[Relationships between grazing-path and Berberis aggregate population characteristics in upper reaches of Minjiang River, Southwest China]. Liu Jin-Xin,Gong Yuan-Bo,Zheng Jiang-Kun,Zhang Xing-Hua,Jiang Guang-Zheng,Yue Yan-Jie,Zuo Qin,Liu Mu Ying yong sheng tai xue bao = The journal of applied ecology Taking the Berberis aggregate shrubs in the ecotone of dry valley and montane forests in upper reaches of Minjiang River as study objects, and by the methods of tracking grazing and field survey, this paper studied the characteristics of habitat utilization by livestock and the features of grazing-path. The major factors affecting the features of grazing-path were screened by redundancy analysis (RDA), and the relationships of the grazing-path features with the coverage, size class, and distribution pattern of the shrubs were analyzed. It was shown that the distribution pattern of the grazing-path could intuitively reflect the characteristics of the habitat utilization by livestock, being in accordance with the results of tracking grazing. The Morisita index at 5 m scale could objectively reflect the distribution type of the grazing-path. Sample plots 1, 2 and 6 presented a contagious distribution of grazing-path, while the other plots showed regular distribution. In slope scale, the coverage and height of the shrubs were the notable affecting factors, which had negative correlations with the grazing-path features. There was a significant negative correlation between the coverage of B. aggregate population and the area of grazing-path. The population structure of B. aggregate had a close correlation with the distribution of grazing-path. The ratio of the long axis to short axis of the shrubs was averagely 1.29, and the shape of the shrubs approached to round. It was considered that the grazing-path landscape and the livestock on the grazing-paths had the function of reconstructing the shape of the shrubs. The directionality of the population pattern of B. aggregate was generally in line with the distribution type of grazing-path, but actually, they were opposite in distribution. The patches of the shrubs were in aggregated or uniform distribution in the areas deviated from the grazing-path.

Restoration of soil multifunctional indicators requires more than thirty years in degraded shrubland of a semi-arid mountainous ecosystem. Journal of environmental management Vegetation degradation in natural environments leads to considerable fluctuations in soil function indicators, particularly in the sensitive and delicate habitats of semi-arid regions. In this study, the dynamic of both litter and soil properties was examined in northern Iran, in sites with Crataegus melanocarpa and Berberis integerrima dominance. The chosen sites have been degraded in 1993 due to exploitation for fuel production. Litter and soil (0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm depths) samples were collected in sites that have been degraded [i.e., 10-years post-degradation (2003), 20-years post-degradation (2013), and 30-years post-degradation (2023)]. A site not to exposed to degradation (year 2023) was also included as a control. In total, 48 litter samples (4 study sites × 12 samples) and 144 soil samples (4 study sites × 3 depths × 12 samples) were collected. Our findings showed a significant reduction of approximately 60-70% in the chemical characteristics of the litter, such as phosphorus (P) and magnesium (Mg) after 10-years post-degradation (2003) compared to the control site. Soil fertility indicators were also reduced 2-6 times as a result of habitat degradation. Aligned with this, the biota population in the 10-year post-degradation site showed a decrease of 70-90% with respect to the control. Moreover, the densities of fungi and bacteria decreased by approximately 30%-70% and 45-80% respectively compared to the 30-year post-degraded site. The peak activation of soil enzymes including urease, acid phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and invertase was found in the site that was not subjected to degradation, being 3.5, 5.8, 6.7 and 6.7- times higher in comparison to the 10-year post-degradation site. Overall, the results showed that in the non-degraded ecosystems, the input of plant-based organic matter was accompanied by an increase in soil fertility, organism population and soil function. This pinpoints the importance of protecting plant species in these areas, while in degraded areas planting native species adapted to the region's climate and fertilization could significantly contribute to restoring these areas. 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123140