Relationships between lithology, topography, soil, and vegetation, and their implications for karst vegetation restoration

Excessive human disturbance in karst area has caused serious degradation of soil and vegetation. Understandings of the relationships between lithology, topography, soil, and vegetation are important for ecosystem restoration and management in karst areas. However, it is challenging to clarify the complex relationships and determine the key factors for practical purposes. By jointly applying several multivariate statistical techniques based on 53 field vegetation survey plots on two karst lithologies, this study aimed to reveal the relationships between lithology, topography, soil, and vegetation characteristics for karst landscapes. Results showed that vegetation types had a significant influence on vegetation height (VH), leaf area index (LAI), and soil organic carbon (SOC), while lithologies had a significant influence on LAI and soil water content (SWC). Moreover, the key factors influencing limestone vegetation restoration were elevation (ELE) and SOC, and the dominant factors controlling dolomite vegetation restoration were soil thickness (ST) and SOC. Therefore, ecosystem restoration and management in karst landscapes need to consider differences in lithologies.