forest and the Three-North Shelterbelt Program, have played a positive role in improving the ecological environment of this region [20].…”