Different Causal Factors Occur between Land Use/Cover and Vegetation Classification Systems but Not between Vegetation Classification Levels in the Highly Disturbed Jing-Jin-Ji Region of China

Sangui Yi, Jihua Zhou, Liming Lai, Qinglin Sun, Xin Liu, Benben Liu, Jiaojiao Guo and Yuanrun Zheng
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Sangui Yi: Key Laboratory of Resource Plants, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Jihua Zhou: Key Laboratory of Resource Plants, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Liming Lai: Key Laboratory of Resource Plants, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Qinglin Sun: Key Laboratory of Resource Plants, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Xin Liu: Key Laboratory of Resource Plants, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Benben Liu: Key Laboratory of Resource Plants, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Jiaojiao Guo: Key Laboratory of Resource Plants, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
Yuanrun Zheng: Key Laboratory of Resource Plants, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-23

Abstract: Land use/cover and vegetation patterns are influenced by many ecological factors. However, the effect of various factors on different classification systems and different levels of the same system is unclear. We conducted a redundancy analysis with 10 landscape metrics and ecological factors in four periods (1986–2005/2007, 1991–2005/2007, 1996–2005/2007, 2001–2005/2007) to explore their effects on the land use/cover system, vegetation group and vegetation type, and formation and subformation levels of the vegetation classification system in the Jing-Jin-Ji region. Soil, temperature and precipitation from 1986–2005, 1991–2005, and 2001–2005 were the important causal factors, and anthropogenic disturbance and atmospheric factors in 1996–2005 were causal factors at the land use/cover level. The total explained variance from 1996–2005 and 2001–2005 was higher than that from 1986–2005 and 1991–2005 at the land use/cover level. Causal factors and the variance explained by causal factors at the vegetation group, vegetation type, and formation and subformation levels were similar but different in the land use/cover system. Geography, soil and anthropogenic disturbance were the most important causal factors at the three vegetation levels, and the total explained variance from 2001–2007 was higher than that from 1986–2007, 1991–2007, and 1996–2007 at the three vegetation levels. In environmental research, natural resource management and urban or rural planning, geographic factors should be considered at the vegetation group, vegetation type and formation and subformation levels while atmospheric and temperature factors should be considered at the land use/cover level.

Keywords: pattern of vegetation and land use/cover; landscape metrics; ecological factors; redundant analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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