Dept. Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA; Natural Environmental Systems and Technologies (NEST) Research Group, Ecolife Sciences Research and Consultation, Kuwait.
Natural Environmental Systems and Technologies (NEST) Research Group, Ecolife Sciences Research and Consultation, Kuwait.
J Environ Manage. 2021 Jun 15;288:112416. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112416. Epub 2021 Apr 7.
This study focused on evaluating factors influencing the growth of perennial shrubs by integrating field-based experiments and spatial analysis using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to identify ecological indicators that can help detect potential locations for restoration and revegetation of native plants. The experiment was implemented in the Al-Abduli protected area in Kuwait, which is mainly dominated by a Rhanterium epapposum community (desert shrub). Aerial imagery of the study site was acquired using UAVs during the growing season to estimate the desert shrub biomass and carbon stock. Then, soil samples were collected based on vegetation density to determine the impact of the soil's physical and chemical properties on vegetation biomass, growth, and distribution. It was found that shrub biomass was significantly correlated with crown area and shrub volume. We also observed that annual plants support the growth of perennial shrubs, as the mean shrub height and crown area (CA) are significantly higher, with averages of 0.7 m and 3 cm, respectively, in the presence of high annual plant density. However, shrubs in plots with low annual density had an average shrub height of 0.5 m and CA of 1.4 cm. Annual plants also enhance the soil by providing approximately 50% higher soil moisture, phosphorous (P), organic matter (OM), and carbon dioxide (CO) sequestration. In addition, annual plants are mainly supported by loamy soils in the deeper soil layers. We concluded that locations covered with annual plants represent suitable soils and that this can be considered a biological indicator for convenient locations for restoration and revegetation of native perennial shrubs. Remote sensing technologies could be utilized for initial assessments to detect sites that may support annual plant growth over a large scale for classification as potential restoration and revegetation areas.
本研究通过整合基于实地的实验和使用无人机 (UAV) 的空间分析，重点评估了影响多年生灌木生长的因素，以确定有助于发现原生植物恢复和重新造林潜在地点的生态指标。该实验在科威特的 Al-Abduli 保护区进行，该保护区主要由 Rhanterium epapposum 群落（沙漠灌木）主导。在生长季节，使用无人机获取研究地点的航空图像，以估算沙漠灌木的生物量和碳储量。然后，根据植被密度采集土壤样本，以确定土壤物理和化学性质对植被生物量、生长和分布的影响。结果表明，灌木生物量与冠层面积和灌木体积呈显著正相关。我们还观察到，一年生植物支持多年生灌木的生长，因为在高一年生植物密度存在的情况下，平均灌木高度和冠层面积（CA）分别显著更高，分别为 0.7 m 和 3 cm。然而，在低一年生密度的样地中，灌木的平均高度为 0.5 m，CA 为 1.4 cm。一年生植物还通过提供约 50%更高的土壤水分、磷 (P)、有机质 (OM) 和二氧化碳 (CO) 封存来增强土壤。此外，一年生植物主要由深层土壤中的壤土支持。我们得出结论，覆盖一年生植物的位置代表了适宜的土壤，这可以被视为方便原生多年生灌木恢复和重新造林的生物指标。遥感技术可用于初步评估，以检测可能在大规模范围内支持一年生植物生长的地点，将其分类为潜在的恢复和重新造林区域。
