Abstract. Although patterns between plant diversity and ecosystem productivity have been much studied, a consistent relationship has not yet emerged. Several different patterns have been observed both naturally and experimentally, likely caused by spatial variability of environmental factors and vegetation composition. In this study, we measured the vegetation cover, plant diversity, productivity, soil properties and site characteristics along an environment gradient of natural sandy grasslands (mobile dune, semi-fixed dune, fixed dune, dry meadow, wet meadow and flood plain grassland) in a semiarid area of Northern China. We used multivariate analysis to examine the relationships between environment factors, vegetation composition, plant diversity and productivity. We found a positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity. Vegetation composition had also a significantly positive correlation with plant diversity and productivity. Environment gradients in relation to soil properties and topography features affected the distribution patterns of species diversity, vegetation composition and productivity. However, environment gradients are a better determiner for vegetation composition and productivity than for species diversity. The analysis from optimization model of structural equation suggests that environmental factors determine vegetation composition, which in turn drives independently both plant diversity and productivity. Thus the positive correlation between plant diversity and productivity is not direct, but indirectly driven by the spatial pattern of vegetation composition determined by environment gradients in soil and topography.
Vegetation composition, structure and soil properties across coastal forest–barren ecotones
