Natural vegetation restoration on eroded slope land In the hill-gully Loess Plateau region, China: The role of soil seed bank and seedling bank

摘要

In the hill-gully Loess Plateau region, extensive soil erosion frequently occurs on sloped lands,threatening both ecosystems and social economics. Vegetation can improve the ecosystem and control soil erosion (Ti'scar ef al 2011). But on the eroded slope, overland flow and sediment transport can carry away seeds at the soil surface and those buried deep in the soil (Garcia-Fayos et al 2000). Additionally, the high erosion leads to soil impoverishment and a very short duration of abundant water availability, limiting seedling emergence and survival (Garcia-Fayos et al 2000). However, in this region, it remains unclear whether the distribution of the soil seed bank and the establishment of seedlings are threatened by serious soil erosion.