Abstract:

Species diversity of plant community in the sands of four different succession phases, which were the shifting sand, semi-fixed sand, transition zone between shifting sand and fixed sand and fixed sand, at southern edge of Mu Us Sandland, were investigated by the method of space for time. The result showed that species diversity of plant community in sands of the different succession phases was increasing trend. The plants of Leguminosae and Chenopodiaceae, as dominant plant species in the shifting sand, demonstrated a strong ability for adaption. Gramineae and Compositae by the shifting sand to the fixed sandy land, the species of which changed greatly, that indicated they were playing a great role in the recovery of the sands. Asclepiadaceae plants could serve as a indicative plants to distinguish between the types of shifting sand and other sand; Portulacaceae and Bibgnoniaceae plants, which appeared only in the fixed sandy land, has become a landmark to determine the fixed sand plants. In addition to artificially plant Caragana spp. and Artemisia spp. in the recovery process of sands, the dominant species was Agriophyllum squarrosun in the shifting sand, in the semi-fixed sands was Agrophron desertorum, semi-fixed sandy land and fixed sandy transition zone was Cynanchum komarovii and Cynancgum thesioides, and fixed sandy land was Hedysarum scoparium and Cynancgum thesioides. Therefore, in desertification control, should choose a different plant species based on different types of sandy.