Precipitation changes alter plant dominant species and functional groups by changing soil salinity in a coastal salt marsh

Jia Song; Zhenghao Liang; Xinge Li; Xiaojie Wang; Xiaojing Chu; Mingliang Zhao; Xiaoshuai Zhang; Peiguang Li; Weimin Song; Wanxin Huang; Guangxuan Han

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122235

Precipitation changes alter plant dominant species and functional groups by changing soil salinity in a coastal salt marsh

J Environ Manage. 2024 Sep:368:122235. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122235. Epub 2024 Aug 18.

Authors

Jia Song¹, Zhenghao Liang², Xinge Li³, Xiaojie Wang⁴, Xiaojing Chu⁵, Mingliang Zhao⁶, Xiaoshuai Zhang⁷, Peiguang Li⁸, Weimin Song⁹, Wanxin Huang¹⁰, Guangxuan Han¹¹

Affiliations

¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
² CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Key Laboratory of Eco-environments in Three Gorges Reservoir Region (Ministry of Education), College of Resources and Environment, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; The College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng, 475000, Henan, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁶ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁷ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁸ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁹ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹⁰ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
¹¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China; Yellow River Delta Field Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dongying, 257500, Shandong, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, PR China; Shandong Key Laboratory of Coastal Environmental Processes, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39159574
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.122235

Abstract

Specific mechanisms of precipitation change due to global climate variability on plant communities in coastal salt marsh ecosystems remain unknown. Hence, a field manipulative precipitation experiment was established in 2014 and 5 years of field surveys of vegetation from 2017 to 2021 to explore the effects of precipitation changes on plant community composition. The results showed that changes in plant community composition were driven by dominant species, and that the dominance of key species changed significantly with precipitation gradient and time, and that these changes ultimately altered plant community traits (i.e., community density, height, and species richness). Community height increased but community density decreased with more precipitation averaged five years. Furthermore, changes in precipitation altered dominant species composition and functional groups mainly by influencing soil salinity. Salinity stress caused by decreased precipitation shifted species composition from a dominance of taller perennials and grasses to dwarf annuals and forbs, while the species richness decreased. Conversely, soil desalination caused by increased precipitation increased species richness, especially increasing in the dominance of grasses and perennials. Specifically, Apocynaceae became dominance from rare while Amaranthaceae decreased in response to increased precipitation, but Poaceae was always in a position of dominance. Meanwhile, the dominance of grasses and perennials has the cumulative effect of years and their proportion increased under the increased 60% of ambient precipitation throughout the years. However, the annual forb Suaeda glauca was gradually losing its dominance or even becoming extinct over years. Our study highlights that the differences in plant salinity tolerance are key to the effects of precipitation changes on plant communities in coastal salt marsh. These findings aim to provide a theoretical basis for predicting vegetation dynamics and developing ecological management strategies to adapt to future precipitation changes.

Keywords: Coastal salt marsh; Functional group; Plant community composition; Plant dominant species; Precipitation changes; Soil salinity.

MeSH terms

Biodiversity
Ecosystem
Plants
Poaceae / growth & development
Rain
Salinity*
Soil* / chemistry
Wetlands*

Substances

Soil