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© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Studying the variation characteristics of species diversity and soil properties across different forest types, as well as their interrelationships, enhances our understanding of the differences in forest growth and development within the Pisha sandstone area. In this study, we sampled and analyzed plant diversity along with physical and chemical soil factors from four distinct forest types in the Pisha sandstone region of Inner Mongolia. Our objective was to explore the characteristics of species diversity and soil properties associated with these forest types and to elucidate the relationship between them. The results showed that the order of soil moisture, nutrients, and species diversity in the four forest types was PT > AA > CK > PA.PT; this was significantly higher than other forest types. AA played an important role in the conservation of soil moisture and nutrients under the forest, and the soil nutrient level of PA was significantly lower. Using correlation analysis, we determined that soil properties were the key factors affecting the understory species diversity of different forest types, and SWC, SOM, and AN were the dominant factors in the relationship between the two. Using PCA, it was found that PT and AA had good ecological benefits of soil and water conservation. Our findings indicate that soil nutrient content and moisture levels are critical factors limiting plant species diversity in the Pisha sandstone area. Furthermore, PT and AA demonstrate a beneficial effect on ecological restoration efforts within this region. This study offers a theoretical foundation for managing the process of forest ecological restoration in the Pisha sandstone area.

Details

Title
Study on Plant Diversity and Soil Properties of Different Forest Types in Pisha Sandstone Area and Their Correlation
Author
Fan, Dong 1 ; Yang, Zhenqi 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Guo, Jianying 1 ; Qin, Fucang 2 ; He, Huifang 1 ; Han, Weijie 1 

 College of Desert Control Science And Engineering, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China; [email protected] (D.F.); ; Yinshanbeilu Grassland Eco-Hydrology National Observation and Research Station, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing 100038, China 
 Inner Mongolia Academy of Forestry Sciences, Hohhot 010020, China 
First page
211
Publication year
2025
Publication date
2025
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
19994907
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
3170976290
Copyright
© 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.