Nabkha morphology and sand-fixing capability of four dominantCaraganaspecies in the desert region of the Inner Mongolia Plateau

Abstract

The drought鄄resistant shrubs Caragana korshinskii, Caragana stenophylla, Caragana roborovskyi, and Caragana tibetica, are distributed mainly in the arid and semi鄄arid areas of the Inner Mongolia Plateau, China. They are important plants for fodder resource, and are known as " lifesaving plants冶 to livestock. In addition, they play an important role in fixing sand dunes and conserving water resources. So far, however, very little attention has been paid to the factors determining the sand鄄fixing capability of Caragana shrubs. In this study, we explored the relationships between the

Sandy Habitats Play an Important Role in Shrub Encroachment in Grasslands

“…Previous studies in the grassland of Loess Plateau showed that almost all Caragana seeds were eaten by seed predators within one week of the seeds falling on the ground [42]. However, in sandy land, shrubs can easily be buried by sand, thereby forming nabkhas of various sizes, from 20 to 40 cm in height, under shrub canopies due to wind-deposited sand (Figure 5d) [43]. In this case, Caragana seeds may fall under or next to shrub canopies where they were later buried at various depths in sand together with leaves of shrubs and other debris.…”