Vegetation and soil surveys were conducted under different site conditions in 2007-2011 to study species diversity using richness, evenness and diversity indices, in the middle portion of the Heihe River Basin. The relationship between species distribution and soil environmental factors was also studied by Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA). Results show that vegetation coverage and species diversity were the highest in the interdune lowland, and the lowest in the mobile dune. Results of the Hill's index (diversity ordering) shows that species diversity is reduced along decreasing soil water content, and the order of species diversity was interdune lowland, flat slope, fixed dune, semifixed dune and mobile dune. The influence degree of soil factors on vegetation distribution was soil water content > pH > total K > organic matter > available N > total N > available K > total P > saline content > available P. Soil water content and pH were important factors significantly affecting spatial distribution difference of vegetation, the environmental explanation was 98%.
C3 plant Reaumuria soongorica and C4 plant Salsola passerina are super xerophytes and coexist in a mixed community in either isolated or associated growth, and interspecific facilitation occurs in associated growth. In the present study, the root traits including root distribution, root length(RL), root surface area(RSA), root weight(RW) and specific root length(SRL) of both species in two growth forms were investigated to clarify their response to facilitation in associated growth. Six isolated plants of each species, as well as six associated plants similar in size and development were selected during the plant growing season, and their roots were excavated at 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40 and 40–50 cm soil depths at the end of the growing season. All the roots of each plant were separated into the two categories of fine roots(<2 mm diameter) and coarse roots(≥2 mm diameter). Root traits such as RL and RSA in the fine and coarse roots were obtained by the root analyzing system WinRHIZO. Most of the coarse roots in R. soongorica and S. passerina were distributed in the top 10 cm of the soil in both growth forms, whereas the fine roots of the two plant species were found mainly in the 10–20 and 20–30 cm soil depths in isolated growth, respectively. However, the fine roots of both species were mostly overlapped in 10–20 cm soil depth in associated growth. The root/canopy ratios of both species reduced, whereas the ratios of their fine roots to coarse roots in RL increased, and both species had an increased SRL in the fine roots in associated growth. In addition, there was the increase in RL of fine roots and content of root N for S. passerina in associated growth. Taken together, the root growth of S. passerina was facilitated for water and nutrient exploration under the interaction of the overlapped roots in both species in associated growth, and higher SRL allowed both species to more effectively adapt to the infertile soil in the desert ecosystem.
