Synergistic Evolution of Soil and Vegetation in Reclamation Areas with Different Developmental Years on Hengsha Island

Xiaoxiao Li, Yue Zhang, Dong Liu, Xianqing Zheng, Muhammad Khalid, Weiguang Lv () and Ke Song ()
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Xiaoxiao Li: Eco-Environment Protection Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China
Yue Zhang: Eco-Environment Protection Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China
Dong Liu: School of Ecological Technology and Engineering, Shanghai Institute of Technology, Shanghai 201418, China
Xianqing Zheng: Eco-Environment Protection Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China
Muhammad Khalid: College of Science and Technology, Wenzhou-Kean University, Wenzhou 325060, China
Weiguang Lv: Key Laboratory of Low-Carbon Green Agriculture in Southeastern China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Shanghai 201403, China
Ke Song: Eco-Environment Protection Research Institute, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai 201403, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-19

Abstract: Coastal reclamation reshapes both soils and vegetation, yet their coupled trajectories remain poorly understood. Here we investigated soil–vegetation co-evolution across a 15-year chronosequence on Hengsha Island in the Yangtze River estuary. The reclaimed soils were formed primarily from dredged estuarine silt and clay slurry deposited during hydraulic filling. Four representative sites were studied, spanning 3 (Y3), 7 (Y7), 10 (Y10), and 15 (Y15) years since reclamation. Soil physicochemical properties (pH, electrical conductivity, salinity, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) were measured, while vegetation cover was quantified using NDVI and fractional vegetation cover (FVC) derived from satellite data. Soil conditions improved markedly with reclamation age: pH, conductivity, and salinity declined, whereas nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium accumulated significantly ( p < 0.001). Vegetation shifted from salt-tolerant pioneers (e.g., Suaeda salsa , Phragmites australis ) to mixed communities and cultivated rice fields ( Oryza sativa ), reflecting progressive improvements in soil quality. Vegetation cover increased in parallel, with NDVI rising from 0.12 ± 0.05 (Y3) to 0.35 ± 0.09 (Y15), reflecting a shift from salt-tolerant pioneers to structurally complex communities. Mantel tests revealed strong positive associations of NDVI with organic matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus, and negative associations with pH, conductivity, and salinity. Structural equation modeling identified organic matter and nitrogen enrichment, along with declining pH and dissolved salts, as dominant drivers of vegetation recovery. These results highlight a co-evolutionary process in which soil improvement and vegetation succession reinforce one another, offering insights for ecological restoration and sustainable management in coastal reclamation landscapes.

Keywords: tidal flat reclamation; soil development; soil physicochemical properties; vegetation coverage; ecological restoration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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