Effects of Different Ecological Restoration Measures on Reconstruction of Slope Vegetation in Southeastern Xizang Autonomous Region

Abstract

[Objective] The effects of environmental factors on the plant community of a slope during ecological restoration objective of Pai-Mo Highway in Qinghai-Xizang Plateau were analyzed in order to provide theoretical basis for ecological restoration plan of disturbed area in Southeast Xizang. [Methods] We studied an area of the newly constructed Pai-Mo Highway in Southeastern Xizang. We determined the relationships between community cover, species diversity indexes (Shannon-Wiener index, Simpson diversity index, Margalef richness index, Pielou evenness index), community weighted trait values (specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf nitrogen content, and leaf phosphorus content), and environmental variables (elevation, restoration measures) based on an investigation of the plant community of an ecological restoration area along a slope. [Results] ① Elevation significantly influenced the Margalef richness index and leaf dry matter content (p<0.05); ② High-intensity measures significantly increased community cover, specific leaf area, and leaf nitrogen content (p<0.05), but significantly decreased leaf phosphorus content (p<0.05); ③ the SJP technique with high human intervention could significantly increase the leaf dry matter content of high-elevation plants and showed an overall greater efficacy. [Conclusion] The primary determinants of the regeneration of plant communities on slopes along the Pai-Mo Highway are elevation and restoration measures. The difficulty associated with natural vegetation restoration increases as elevation increases, and artificial restoration measures need to be intensified to prevent ecological degradation in alpine regions.

Keywords

• ecological restoration
• revegetation
• elevation
• species diversity
• community weighted traits