{
  "abstract": "Reseeding is widely used to restore degraded grasslands, but the extent to which restoration outcomes depend on grass–legume species combinations remains unclear. We conducted a two-year field experiment in a degraded semi-arid grassland in Inner Mongolia, China, using two grasses (Elytrigia elongata and Bromus inermis) and two legumes (Caragana microphylla and Lespedeza davurica) reseeded as monocultures or grass–legume mixtures. Reseeding resulted in higher vegetation cover than the unseeded control across all treatments, whereas biomass responses depended on species combination, with B. inermis + L. davurica showing the highest mean biomass and cover in both years. Most reseeding treatments reduced Shannon–Wiener and Simpson diversity, whereas E. elongata + C. microphylla maintained both indices at levels comparable to the unseeded control. Legume-containing treatments consistently increased soil total N, ammonium nitrogen, nitrate N, and microbial biomass N, while available P and microbial biomass C increased across all reseeding treatments. Vegetation productivity was positively associated with soil nutrient availability and microbial biomass but negatively associated with plant diversity. Overall, reseeding promoted early vegetation and soil recovery, but grass–legume mixtures were not universally superior to monocultures. These findings suggest that B. inermis + L. davurica may be preferred for rapid vegetation recovery, whereas E. elongata + C. microphylla may be considered when maintaining plant diversity is a priority.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, , Beijing 100091, China; (Y.X.); (G.L.)",
    "Zhalute Banner Caoyuan Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd., Tongliao 029100, China;",
    "Zhalute Banner Lubei Town Comprehensive Support and Technology Extension Center, Tongliao 029100, China;",
    "College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, , Beijing 100193, China"
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "You Xu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Guang Liu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Tian-Sheng Fu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Gui-Hong Fu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jin-Xin Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Chui-Hua Kong"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1j6chxht66bb9.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.3390/plants15203228",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13708903/?tool=EBI",
  "id": "1j6chxht66bb9",
  "issns": [
    "2223-7747"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13708903",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "QK1-989"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2309|Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223107543",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13708903/pdf/?tool=EBI",
  "pmcid": "PMC13708903",
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": "MDPI AG",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1j6chxht66bb9.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:21:40Z",
      "native_id": "PMC:PMC13708903",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13708903"
    },
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-31T14:21:34Z",
      "native_id": "069d3fbc0d1f40249d2ae9550405f398",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.3390/plants15203228"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:2309|Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Species Combinations Shape Vegetation and Soil Nutrient Responses to Grass–Legume Reseeding in a Degraded Semi-Arid Grassland",
  "title_text": "Species Combinations Shape Vegetation and Soil Nutrient Responses to Grass–Legume Reseeding in a Degraded Semi-Arid Grassland",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-31T14:21:34Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/1j6chxht66bb9",
  "venue": "Plants (Basel, Switzerland)",
  "versions": []
}