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Dominant Plant species and functional groups driving desert productivity changes in China and Egypt
Waqar Islam1,2,3,4, Bo Zhang1,2,3,4, Bingkun Yu1,2,3,4
1State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China.
Abstract:
Arid and semi-arid ecosystems in China and Egypt are increasingly threatened by climate change and human activities, making plant functional diversity critical for maintaining productivity and resilience. This review examines how dominant plant species and functional groups contribute to ecosystem functioning through traits such as photosynthetic pathways, water-use efficiency, nutrient acquisition, deep rooting, nitrogen fixation, and drought tolerance. Species including Haloxylon ammodendron, Acacia tortilis, and Zygophyllum spp. play key roles in sustaining ecosystem services under heat, salinity, and water scarcity. We highlight the contributions of C3, C4, and CAM plants to carbon cycling and ecosystem stability, and discuss climate-driven shifts toward drought-tolerant vegetation. The review also assesses the impacts of overgrazing, land-use change, and unsustainable management, and proposes trait-based restoration and climate-smart conservation strategies to enhance resilience and sustainable land management in arid regions.
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