Vegetation growth improvement Inadequately represents the ecological restoration of the Populus euphratica forests in Xinjiang, China
The Populus euphratica Oliv (P. euphratica) is a representative tree species in the riparian forests of arid regions, which acts as a barrier to prevent desert invasion and provides various ecosystem services for biodiversity conservation and ecological security. However, the community of P. euphrat...
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Ecological Indicators |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000159 |
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| author | Xuefei Guo Junli Li Jiudan Zhang Chunxia Wei Zhijun Li |
| author_facet | Xuefei Guo Junli Li Jiudan Zhang Chunxia Wei Zhijun Li |
| author_sort | Xuefei Guo |
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| description | The Populus euphratica Oliv (P. euphratica) is a representative tree species in the riparian forests of arid regions, which acts as a barrier to prevent desert invasion and provides various ecosystem services for biodiversity conservation and ecological security. However, the community of P. euphratica has experienced significant shrinkage and ecological degradation over the past centuries due to natural and anthropogenic factors, particularly in the arid regions of Xinjiang, China. Monitoring the health of these forests is crucial for understanding forest succession and ecosystem restoration. This study used time-series NDVI data from Landsat imagery and fieldwork investigations to monitor vegetation growth and stand age structures of P. euphratica forests in Xinjiang and explore the driving factors of these changes. The result showed that the P. euphratica forests in Xinjiang had experienced vegetation recovery over the last 30 years, with 61 % showing significant recovery and 9 % showing slight recovery. Due to higher precipitation, the vegetation growth rates in northern Xinjiang are more significant than those in southern Xinjiang. However, the increasing vegetation growth of the P. euphratica forests is primarily due to the flourishing of undergrowth vegetation rather than the P. euphratica trees. The P. euphratica forests in northern Xinjiang have ageing population structures, posing challenges for natural forest regeneration. On the other hand, in southern Xinjiang, the P. euphratica forests in flood inundation areas due to the Ecological Water Transfer Project (EWTP) have more significant growth rates and appropriate age structures. The growth rates of these forests were positively correlated with the annual water transfer accumulation but negatively correlated with the distance from the river channels. Therefore, flood inundation is crucial for forest restoration and regeneration. More artificial water supplement measures, such as expanding ecological water transfer areas and increasing water canal densities, will be considered for the ecological restoration of the P. euphratica forests. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-670704e67b8245b5801b21785f580011 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1470-160X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecological Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-670704e67b8245b5801b21785f5800112025-01-31T05:10:49ZengElsevierEcological Indicators1470-160X2025-01-01170113086Vegetation growth improvement Inadequately represents the ecological restoration of the Populus euphratica forests in Xinjiang, ChinaXuefei Guo0Junli Li1Jiudan Zhang2Chunxia Wei3Zhijun Li4National Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Region, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 China; The National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory of High Efficiency and Superior-Quality Cultivation and Fruit Deep Processing Technology on Characteristic Fruit Trees, College of Horticulture and Forestry Sciences, Tarim University, Alar 843300 China; Xinjiang Production & Construction Corps Key Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Biological Resources in Tarim Basin, College of Life Science, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang 843300, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of GIS and Remote Sensing Applications, Urumqi 830011, ChinaNational Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Region, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of GIS and Remote Sensing Applications, Urumqi 830011, China; Corresponding authors.National Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Sustainable Development in Arid Region, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011 China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of GIS and Remote Sensing Applications, Urumqi 830011, ChinaXinjiang Tarim Populus Euphratica National Nature Reserve Administration, Korla, Xinjiang 841000, ChinaXinjiang Production & Construction Corps Key Laboratory of Protection and Utilization of Biological Resources in Tarim Basin, College of Life Science, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang 843300, China; Corresponding authors.The Populus euphratica Oliv (P. euphratica) is a representative tree species in the riparian forests of arid regions, which acts as a barrier to prevent desert invasion and provides various ecosystem services for biodiversity conservation and ecological security. However, the community of P. euphratica has experienced significant shrinkage and ecological degradation over the past centuries due to natural and anthropogenic factors, particularly in the arid regions of Xinjiang, China. Monitoring the health of these forests is crucial for understanding forest succession and ecosystem restoration. This study used time-series NDVI data from Landsat imagery and fieldwork investigations to monitor vegetation growth and stand age structures of P. euphratica forests in Xinjiang and explore the driving factors of these changes. The result showed that the P. euphratica forests in Xinjiang had experienced vegetation recovery over the last 30 years, with 61 % showing significant recovery and 9 % showing slight recovery. Due to higher precipitation, the vegetation growth rates in northern Xinjiang are more significant than those in southern Xinjiang. However, the increasing vegetation growth of the P. euphratica forests is primarily due to the flourishing of undergrowth vegetation rather than the P. euphratica trees. The P. euphratica forests in northern Xinjiang have ageing population structures, posing challenges for natural forest regeneration. On the other hand, in southern Xinjiang, the P. euphratica forests in flood inundation areas due to the Ecological Water Transfer Project (EWTP) have more significant growth rates and appropriate age structures. The growth rates of these forests were positively correlated with the annual water transfer accumulation but negatively correlated with the distance from the river channels. Therefore, flood inundation is crucial for forest restoration and regeneration. More artificial water supplement measures, such as expanding ecological water transfer areas and increasing water canal densities, will be considered for the ecological restoration of the P. euphratica forests.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000159Populus euphratica forestXinjiangGrowth rateClimate changeHuman activities |
| spellingShingle | Xuefei Guo Junli Li Jiudan Zhang Chunxia Wei Zhijun Li Vegetation growth improvement Inadequately represents the ecological restoration of the Populus euphratica forests in Xinjiang, China Ecological Indicators Populus euphratica forest Xinjiang Growth rate Climate change Human activities |
| title | Vegetation growth improvement Inadequately represents the ecological restoration of the Populus euphratica forests in Xinjiang, China |
| title_full | Vegetation growth improvement Inadequately represents the ecological restoration of the Populus euphratica forests in Xinjiang, China |
| title_fullStr | Vegetation growth improvement Inadequately represents the ecological restoration of the Populus euphratica forests in Xinjiang, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Vegetation growth improvement Inadequately represents the ecological restoration of the Populus euphratica forests in Xinjiang, China |
| title_short | Vegetation growth improvement Inadequately represents the ecological restoration of the Populus euphratica forests in Xinjiang, China |
| title_sort | vegetation growth improvement inadequately represents the ecological restoration of the populus euphratica forests in xinjiang china |
| topic | Populus euphratica forest Xinjiang Growth rate Climate change Human activities |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X25000159 |
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