Spatial Pattern and Vegetation Characteristics of Mountain Sand Cover in Western Inner Mongolia
Sand cover landscape is widely distributed in the mountainous areas of western Inner Mongolia,but there are relatively few researches on mountain sand cover,and the dynamics,characteristics,functions and spatial pattern of mountain sand cover are also not well understood.In this article,the spatial pattern,patch quantity and characteristics of plant communities in Wolf Mountain,Helan Mountain and Yabulai Mountain in western Inner Mongolia were investigated and analyzed by means of satellite remote sensing and field investigation.The results showed that the coverage ratios of mountain sand cover of Helan Mountain,Wolf Mountain and Yabulai Mountain were 4.68％,10.61％and 24.40％,respectively.The closer to the large desert,the greater the sand coverage ratio.There was continuity between most of the mountain sand cover and the upstream sand source region.The mountain sand cover was more distributed on hillsides and valleys near the upstream sand source.At a relatively far distance from the upstream source area,the mountain sand cover was concentrated in the valleys and accumulated in the relatively wide gullies,and only a small amount of mountain sand cover existed as leaping island on the top of mountain bedrocks.From the perspective of spatial connectivity,the mountains effectively obstructed the movement of sand to the southeast.However,in some areas,the sand of upstream region had been covered to valleys and hillsides,forming a special mountain sand cover landscape.In some other areas,the sand cover had been over the entire mountain,forming a link between two deserts.In addition,the spatial distribution of mountain sand cover was relatively stable on the interdecadal scale.From the perspective of climate and vegetation,mountain sand covers in Helan Mountain,the west side of Wolf Mountain and Yabulai Mountain were desert,the mountain sand cover in the east and middle areas of the Wolf Mountain was sandy land.The plant communities on mountain sand cover had double characteristics of sand cover plant communities and gravelly mountain slope plant communities,but they were more close to the types of sand cover plant communities.The results could provide theoretical basis for ecological protection,restoration,exploitation and disaster prevention in Helan Mountain,Wolf Mountain and Yabulai Mountain in western Inner Mongolia.
Western Inner MongoliaMountain Sand CoverSpatial PatternVegetation CharacteristicsEcological Value
万方数据
维普
