简介：Sandydesertificationislanddegradationcharacterizedbywinderosionmainlyresultedfromtheexcessivehumanactivitiesinarid,semiaridandpartofsub-humidregionsinnorthernChina.Theresearchonsandydesertificationhasexperiencedmorethan5decadesofarduouscourseofthestrugglealongwiththeestablishmentanddevelopmentofChina′sdesertscience.Researchesinthisfieldhavemadeagreatcontributiontothenationaleconomicconstruction,andenvironmentalprotection.Thispaperfocusesonpresentingthemajorprogressandachievementsinthesandydesertificationresearchduringthelast50years,includingthestagesofstudyonsandydesertification,backgroundenvironmentofsandydesertificationanditschanges,theconception,causes,process,monitoringandassessmentofsandydesertification,thevegetationsuccession,landscapeecology,plantphysiology,impactsonecosystem,high-effectiveuseofwaterandlandresourcesandsustainabledevelopmentinsandydesertifiedregions,sandydesertificationcontrolmodelsandtechniquesetc.

简介：TheGurbantunggutDesertisthelargeststableandsemi-stablesanddesertinChina,yetfewdataexistonvegetationpatternandspecies-environmentrelationshipsforthesediversedesertlandscapes.Thesanddunesofthesurveyareaaremainlyofthelongitudinalformfromnorthtosouth,butcheckerboard-shapedandhoneycomb-shapedformsarealsopresent,withtheheightof10-50m.Wemeasuredvegetationandsoildataonnorth-southtransectsandcomparedthemwithvegetationandsoildataoneast-westtransects.Analysisrevealedthatthevaryingtrendandstrengthofthespeciesdiversity,dominanceandcoveroftheplantcommunitiesinthelongitudinalandtransversedirectionsacrossthelandscapearesignificantlydifferent.TheresultsofCCAordinationshowthatthemicro-habitatsofsoilorganicmatter(OM),soilsalts(TS),sortingindex(σ),topsoilwater-content(SM)andpHrelatetothedifferencesinvegetationobservedasdifferencesinspeciesassemblagefromsalt-intolerantephemerals,micro-subshrubsandsubshrubstosalt-tolerantshrubsandmicro-arbors.Theterrain(alt.)andsoiltexture(thecontentsofMzandφ1)affectthespatialdifferentiationofmanyspecies.However,thisspatialdifferentiationisnotsomarkedontransectsrunninglongitudinallywiththelandscape,inthesamedirectionasthedunes.Thespeciesofthedesertvegetationhaveformedthreeassemblagesundertheactionofhabitatgradients,relatingtothreesectionsrunningtransverselyacrossthelandscape,atrightanglestothedirectionofthedunecrests.Inthemid-eastsectionofthestudyareathetopographyishigher,withsand-landsordune-slopeswithcoarseparticles.HerethedominantvegetationcomprisesshrubsandsubshrubsofSeriphidiumsantoliumandEphedradistachya,withlargenumbersofephemeralandephemeroidplantsofSeneciosubdentatus,andCarexphysodesinspringandsummer.Onthesoilofthedune-slopesinthemidwestofthestudyarea,withcoarseparticlesandabundantTK,theplantassemblageofHaloxylonpersicu