Desert vegetation patterns at the northern foot of Tianshan Mountains: The role of soil conditions

Abstract Vegetation patterns along environmental gradients in the typical temperate desert from the northern slope of Tianshan Mountains to the southern edge of Dungaree Basin were quantitatively investigated. The results implied that the soil mechanical composition in the study area affects the vegetation distribution remarkably. With concern to the preference to fine grain, the order is Tamarix ramosissima community> Reaumuria soongorica community> Haloxylon ammodendron community. An opposite order exists for the preference to coarse grain. R. soongorica community has higher resistance to saline soil than H. ammodendron community, and occurs in habitats of higher salinity. T. ramosissima community does not show an obvious preference to salinity or water table depth, but a quite remarkable preference to a high soil moisture content.