Species Combinations Shape Vegetation and Soil Nutrient Responses to Grass–Legume Reseeding in a Degraded Semi-Arid Grassland
4 affiliations
- 1Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, , Beijing 100091, China; (Y.X.); (G.L.)
- 2Zhalute Banner Caoyuan Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd., Tongliao 029100, China;
- 3Zhalute Banner Lubei Town Comprehensive Support and Technology Extension Center, Tongliao 029100, China;
- 4College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, , Beijing 100193, China
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.
Related
- Comparing Vegetation Characteristics and Production Outcomes of Semi-Natural Permanent Grassland and Sown Ley: A Case Study in a Hemi-Boreal Region
- Soil Enzyme Activities and Microbial Nutrient Limitation Between Restored Vegetation and Primary Forest on the Loess Plateau
- Floral morphs of a heterostylous grassland herb differ in responses to grassland fragmentation and environmental pressures
- Reintroducing grazing reshapes grassland communities: Stronger responses in wet than dry habitats
- Small mammal responses to vegetation recovery on seismic lines in Alberta’s boreal forest
BibTeX
@article{xu2026species,
title = {{Species Combinations Shape Vegetation and Soil Nutrient Responses to Grass–Legume Reseeding in a Degraded Semi-Arid Grassland}},
author = {You Xu and Guang Liu and Tian-Sheng Fu and Gui-Hong Fu and Jin-Xin Zhang and Chui-Hua Kong},
journal = {Plants (Basel, Switzerland)},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/plants15203228},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13708903},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Species Combinations Shape Vegetation and Soil Nutrient Responses to Grass–Legume Reseeding in a Degraded Semi-Arid Grassland
AU - You Xu
AU - Guang Liu
AU - Tian-Sheng Fu
AU - Gui-Hong Fu
AU - Jin-Xin Zhang
AU - Chui-Hua Kong
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
DO - 10.3390/plants15203228
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13708903
AB - 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.
SN - 2223-7747
ER -