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Depending on specific environmental conditions, Robinia pseudoacacia plantations can have a positive or negative impact on ecosystem function. Numerous studies have demonstrated that R. pseudoacacia plantations on the Loess Plateau has decreased the water levels in this area, increasing the risks of water resource security. Understanding the ecosystem function of the R. pseudoacacia plantations is thought to be critical to vegetation restoration in the Loess Plateau. However, no consensus exists on the mechanism by which afforestation affects moisture regulation under varying environmental conditions nor on how to manage R. pseudoacacia plantations to maintain the ecosystem function. In this study, we used the response–effect trait approach to examine the evolving relationship between community functional composition and water regulation by collecting community samples from R. pseudoacacia plantations and natural ecosystems across three vegetation zones (steppe, forest–steppe, and forest). Our goal was to clarify how the afforestation of R. pseudoacacia impacts functional composition and, consequently, moisture regulation. The findings indicated that R. pseudoacacia negatively impacts community structure and moisture regulation in the drier steppe and forest-steppe (P

Soil and water conservation measures (SWCM) have wide-ranging effects on vegetation and soil, and their effects on the ecosystem are multifaceted, with complex mechanisms. While numerous studies have focused on the impact of such measures on soil, the improvement of plant functional traits is a major factor in the ecological recovery of the Loess Plateau. This survey extensively investigated no measure plots, vegetation measure plots, and engineering measure plots in the Loess Plateau. The impact of SWCM on plant functional traits was investigated using structural equation modeling. We examined six plant functional traits—leaf dry weight (LD), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf tissue density (LTD), leaf total phosphorus (LTP), leaf total nitrogen (LTN), and leaf volume (LV)—correlated with resource acquisition and allocation. In 122 plots, we explored the effects of measures, soil, diversity, and community structure on the weighted average of plant functional traits. The findings showed substantial positive correlations between LD and SLA, LD and LV, SLA and LV, SLA and LTP, and LTP and LTN. LTD has a substantial negative correlation with LD, LTD with SLA, and LTD with LV. SWCM limits diversity, and the mechanisms by which it affects plant functional traits vary. In the structural equation model (SEM) of vegetation measures, improving community structure enhances plant functional traits, but soil factors have the greatest influence on plant functional traits in SEM engineering measures. Plant functional trait differences on the Loess Plateau result are due to differential plant responses to diverse soil properties and community structure. Vegetation measures enhance the chemical properties of plant functional traits, while engineering measures improve physical properties. The study provides a theoretical foundation for vegetation restoration and management following the implementation of diverse SWCM.