naa a22 4500 51073720X CHVBK 20180411083015.0 cr unu---uuuuu 180411e20130101xx s 000 0 eng 10.1007/s11284-012-0982-0 doi (NATIONALLICENCE)springer-10.1007/s11284-012-0982-0 Changes in soil macrofaunal community composition under selective afforestation in shifting sand lands in Horqin of Inner Mongolia, northern China [Elektronische Daten] [Ren Liu, Ha Zhao, Xue Zhao] Large-scale afforestation programs have had some beneficial effects on reducing severity of dust storms and controlling desertification in arid and semi-arid regions. However, the influences of selective afforestation on soil arthropod community are largely unknown in desertified ecosystems. Soil macrofaunal communities, soil physico-chemical properties, and herb vegetation were investigated in afforested shrublands and woodlands (both approximately 30years old post-afforestation), which were compared to shifting sand lands in Horqin, northern China. In the shrublands, environmental parameters (soil and vegetation properties) indicated a significant improvement of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and herbaceous density and cover, in comparison to the woodlands and shifting sand lands. The improved shrubland habitat maintained significantly higher soil macrofaunal abundance and group richness together with higher diversity compared with the woodlands and shifting sand lands. There were no significant differences in soil macrofaunal diversity between the woodlands and shifting sand lands. The results suggest that shrubs can facilitate macrofaunal assemblies and improve soil and vegetation properties when planted in shifting sand lands. Shrub afforestation is beneficial for the restoration of shifting sand lands, and is recommended for management of artificial plantations in these sandy ecosystems. The Ecological Society of Japan, 2012 Selective afforestation nationallicence Soil arthropod nationallicence Community structure nationallicence Horqin sand land nationallicence Liu Ren Key Laboratory for Restoration and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Northwestern China of Ministry of Education, Ningxia University, 489 Helanshan West Road, 750021, Yinchuan, China aut Zhao Ha Naiman Desertification Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 260 Donggang West Road, 730000, Lanzhou, China aut Zhao Xue Naiman Desertification Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 260 Donggang West Road, 730000, Lanzhou, China aut Ecological Research Springer Japan 28/1(2013-01-01), 1-8 0912-3814 28:1<1 2013 28 11284 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-0982-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI 1 research-article jats NATIONALLICENCE 856 40 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-012-0982-0 text/html Onlinezugriff via DOI NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Liu Ren Key Laboratory for Restoration and Reconstruction of Degraded Ecosystem in Northwestern China of Ministry of Education, Ningxia University, 489 Helanshan West Road, 750021, Yinchuan, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Zhao Ha Naiman Desertification Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 260 Donggang West Road, 730000, Lanzhou, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 700 1- Zhao Xue Naiman Desertification Research Station, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 260 Donggang West Road, 730000, Lanzhou, China aut NATIONALLICENCE 773 0- Ecological Research Springer Japan 28/1(2013-01-01), 1-8 0912-3814 28:1<1 2013 28 11284 Metadata rights reserved Springer special CC-BY-NC licence nationallicence BK010053 XK010053 XK010000 NATIONALLICENCE NATIONALLICENCE NL-springer