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Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology ›› 2022, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (7): 1878-1884.doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.202207.005

• Special Features of biological soil crusts • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Representative landscape indices of biological soil crusts distribution in the hilly Loess Plateau of China

JI Jing-yi1,2,4, ZHAO Yun-ge1,2,3*, ZHANG Wan-tao3, GU Kang-min5   

  1. 1State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, the Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation and Ecological Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Education, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China;
    2Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China;
    3Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A＆F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China;
    4University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
    5College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A＆F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, China
  • Received:2021-11-10 Accepted:2022-04-24 Online:2022-07-15 Published:2023-01-15

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Abstract: Landscape indices can quantitatively describe the distribution characteristics of biological soil crusts (biocrusts). However, there are too many landscape indices, with high redundancy. We investigated 58 plots of biocrusts with different distribution patterns in the Hegou watershed of Wuqi County, Shaanxi Province, located in the hilly Loess Plateau. First, we calculated 15 common landscape indices, and selected representative landscape indices that could describe the biocrust landscape pattern and had specific ecological significance, based on correlation analysis, factor analysis, and sensitivity analysis. The reliability and rationality of the representative landscape indices were verified with data of the different biocrusts coverage in the Yingwoshanjian watershed of Yangjing Town, Dingbian County, Shaanxi Province. The results showed that 10 of the 15 landscape indices had significant correlations. Total edge (TE) and edge density (ED) were not significantly correlated with number of patches (NP), patch density (PD), clumpiness (CLUMPY), and interspersion juxtaposition index (IJI), respectively. The percentage of landscape (PLAND), ED, patch cohesion index (COHESION), and splitting index (SPLIT) described the spatial distribution characteristics of biocrust from coverage, length, connectivity, and fragmentation, respectively. The cumulative contribution of the three common factors represented in describing the spatial distribution of biocrusts was 91.6%. The study identified the representative landscape indices that could quantify the complexity of biocrusts distribution and thus would provide a theoretical basis for studying the pattern evolution of biocrusts and their relationship with ecological processes.

Key words: biological soil crust, distribution characteristic, landscape pattern, sensitivity analysis, landscape index