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Purpose: Soil degradation through salinization and alkalinization is one of the most widespread abiotic stresses threatening the health and functions of wetlands in the world. However, the relationship of this degradation to vegetation change in salt-affected inland wetlands is not well understood. Methods: We studied the structure, density, and richness of aboveground vegetation, and soil physicochemical properties in Carex and Phragmites-dominated wetlands along a soil saline-alkalinization gradient in the Songnen Plain, China. We also compared the seed bank responses of Carex- and Phragmites-dominated communities to saline-alkaline stress in a greenhouse study. Results: Following a structural equation model (SEM), the soil salinity and alkalinity were related to a decrease in the density and richness of aboveground vegetation. These environments indirectly affected the aboveground vegetation by reducing soil nutrients as well as the species richness and seed density of soil seed banks. Greenhouse experiments found that soil seed banks of Carex communities were more sensitive to saline-alkaline stress than Phragmites communities, especially the sedge species. SEM linked pathways of soil degradation, seed bank change, and plant diversity decline. Conclusions: Our study indicates that soil salinity and alkalinity, as a critical environmental filter, could drive the decline of native freshwater species, especially for certain keystone sedge species, in salt-affected wetlands. Limiting agricultural development and restoring flood pulses across landscapes is necessary to alleviate soil salinization, deliver seeds and maintain the region's freshwater vegetation in salt-affected inland wetlands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interface is the weakest region of the coal-backfilling composite structure (CBCS) for underground mines, the sawtooth angles of which is one of the most critical concerns to be accounted. However, limited studies have focused on the deformation and failure behaviours of CBCS with different interface sawtooth angles under double shearing. To investigate the effect of interface sawtooth angles on the damage characteristics of CBCS under double shearing, CBCS with different interface sawtooth angles (i.e., 0°, 15°, 30°, 45°, 60°) were prepared and double shearing tests were carried out in the present research. Macroscopic failure characteristics (i.e., failure mode, failure process, and shear strength) of the CBCS were experimentally investigated via the digital image correlation (DIC), acoustic emission (AE), and 3D scanner system, whereas microscopic feature of which, including the contact force–microcrack evolution, and displacement vector of CBCS were numerical simulated by the discrete element modelling (DEM) method. The results showed that the failure modes of the CBCS can be classified into three types (e.g., climbing failure, cutting failure, and sliding failure). Among them, the climbing failure was only occurred when the loads on the sawtooth surfaces exceeded its shear strength, while the cutting failure occurred if the load on the sawtooth end of the coal element or backfilling element exceeded its shear strength. The sliding failure occurred, because the load applied to the interface exceeded the shear strength of the specimen interface. Moreover, the peak shear stress, the degree of strain concentration, and the extent of the strain concentration zone of the CBCS increased with the enlarged sawtooth angle. The research outcomes will contribute to obtain an in-depth understanding about the mechanical response of the coal-backfill composites under double shear loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]