Shrinkage and fragmentation of grasslands in the West Songnen Plain,China |
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| Authors: | Zongming Wang Kaishan Song Bai Zhang Dianwei Liu Chunying Ren Ling Luo Ting Yang Ni Huang Liangjun Hu Haijun Yang Zhiming Liu |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Northeast Institute of Geography and Agricultural Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin Province 130012, China;2. Northeast Normal University, Changchun, Jilin Province 130024, China;1. School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, United Kingdom;2. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Schlossplatz 1, Laxenburg A-2361, Austria;1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China;2. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling 712100, Shaanxi, PR China;1. Department of Land, Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, University of Padova, Viale dell’Università 16, I-35020 Legnaro, Padova, Italy;2. Department of Botany, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlate stoce 1, CZ-370 05 ?eské Budějovice, Czech Republic;3. Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences, CZ-370 05 ?eské Budějovice, Czech Republic;4. Institute of Botany, Biology Centre of Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, CZ-379 82 Trebon, Czech Republic;1. Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, A11, Datun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China;2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;3. Key Laboratory of Restoration Ecology of Cold Area in Qinghai Province, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 59 Xiguan Dajie, Xining 810008, China;4. CAS Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 59 Xiguan Dajie, Xining 810008, China;1. College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, 712100, PR China;2. School of Economics, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, PR China |
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| Abstract: | In the past century, especially the past five decades, the grasslands of the West Songnen Plain, Northeast China, were rapidly converted into croplands and salinized wasteland, and experienced a fragmentation process that is still ongoing. Almost no information is available on the spatial-temporal changes of grasslands in this area. In this study, grassland cover change, agricultural reclamation and salinized wasteland expansion were investigated during the past five decades. Grassland fragmentation was studied based on four landscape metrics. The grassland cover change was detected from a time series of topographic maps from 1954, satellite images of Landsat TM in 1986, 1995, and 2000 using remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). In addition, the land use changes were analyzed using a transition matrix of land use types, while the driving forces were explored according to climatic changes and socioeconomic developments. The results indicated a significant decrease in grassland area. Of the 1 418 945 ha of native grassland in 1954, approximately 64% was removed by 2000, while the number of patches (NP) increased from 865 to 2035 and the mean patch size (MPS) decreased from 1640 ha to 252 ha. During the whole study period, the average annual decrease rate of grassland was 34 894 ha/year. Cropland and salinized wasteland were the two main land use types into which grassland converted. During the past decades, obvious climatic changes occurred, which supplied a favorable potential environment for agricultural development but damaged grassland productivity. On the other hand, population, GDP and livestock number increased significantly as grassland quality decreased. According to the results, the shrinkage and fragmentation of grasslands may well be explained by socioeconomic development and aided by changing climatic conditions. |
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