Background and aims

We assessed biomass variability and uptake of major and trace elements in different plant families of steppe landscapes under conditions of the geochemical properties of soils and the climatic parameters variability. The data obtained will contribute to a better understanding of the geochemical function of plants in steppes, which is crucial for predicting the response of landscapes to climate change.

Methods

Plant and soil samples were taken in different types of dry steppes (southeast of Russia) along a climatic gradient. In the obtained samples, the contents of Ca, K, Al, S, Mg, P, Cl, Fe, Ti, Zn, Mn, Cr, Sr, Ba and Rb were determined. Soil grain size, pH, carbonates (CaCO₃) and soil organic carbon (SOC) were determined.

Results

Increased mean annual precipitation and decreased temperatures contributed to the predominance of graminoid species, thus facilitating the accumulation of the studied major and trace elements in the upper soil horizons. Climate desiccation promoted the growth of wormwood and goosefoot in the ground cover, increased the alkalisation of the upper soil horizons and contributed to the accumulation of Ca, K, P, S and Cl by these plants. The contribution of plants to the total contents of Rb, Ti, Fe, Ca, P, Mg and S in the soil was higher in arid landscapes, where the ground cover was dominated by Asteraceae and Amaranthaceae, which may promote the accumulation of those elements in the upper soil horizons under the increasing trend of desiccation.

Conclusions

Our data confirm that the biodiversity of steppe vegetation, that is mainly determined bythe ratio of heat and moisture, affects the chemical properties of soils. This should be taken into account when assessing the environmental effects of further climate warming, given that desiccation will cause an increase in the contents of Ca, K, P, S and Cl in plants and soils.

中文翻译：

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不同气候条件下草原景观植物在表土化学成分形成中的作用

背景和目标

我们评估了在土壤地球化学特性和气候参数变化条件下草原景观不同植物科的生物量变化和主要和微量元素的吸收。获得的数据将有助于更好地了解草原植物的地球化学功能，这对于预测景观对气候变化的响应至关重要。

方法

沿着气候梯度在不同类型的干燥草原（俄罗斯东南部）采集植物和土壤样本。在得到的样品中，测定了Ca、K、Al、S、Mg、P、Cl、Fe、Ti、Zn、Mn、Cr、Sr、Ba和Rb的含量。测定土壤粒度、pH、碳酸盐（CaCO ₃）和土壤有机碳（SOC）。

结果

年平均降水量的增加和温度的降低促成了禾本科物种的优势，从而促进了所研究的主要和微量元素在上层土壤中的积累。气候干燥促进了艾草和鹅掌在地被植物中的生长，增加了上层土壤的碱化程度，并促进了这些植物对 Ca、K、P、S 和 Cl 的积累。植物对土壤中Rb、Ti、Fe、Ca、P、Mg和S总含量的贡献在干旱景观中较高，地被植物以菊科和苋科为主，可能促进了这些元素的积累在上层土层干燥度增加的趋势下。

结论

我们的数据证实，主要由热湿比决定的草原植被生物多样性影响土壤的化学性质。在评估进一步气候变暖的环境影响时应考虑到这一点，因为干燥会导致植物和土壤中 Ca、K、P、S 和 Cl 的含量增加。