The Relationship Between the Community Landscape Characteristics and Soil Properties in the Liangucheng National Nature Reserve in Minqin, Gansu

The Gansu Minqin Liangucheng Nature Reserve is China’s most significant desert nature reserve. This paper employed the landscape pattern index method to analyze the natural vegetation community patterns from three perspectives, namely, fundamental community indicators, landscape fragmentation, and diversity. It also evaluated the reserve’s ecological vulnerability. It divided the study area and discussed the relationship between community landscape characteristics and the physical and chemical soil properties. The results indicated the following: There were 13 vegetation patch types in the reserve, and the vegetation area was approximately 6.5 ha, or 16.33% of the reserve area. N. sanctorum, Maotiao, and Facai communities had the highest number of patches and higher edge density. The Nitraria thorn community occupied the largest area, approximately 1.8 ha, with relatively scattered patches. The COHESION and AI of the vegetation communities in the reserve are high. The LSI of the Ephedra community was the smallest at 1.2076. The shape of the Ephedra patches was relatively stable, primarily in the form of large patches with regular shape. The landscape fragmentation was low, giant and super large patches occupied the greatest area. The Shannon uniformity index of the reserve was low (0.2962), and the Shannon diversity index was high (0.7818), which indicated the distribution of patches in the landscape was uneven, with high landscape abundance and diversity. LSI, PR, and PD indices are all significantly and negatively correlated with PH. Both PR and PD indices were significantly positively correlated with total nitrogen and available phosphorus. COHESION and moisture content were significantly inversely correlated.