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Based on data from 22 sample plots and applying the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), this paper discusses the vegetation-environment relationships between the northern slope of Karlik Mountain and Naomaohu Basin, which is situated in the easternmost end of the Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. For the zonal vegetation, community diversity of mountain vegetation is higher than that of the desert vegetation due to environmental factors. The CCA ordination diagram revealed that the composition and distribution of vegetation types are mainly determined by altitude, soil pH and soil salt content. With increasing elevation, the soil pH and total salt content decrease but the contents of soil organic matter, soil water, total nitrogen and total phosphorus increase gradually. In the CCA ordination diagrams, the sample plots and main species can be divided into five types according to their adaptations to the environmental factors. Type I is composed of desert vegetation distributed on the low mountains, hills, plains and deserts below an elevation of 1900 m; type II is distributed in the mountain and desert ecotone with an elevation of 1900-2300 m, and includes steppe desert, desert steppe and wetland meadow; type III is very simply composed of only salinized meadow; type IV is distributed above an elevation of 2300 m, containing mountain steppe, meadow steppe, subalpine meadow and alpine meadow; type V only contains salinized meadow. The results show that with increasing elevation, species combination changes from the xerophytic shrubs, semi-shrubs and herbs distributed in the low altitude zone with arid climate to the cold-tolerant perennial herbs growing in the high altitudinal zone with cold climate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wetlands in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River are a rich area of biodiversity and natural resources in the inland arid region of China. However, this wetland area has decreased in size during the past several decades. Water quality and biodiversity has declined due to expanded agricultural activities since 1960s. Using remote sensing (RS), geographic information system (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS) techniques, we investigated the dynamics, spatial patterns and fragmentation of the wetlands in the middle and lower reaches of the Tarim River from 1980 to 2000. We found that the total area of the wetlands was reduced by 45.8% and the density of the patches increased four times from 1980 to 1990. From 1990 to 2000, though the total area of the wetlands slightly increased the number of the patches increased three times and the density of the patches doubled. Based on the analyses of transition matrixes, diversity and fragmentation indexes, and spatial distribution alternation of the wetlands, we found the landscape diversity and fragmentation indices increased while wetland dominance index decreased dramatically. Among the wetland types, the areas of the river-channel, reservoir and pond wetlands increased while the areas of the lake and marsh wetlands decreased continuously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present research, the authors measured parameters of richness, cover and importance value of ephemeral and ephemeroid plants on south-north and east-west transects in the Gurbantünggüt Desert in early spring, and investigated and analyzed the microhabitats, such as terrain, geomorphology, soil physical-chemical properties and crusts. By comparison, the regional differences in the ephemeral distribution in the desert were revealed. The species of ephemeral plants in the south and center are the richest and those in the west are the poorest in the desert. The cover of ephemeral plants in the mid-south is higher than that in the north, and that in the mid-east is higher than that in the west. The response of ephemeral plants to the spatial variation of the desert habitat forms the population-habitat gradient of ephemeral plants. The characteristics are: (1) In the habitat with higher terrain, coarser textured soil with poorer sorting and correspondingly higher organic matter and lower alkali-saline contents, Carex physoides and Eremopyrum orientale are the dominant ephemeral plants; (2) In the dry habitat with lower terrain, looser textured soil, some organic matter, alkali-saline soil, and developed crust, the ephemeral plants Alyssum linifolium and Erodium oxyrrhynchum are of characteristic of drought and alkali-saline tolerance; (3) In the habitat with lower terrain, some water and more alkali- saline soil, the ephemeral plants Neotorularia torulosa and Hypecoum parviflorum being of alkali-saline tolerance are mainly developed. However, most ephemerals are distributed in a habitat order of higher terrain, some organic, and less alkali-saline soil on the above-mentioned ephemeral population-habitat gradient. The spatial gradient of variation in desert microhabitats is small, and as a whole, the physiological character of mesophytism is represented by the desert ephemerals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aibi Lake in north Xinjiang is a typical lake of the arid area, but with a peculiar wetland-arid area ecosystem. Due to the climate becoming drier and the disturbance of human activities, the eco-environment of Aibi Lake catchment has degraded. It was found in our study that there were spatial-temporal changes of vegetation cover, plant species, and soil physical and chemical properties in the catchment. In the upper section of alluvial-fluvial plains, the desertified steppe of Stipa and Artemisia spp. is developed with vegetation cover of some 50%. Haloxylon ammodendron desert occupies the lower section with vegetation cover of some 60%. In these regions with an intensive human disturbance, vegetation has degraded into herb vegetation of annual plant complexes. On the margins of the alluvial-fluvial fans, the lakeshore, and the surrounding regions where the river mouths join the lake, different azonal vegetation-Phragmites communis marsh, Phragmites communis meadow, and Tamarix shrubs-have developed with a vegetation cover of some 80%. On heavier, salinized land, succulent halophyte desert vegetation dominated by Halocnemum strobilaceum has formed with a fractional canopy cover of 10-15%. Haloxylon persicum, Aristida pennata, and other species with a vegetation cover of 30-50% grow in the sand desert zone on the periphery in the lake. In contrast with the 1950s, the vegetation cover around the lakebed and at the river deltas has slightly increased; however, the vegetation cover around the periphery of the lake has decreased and the plant species have still degraded. The surface soils on the windward area and the dried lakebed that have lost vegetation protection have become coarser, whereas the land on the leeward side of the lake has accumulated fine particles. In contrast with the 1980s, soil organic matter has declined markedly. The analyses of climatic data show that the number of days of drifting dust in Jinghe County and Bole City increased in the last 20 years. In the investigation, we found that intensively developed land, the bare lakebed, and abandoned cultivated land provided a great deal of material for drifting dust. In conclusion, we consider the eco-environmental degradation resulting from the inappropriate human activities and put forward recommendations for land-use adjustment and dust control.