Improvement of Forest Ecosystem Functions in Karst Desertification Control

• Other Authors: Xiong, Kangning (Editor), Zhang, Mingsheng (Editor), Pu, Junbing (Editor)
• Format: Electronic Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute 2023
• Subjects: Research & information: general; Biology, life sciences; Ecological science, the Biosphere; structural trait; element trait; physiological trait; leaf; root; karst; ecosystem service supply; value accounting; eco-industry; karst desertification environment; farmland hydrological cycle; agroforestry; agronomic measures to water saving; planting combinations; investment strategy; plant adaptability; soil; response; biodiversity; ecosystem services; forests; karst desertification; plant functional traits; structure; landscape security pattern; sensitivity; landscape connectivity; Guanling County; Guizhou; ecological products; value realization; ecological industry; resilient landscape; rural planning; resilience assessment; karst rocky desertification control areas; karst forest; vegetation water use strategy; hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes; hydrologic niche separation; principal component analysis; redundancy analysis; karst rocky desertification area; species diversity; evaluation indicator systems; fuzzy integrated evaluation; karst spring; dissolved organic carbon/nitrogen; rocky desertification; terrestrial ecosystem; soil aggregate stability; soil nutrients; vegetation restoration; karst rocky desertification; forest; karst desertification control; loquat; intercropping peanut; N2O emission; Abies fanjingshanensis; microbial carbon use efficiency; physicochemical indices; bacteria; fungus; structural optimization; water and fertilizer regulation; functional improvement; forests ecosystem
• Online Access: DOAB: download the publication; DOAB: description of the publication

In the past 20 years, karst desertification control has produced remarkable results, and the South China karst has been a global hotspot for greening. However, in the new stage of karst desertification control, the functional lag of forest ecosystems and the insufficient supply capacity of ecosystem services are gradually becoming prominent. We not only lack systematic research on vulnerability and resilience, structure and stability, ecological assets and services, carrying capacity and ecological security, and service trade-offs/synergies and optimization in controlled ecosystems. There is still a lack of research on the ecological processes of newly constructed forests in improving ecosystem functions and services. Therefore, this reprint mainly focuses on the research improvement of forest ecosystem functions in karst desertification control. This includes the improvement mechanism of ecosystem structure, function, and services, the mechanism of ecosystem service tradeoff/synergy, and function optimization. An optimization model of ecosystem function and an improvement path for eco-product supply are introduced. The role of functional traits in the maintenance of ecological function and services is also established, and social-ecological responses to afforestation in karst desertification control are discussed.