Impacts of wind erosion and seasonal changes on soil carbon dioxide emission in southwestern Iran

Wind erosion is one of the main drivers of soil loss in the world, which affects 20 million hectare land of Iran. Besides the soil loss, wind erosion contributes to carbon dioxide emission from the soil into the atmosphere. The objective of this study is to evaluate monthly and seasonal changes in carbon dioxide emission in four classes i.e., low, moderate, severe and very severe soil erosion and the interactions between air temperature and wind erosion in relation to carbon dioxide emission in the Bordekhun region, Boushehr Province, southwestern Iran. Wind erosion intensities were evaluated using IRIFR (Iran Research Institute of Forests and Ranges) model, in which four classes of soil erosion were identified. Afterward, we measured carbon dioxide emission on a monthly basis and for a period of one year using alkali traps in each class of soil erosion. Data on emission levels and erosion classes were analyzed as a factorial experiment in a completely randomized design with twelve replications in each treatment. The highest rate of emission occurred in July (4.490 g CO₂/(m²?d)) in severely eroded lands and the least in January (0.086 g CO₂/(m²?d)) in low eroded lands. Therefore, it is resulted that increasing erosion intensity causes an increase in soil carbon dioxide emission rate at severe erosion intensity. Moreover, the maximum amount of carbon dioxide emission happened in summer and the minimum in winter. Soil carbon dioxide emission was just related to air temperature without any relationship with soil moisture content; since changes of soil moisture in the wet and dry seasons were not high enough to affect soil microorganisms and respiration in dry areas. In general, there are complex and multiple relationships between various factors associated with soil erosion and carbon dioxide emission. Global warming causes events that lead to more erosion, which in turn increases greenhouse gas emission, and rising greenhouse gases will cause more global warming. The result of this study demonstrated the synergistic effect of wind erosion and global climate warming towards carbon dioxide emission into the atmosphere.     

宁夏黄土丘陵区冬小麦农田土壤呼吸特征及影响因素分析

土壤呼吸是陆地碳循环研究的关键环节,是大气CO2的重要来源,文中以冬小麦农田为研究对象,利用ACE土壤呼吸自动监测系统,研究了冬小麦农田土壤呼吸、土壤温度、土壤水分和光合有效辐射的变化特征、相互关系以及碳释放量。结果表明:1)土壤呼吸日变化呈现"单峰型",最大值出现在13:00左右,最小值出现在夜间;2)土壤呼吸日变化表明土壤呼吸与土壤温度(0-10cm)和光合有效辐射呈显著正相关关系(P<0.01),与土壤水分的关系不确定;3)土壤呼吸季节变化表明土壤呼吸与土壤温度呈显著正相关关系(P<0.01),与土壤水分和光合有效辐射无显著相关关系;4)冬小麦农田碳释放量168gC·m-2·a-1。     

Diurnal and seasonal variations of soil respiration rate under different row-spacing in a Panicum virgatum L. field on semi-arid Loess Plateau of China

Soil respiration(SR) in crop field is affected by environmental factors, agronomic practices and crop types. To clarify how planting density affects the SR dynamics in switchgrass(Panicum virgatum L.) field on the semi-arid Loess Plateau, this research investigated diurnal and seasonal changes of soil respiration rate(RS) under three different row-spacing treatments(20, 40 and 60 cm) in the fourth growing year of switchgrass. Results showed that RS presented a pronounced seasonality under all row-spacing treatments. The highest daily average RS values appeared in August, while the lowest(P0.05) were in September for each row-spacing. Diurnal variations of RS exhibited single-peak curves in each month. Daily average RS increased significantly as row-spacing enlarged during May and August but there was no significant difference among row-spacing treatments in September. Soil water storage in the depth of 0–100 cm had no significant difference(P0.05) among the row-spacing treatments, and similar results were found for soil temperature in 0–15 cm soil depth. Soil respiration temperature sensitivity(Q_(10)) values were 1.0–3.7 during the growing months, which were strongly correlated with air temperature in May and June and the soil temperature at 15 cm depth in August. Higher aboveground biomass production and lower RS in most growth months indicated that 20 cm row-spacing treatment was beneficial for increasing the carbon fixation in switchgrass field. Results also implied that it is necessary to take into account the influence of phenology and root growth of switchgrass on soil respiration for accurately evaluating the carbon cycle in the region.     

不同季节强碱土土壤呼吸影响因子分析与模型预测

利用LI-8100土壤碳通量测量仪测定了春夏秋三季晴朗天气下强碱土土壤呼吸速率、温度(气温和地温)、湿度(空气相对湿度和土壤湿度)数据,分析了它们之间的相关关系,获得不同季节对土壤呼吸影响较大的因子,并建立不同类别的多种回归模型;在精度检验及简单易行原则基础上,得到各季节土壤呼吸预测的最优模型。结果表明:(1)虽然温湿度均是影响不同季节强碱土土壤呼吸的主要因素,但均以温度的影响较大,其中气温是春秋两季土壤呼吸的最大直接影响因子,地温是夏季的最大直接影响因子,而土壤湿度为各季节最大的间接影响因子。(2)春秋季土壤呼吸的最佳预测模型均为10 cm处气温和土壤湿度所建的双因子方程,该方程具有较小的均方根误差(RMSE)(分别为0.159和0.259),且相对分析误差(RPD)2(分别为2.9、2.094),具有非常好的预测能力。夏季土壤呼吸最佳预测模型则为包含10 cm处气温、地温、空气相对湿度和土壤湿度所建的4因子方程,RMSE为0.248,RPD2(为2.406),可用于精确预测。(3)各季节土壤呼吸变化趋势与其影响因子的变化,因春季的完全同步,夏季基本一致,而秋季一致性较差,故春季土壤呼吸最佳预测模型的预测精度最高(92.67%),夏季次之(84.99%),秋季较差(77.23%)。     

土壤呼吸对不同来源水分响应的研究进展

土壤是陆地生态系统最大的碳源,也是最大的碳汇。土壤呼吸作为全球碳循环的一个重要组成部分,是调控全球碳循环和气候变化的关键过程,也是当前全球变化生态学研究的重要领域和碳循环中碳收支研究中的一个热点问题。水分是土壤呼吸的重要扰动因子,比较不同来源土壤水分对土壤呼吸的影响,对准确估算土壤呼吸具有重要意义,这在干旱和半干旱地区尤为明显。通过土壤水分的3种主要来源：降水、灌溉和地下水,比较分析了土壤呼吸对不同来源水分的响应过程和规律,为今后土壤呼吸方面的研究提供参考。     

温度和土壤水分对祁连山青海云杉林土壤呼吸的影响

采用美国Li-cor公司生产的LI6400-09土壤呼吸室和LI6400便携式光合作用测量系统对祁连山云杉林土壤呼吸速率进行野外测定,并通过多元回归对其影响因子进行了分析。结果表明:土壤呼吸总体趋势是夏季高,其它季节低,但季节动态呈现不规律的多峰曲线;气温、地表温度以及5cm、10cm、15cm和20cm的土壤温度均与土壤呼吸速率呈显著的指数关系,温度对土壤呼吸的影响在低温时比高温时更显著;土壤呼吸的平均速率为2.145μmol.m-2.s-1。以气温、地表温度以及5cm、10cm、15cm和25cm的土壤温度为依据得到的Q10值依次为2.67、2.23、4.17、4.32、4.36和4.54;0~10cm和10~20cm土层的土壤含水量均与土壤呼吸速率呈相关关系,当土壤水分含量较低的情况下,随着土壤水分含量的增加,土壤呼吸速率也随着增加,但是当土壤水分含量增加到一定程度时,土壤呼吸速率则表现出降低的趋势。     

阿拉善荒漠功能灌木群的土壤呼吸动态研究

使用LI-8100仪器实测了在生长季阿拉善的梭梭、沙冬青、红砂、华北驼绒藜、珍珠、白刺六种植物群落土壤呼吸速率,使用挖刨面法逐月测定了土壤温度和土壤含水量。结果表明:这六种荒漠植物群落土壤呼吸速率日动态均呈单峰型,最高值皆出现在12:00-14:00,最低值出现在早晨8:00,土壤呼吸速率最大值出现时间先于气温最高值出现的时间。六种植物群落土壤呼吸速率的月变化呈单峰曲线,与近地面气温的变化趋势一致。六种植物群落土壤呼吸速率的日变化与地表温度达到极显著正相关关系,与近地面气温、5cm、10cm温度具有显著相关性。六种植物群落与土壤含水量0-10cm、10-20cm、20-30cm都没有显著相关性。在源与汇的问题上,梭梭、沙冬青、红砂、珍珠、华北驼绒藜、白刺是汇。     

对氨基苯磺酸防治小麦锈病的物理和化学的研究

 本文对小麦锈病治疗剂对氨基苯磺酸进行了内吸、运转、分布、抑菌机制、抑菌浓度以及对小麦的毒性等方面的研究和讨论。
该药剂的内吸及其在麦叶内的运转,主要是单纯的扩散现象。酸度、温度、湿度和药液浓度对于内吸速度的影响,都可以用数学程式来说明;本文提供了几个经验公式作为参考。从药剂对于病菌体内某些酶的亲和力的考察,以及药剂内吸的自显影图片中放射斑的形状,可以推想病区和菌体,有生物化学性的内吸作用存在。     

科尔沁沙地不同植物群落土壤呼吸及环境因素分析

对科尔沁沙地固定、半固定和流动沙丘土壤呼吸的日进程、季节变化及其环境因素进行了测定分析.结果表明:1)土壤呼吸速率与植物群落生物量、土壤有机碳、全氮及粘粉粒含量之间存在显著的正相关关系;固定沙丘日平均土壤呼吸速率分别是半固定和流动沙丘的1.18和2.02倍.2)从固定、半固定到流动沙丘,土壤温度及近地表空气温度呈现增加...     

Warming effects on plant biomass allocation and correlations with the soil environment in an alpine meadow,China

Alpine meadow ecosystem is fragile and highly sensitive to climate change.An understanding of the allocation of above-and below-ground plant biomass and correlations with environmental factors in alpine meadow ecosystem can result in better protection and effective utilization of alpine meadow vegetation.We chose an alpine meadow in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau of China as the study area and designed experimental warming plots using a randomized block experimental design.We used single-tube infrared radiators as warming devices,established the warming treatments,and measured plant above- (AGB) and below-ground biomass (BGB) during the growing seasons (May to September) in 2012 and 2013.We determined the allocation of biomass and the relationship between biomass and soil environment under the warming treatment.Biomass indices including above-ground biomass,below-ground biomass and the ratio of root to shoot (R/S) ,and soil factors including soil moisture and soil temperature at different depths were measured.The results showed that (1) BGB of the alpine meadow had the most significant allometric correlation with its AGB (y=298.7x~ (0.44) ,P0.001) ,but the relationship decreased under warming treatment and the determination coefficient of the functional equation was 0.102 which was less than that of 0.188 of the unwarming treatment (control) ; (2) BGB increased,especially in the deeper soil layers under warming treatment (P0.05) .At 0–10 cm soil depth,the percentages of BGB under warming treatment were smaller than those of the control treatment with the decreases being 8.52% and 8.23% in 2012 and 2013,respectively.However,the BGB increased 2.13% and 2.06% in 2012 and 2013,respectively,at 10–50 cm soil depths; (3) BGB had significant positive correlations with soil moisture at 100 cm depth and with soil temperature at 20–100 cm depths (P0.05) ,but the mean correlation coefficient of soil temperature was 0.354,greater than the 0.245 of soil moisture.R/S ratio had a significant negative correlation with soil temperature at 20 cm depth (P0.05) .The warmer soil temperatures in shallow layers increased the biomass allocation to above-ground plant parts,which leading to the increase in AGB;whereas the enhanced thawing of frozen soil in deep layers causing by warming treatment produced more moisture that affected plant biomass allocation.     

Aggregate binding agents improve soil aggregate stability in Robinia pseudoacacia forests along a climatic gradient on the Loess Plateau,China

The distribution of binding agents(i.e.,soil organic carbon(SOC)and glomalin-related soil protein(GRSP))in soil aggregates was influenced by many factors,such as plant characteristics and soil properties.However,how these factors affect binding agents and soil aggregate stability along a climatic gradient remained unclear.We selected the Robinia pseudoacacia L.forests from semi-arid to semi-humid of the Loess Plateau,China to analyze the plant biomass,soil physical-chemical properties,SOC and GRSP distribution in different sized soil aggregates.We found that from semi-arid to semi-humid forests:(1)the proportion of macro-aggregates(>0.250 mm)significantly increased(P<0.05),whereas those of micro-aggregates(0.250–0.053 mm)and fine materials(<0.053 mm)decreased and soil aggregate stability was increased;(2)the contents of SOC and GRSP in macro-aggregates and micro-aggregates significantly increased,and those in fine materials decreased;(3)the contribution of SOC to soil aggregate stability was greater than those of total GRSP and easily extractable GRSP;(4)soil properties had greater influence on binding agents than plant biomass;and(5)soil aggregate stability was enhanced by increasing the contents of SOC and GRSP in macro-aggregates and soil property was the important part during this process.Climate change from semi-arid to semi-humid forests is important factor for soil structure formation because of its positive effect on soil aggregates.     

准噶尔盆地南缘梭梭群落春季融雪期的土壤呼吸动态

积雪对温带中高纬度地区早春土壤温度和水分具有调控作用,并对土壤呼吸具有重要影响。利用箱式法观测2012年早春积雪融化阶段古尔班通古特沙漠南缘典型温带荒漠梭梭群落内土壤呼吸的动态变化。结果表明：春季融雪期梭梭群落土壤呼吸变异极大,变化范围为0.2~1.2 μmol•m-²•s^-1,日平均土壤呼吸速率变化呈先增后减趋势,但土壤最大呼吸速率随土壤含水量的减少而减少。融雪期灌丛内外土壤呼吸变化规律相同,梭梭灌丛内土壤呼吸速率显著高于灌丛外。融雪期土壤含水量与最大土壤呼吸具有显著的相关关系,但在日尺度上土壤温度与土壤呼吸具有显著的相关关系。研究表明：积雪融化对土壤呼吸具有显著的激发效应,早春积雪变化对土壤呼吸速率将产生重要影响。     

华北土石山区不同造林密度的油松林结构与功能研究

对北京八达岭林场32年生5种造林密度(2000株/hm2、1500株/hm2、1200株/hm2、1000株/hm2、800株/hm2)阴坡油松林生物多样性、碳密度、水源涵养等功能进行调查与实验,结果表明:随着林分密度的减小,林木生长状况良好,林下植被层各种生物多样性指数较其它林分高,并伴随着出现辽东栎等其它栎类更树种的生长;800株/hm2的阴坡油松林蓄积为108.19m3/hm2,是2000株/hm2油松林蓄积的1.22倍;不同密度油松林生态系统碳密度范围为107.43 t/hm2-174.30 t/hm2,平均碳密度为135.99 t/hm2,且随着密度增大而减小。油松林碳密度主要有三个部分组成:植被层、枯落物层和土壤层,其空间部分为土壤层>植被层>枯落物层,林地土壤的碳密度是相当可观大的,碳密度平均为90.34 t/hm2以上,地上部分碳密度与地下(包括土壤、树根和死地被物)碳密度之比平均为1?3.173;油松林地的稳渗速率、产流量随林分密度的增大而减小,这对增加该地区的径流水量、涵养水源能力具有重大意义。产沙量也随密度的增加而减少,这对选择油松800株/hm2作为最优林分密度是不利因素,但从北京的多年降雨来看,这种影响对我们选取油松在800株/hm2作为首选经营密度还是较小的。     

毛乌素沙地过渡地带土壤水分特征及其植物利用

毛乌素沙地过渡地带沙地生态系统土壤湿度状况随着地貌部位不同而变化。沙丘迎风坡基质流动、背风坡沙埋沙压和丘间低地潜水埋深等控制着沙地土壤水分分布规律 (土壤湿度模式 )和沙地植物利用土壤水分的特点 (沙生植物分布模式 )。沙生植物的水分利用的机制主要体现在如下两个方面 :地上部分的生理生态过程和生物量 :地下部分根系分布及其土壤水环境容量。在沙丘从流动变为固定的过程中 ,固沙林形成后的土壤水分动态和灌木林群落实际蒸腾蒸发规律的关系反映不同植被覆盖、不同密度、不同年份和不同季节水分平衡状况 ,藉以确定合理的土壤水分消耗模式 ,维持固沙林群落的稳定和良性演替。为了提高沙生植物水分利用效率 ,一是从沙生植物本身的生理、生态、遗传特性进行分析研究 ,筛选出耐旱和抗水分胁迫强的品种。乡土灌木树种能有效地使个体和群落恢复 ,但也应注重引种。另一方面则是利用各种抗旱保水新材料最大限度地保存和利用固沙林地的水分以满足植物特别是在春旱期间根系的恢复与生长需要 ,即以吸水剂、保水剂、水分表面活化剂、菌根剂和土壤生物制剂 (例如细菌肥料 )等为原材料的新型抗旱造林技术 ;三是依据沙地水环境容量 ,合理确定各种灌木林的造林密度及其与沙丘发育阶段相应的种群配置格式。     

半干旱区不同施肥量对旱作冬小麦田土壤呼吸的影响

为了探究不同施肥量对半干旱区旱作冬小麦田土壤呼吸的影响,在宁夏回族自治区彭阳县旱地农业试验站设置了不施肥（F_N）、低肥（F_L）、中肥（F_M）和高肥（F_H）大田试验。通过监测不同施肥量下冬小麦田的土壤温度、土壤水分和土壤呼吸速率,分析不同施肥量下冬小麦田土壤呼吸速率的变化特征及其与土壤水热因子的相关性。结果表明：（1）施肥能提升0~5 cm和5~10 cm土层土壤温度,随着施肥量的增加,0~5 cm和5~10 cm土层温度平均增幅分别为1.7%~15.0%和2.0%~21.4%。（2）施肥降低了0~100 cm土层土壤含水量,随着施肥量的增加,F_H、F_M和F_L处理降幅分别为6.5%~7.0%、5.0%~5.8%和3.5%~4.0%。（3）施肥显著提升了冬小麦在拔节期、抽穗期、开花期、灌浆期和成熟期的土壤呼吸速率;2018—2019年和2019—2020年低肥、中肥和高肥处理平均土壤呼吸速率分别提升了40.0%、25.5%和14.5%。（4）施肥提升了冬小麦全生育期CO₂排放量,随着施肥量的增加,全生育期CO₂排放量呈下降趋势,表现为低肥＞中肥＞高肥＞无肥,且各生育阶段土壤CO₂累计排放量存在显著差异。（5）土壤呼吸速率与土壤水热因子相关性分析表明,土壤呼吸与0~5 cm和5~10 cm土层土壤温度相关系数均达到显著水平,且与5~10 cm土层土壤温度相关性显著高于0~5 cm土层;土壤呼吸速率与0~10 cm土层土壤含水率呈现显著相关关系。（6）土壤水热双因素与土壤呼吸分析表明,土壤水热双因素可以解释土壤呼吸变化的81%~89%,高于土壤温度（63%~74%）和土壤水分（46%~75%）单因素。综上可知,土壤呼吸受土壤温度和水分的调控。从改善农田生态,降低土壤呼吸的角度来看,适当提升施肥量可有效减少土壤呼吸的排放。     

Effect of pruning intensity on soil moisture and water use efficiency in jujube(Ziziphus jujube Mill.) plantations in the hilly Loess Plateau Region,China

Jujube(Ziziphus jujube Mill.) is a traditional economic forest crop and is widely cultivated in hilly areas of the Loess Plateau, China. However, soil desiccation was discovered in jujube plantations. Pruning is recognized as a water-saving method that can reduces soil water consumption. In this study, we monitored the jujube plots with control(CK), light(C_1), medium(C_2) and high(C_3) pruning intensities during the jujube growing period of 2012–2015 to explore the effect of pruning intensity on soil moisture and water use efficiency(WUE) of jujube plantations in the hilly Loess Plateau Region. The results showed that pruning is an effective method for soil water conservation in jujube plantations. Soil moisture increased with increasing pruning intensity during the jujube growing period of 2012–2015. C_1, C_2 and C_3 pruning intensities increased soil water storage by 6.1–18.3, 14.4–40.0 and 24.3–63.3 mm, respectively, compared to CK pruning intensity. Pruning promoted soil moisture infiltration to deeper soil layer. Soil moisture infiltrated to soil depths of 240, 280 and >300 cm under C_3 pruning intensity, 220, 260 and 260 cm under C_2 pruning intensity, 200, 240 and 220 cm under C_1 pruning intensity, and 180, 200 and 160 cm under CK pruning intensity in 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively. Soil water deficit was alleviated by higher pruning intensity. In 2013–2015, soil water change was positive under C_2(6.4 mm) and C_3(26.8 mm) pruning intensities but negative under C_1(–20.5 mm) and CK(–40.6 mm) pruning intensities. Moreover, pruning significantly improved fresh fruit yield and WUE of jujube plants. Fresh fruit yields were highest under C_1 pruning intensity with the values of 6897.1–13,059.3 kg/hm2, which were 2758.4–4712.8, 385.7–1432.1 and 802.8–2331.5 kg/hm~2 higher than those under CK, C_2, and C_3 pruning intensities during the jujube growing period of 2012–2015, respectively. However, C_3 pruning intensity had the highest WUE values of 2.92–3.13 kg/m~3, which were 1.6–2.0, 1.1–1.2 and 1.0–1.1 times greater than those under CK, C_1 and C_2 pruning intensities, respectively. Therefore, C_3 pruning intensity is recommended to jujube plantations for its economic and ecological benefits. These results provide an alternative strategy to mitigate soil desiccation in jujube plantations in the hilly Loess Plateau Region, which is critical for sustainable cultivation of economic forest trees in this region.     

Response of root traits of Reaumuria soongorica and Salsola passerina to facilitation

C3 plant Reaumuria soongorica and C4 plant Salsola passerina are super xerophytes and coexist in a mixed community in either isolated or associated growth, and interspecific facilitation occurs in associated growth. In the present study, the root traits including root distribution, root length(RL), root surface area(RSA), root weight(RW) and specific root length(SRL) of both species in two growth forms were investigated to clarify their response to facilitation in associated growth. Six isolated plants of each species, as well as six associated plants similar in size and development were selected during the plant growing season, and their roots were excavated at 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40 and 40–50 cm soil depths at the end of the growing season. All the roots of each plant were separated into the two categories of fine roots(2 mm diameter) and coarse roots(≥2 mm diameter). Root traits such as RL and RSA in the fine and coarse roots were obtained by the root analyzing system WinRHIZO. Most of the coarse roots in R. soongorica and S. passerina were distributed in the top 10 cm of the soil in both growth forms, whereas the fine roots of the two plant species were found mainly in the 10–20 and 20–30 cm soil depths in isolated growth, respectively. However, the fine roots of both species were mostly overlapped in 10–20 cm soil depth in associated growth. The root/canopy ratios of both species reduced, whereas the ratios of their fine roots to coarse roots in RL increased, and both species had an increased SRL in the fine roots in associated growth. In addition, there was the increase in RL of fine roots and content of root N for S. passerina in associated growth. Taken together, the root growth of S. passerina was facilitated for water and nutrient exploration under the interaction of the overlapped roots in both species in associated growth, and higher SRL allowed both species to more effectively adapt to the infertile soil in the desert ecosystem.     

生物炭施用对冬麦田土壤水热环境及土壤呼吸的影响

探究施用生物炭对冬麦田土壤水热因子及土壤呼吸的影响,对生物炭在麦田应用及农田固碳减排有重要的实践意义。2018年10月至2021年6月在关中灌区连续3 a进行了麦田生物炭施用试验,试验设置生物炭施用量水平分别为：0 t·hm^-2·a^-1（C0）、10 t·hm^-2·a^-1（C10）、20 t·hm^-2·a^-1（C20）,通过测定小麦生长季的土壤温度、土壤水分、土壤呼吸速率及产量,明确不同施炭量对冬小麦田土壤水热因子及土壤呼吸的影响。各处理生育期内土壤呼吸速率及全生育期CO₂排放量存在显著性差异（P<0.05）,均表现为C0>C20>C10。生物炭施入增加了生育期内的平均土壤温度,同时显著提高了0～20 cm土壤含水量（P<0.05）,并减弱了土壤水分在生育期内的变化幅度。C10、C20处理3 a平均土壤含水量较C0分别增加了17.0%、29.0%。5 cm及10 cm土壤温度能分别解释土壤呼吸变化的54.7%～...     

Impact of land use/cover changes on carbon storage in a river valley in arid areas of Northwest China

Soil carbon pools could become a CO_2 source or sink, depending on the directions of land use/cover changes. A slight change of soil carbon will inevitably affect the atmospheric CO_2 concentration and consequently the climate. Based on the data from 127 soil sample sites, 48 vegetation survey plots, and Landsat TM images, we analyzed the land use/cover changes, estimated soil organic carbon(SOC) storage and vegetation carbon storage of grassland, and discussed the impact of grassland changes on carbon storage during 2000 to 2013 in the Ili River Valley of Northwest China. The results indicate that the areal extents of forestland, shrubland, moderate-coverage grassland(MCG), and the waterbody(including glaciers) decreased while the areal extents of high-coverage grassland(HCG),low-coverage grassland(LCG), residential and industrial land, and cultivated land increased. The grassland SOC density in 0–100 cm depth varied with the coverage in a descending order of HCGMCGLCG.The regional grassland SOC storage in the depth of 0–100 cm in 2013 increased by 0.25×1011 kg compared with that in 2000. The regional vegetation carbon storage(S_(rvc)) of grassland was 5.27×10~9 kg in2013 and decreased by 15.7% compared to that in 2000. The vegetation carbon reserves of the under-ground parts of vegetation(S_(ruvb)) in 2013 was 0.68×10~9 kg and increased by approximately 19.01%compared to that in 2000. This research can improve our understanding about the impact of land use/cover changes on the carbon storage in arid areas of Northwest China.     

Degradation leads to dramatic decrease in topsoil but not subsoil root biomass in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau,China

Understanding the effects of degradation on belowground biomass (BGB) is essential for assessment of carbon budget of the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau, China. This ecosystem has been undergoing serious degradation owing to climate change and anthropogenic activities. This study examined the response of the vertical distribution of plant BGB to degradation and explored the underlying mechanisms in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. A field survey was conducted in an alpine meadow with seven sequential degrees of degradation in the Zoige Plateau on the Tibetan Plateau during the peak growing season of 2018. We measured aboveground biomass (AGB), BGB, soil water content (SWC), soil bulk density (SBD), soil compaction (SCOM), soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (STN), soil total phosphorus (STP), soil available nitrogen (SAN), and soil available phosphorus (STP) in the 0-30 cm soil layers. Our results show that degradation dramatically decreased the BGB in the 0-10 cm soil layer (BGB_0-10) but slightly increased the subsoil BGB. The main reason may be that the physical-chemical properties of surface soil were more sensitive to degradation than those of subsoil, as indicated by the remarked positive associations of the trade-off value of BGB_0-10 with SWC, SCOM, SOC, STN, SAN, and STP, as well as the negative correlation between the trade-off value of BGB_0-10 and SBD in the soil layer of 0-10 cm. In addition, an increase in the proportion of forbs with increasing degradation degree directly affected the BGB vertical distribution. The findings suggest that the decrease in the trade-off value of BGB_0-10 in response to degradation might be an adaptive strategy for the degradation-induced drought and infertile soil conditions. This study can provide theoretical support for assessing the effects of degradation on the carbon budget and sustainable development in the alpine meadow ecosystem on the Tibetan Plateau as well as other similar ecosystems in the world.