Shrub patch configuration in relation to precipitation and soil properties in Northwest China

Abstract

Abstract Shrub patch configuration is a long‐term evolutionary response to several environmental drivers and an equilibrium state in species competition. However, the variance in configuration along the precipitation gradient and its association with climate, soil, and adjacent vegetation remains unclear. Our study aimed to assess the variation of shrub patch configuration along a climatic gradient and the factors that affect shrub patch configuration, on the Inner Mongolia Plateau of Northwest China. Results showed that climate, soil, and vegetation contributed to 72.9% of the variance in shrub patch configuration. Interestingly, interspace/shrub radius ratio showed a decreasing trend with increasing precipitation transect. Patch size was positively correlated with aboveground biomass of interspace grass. Shrubs generally aggregated in high patches with low density on coarse soil texture, and vice versa. Moreover, shrub patches tended to occupy a larger percentage of landscape with increasing rainfall. To our knowledge, our study provides the first quantification of the effects of climate, soil, and vegetation on shrub patch configuration along a precipitation gradient in Northwest China and may contribute to a better understanding of the structure and functions of shrub ecosystems with a broader ecological application in arid and semiarid regions.