Soil exchangeable base cations along a chronosequence of Caragana microphylla plantation in a semi-arid sandy land,China

As a pioneer leguminous shrub species for vegetation re-establishment,Caragana microphylla is widely distributed in the semi-fixed and fixed sandy lands of the Horqin region,North China.C.microphylla plantations modify organic carbon(SOC),nitrogen(N) and phosphorus dynamics,bulk density and water-holding capacity,and biological activities in soils,but little is known with regard to soil exchange properties.Variation in soil exchangeable base cations was examined under C.microphylla plantations with an age sequence of 0,5,10,and 22 years in the Horqin Sandy Land,and at the depth of 0-10,10-20,and 20-30 cm,respectively.C.microphylla has been planted on the non-vegetated sand dunes with similar physical-chemical soil properties.The results showed that exchangeable calcium(Ca),magnesium(Mg),and potassium(K),and cation exchange capacity(CEC) were significantly increased,and Ca saturation tended to decrease,while Mg and K saturations were increased with the plantation years.No difference was observed for exchangeable sodium(Na) neither with plantation years nor at soil depths.Of all the base cations and soil layers,exchangeable K at the depth of 0-10 cm accumulated most quickly,and it increased by 1.76,3.16,and 4.25 times,respectively after C.microphylla was planted for 5,10,and 22 years.Exchangeable Ca,Mg,and K,and CEC were significantly(P<0.001) and positively correlated with SOC,total N,pH,and electrical conductivity(EC).Soil pH and SOC are regarded as the main factors influencing the variation in exchangeable cations,and the preferential absorption of cations by plants and different leaching rates of base cations that modify cation saturations under C.microphylla plantation.It is concluded that as a nitrogen-fixation species,C.microphylla plantation is beneficial to increasing exchangeable base cations and CEC in soils,and therefore can improve soil fertility and create favorable microenvironments for plants and creatures in the semi-arid sandy land ecosystems.     

Effects of different plantation types on soil properties after vegetation restoration in an alpine sandy land on the Tibetan Plateau,China

Large areas of Artemisia ordosica Krasch., Caragana korshinskii Kom., and Caragana intermedia Kuang and H. C. Fu plantations were established on moving sand dunes in the Gonghe Basin(northeastern Tibetan Plateau) for vegetation restoration. Elevating our understanding of the changes in soil characteristics after the establishment of different plantation types can be useful in the context of combating desertification. To assess the effects of these plantation types on the restoration of sandy land, we measured soil physical-chemical properties at four depths(0–5, 5–10, 10–20, and 20–50 cm) in each of the three plantation types and also in non-vegetated moving sand dunes(as control sites). Generally, the establishment of A. ordosica, C. korshinskii and C. intermedia plantations on sand dunes has greatly ameliorated soil quality in the Gonghe Basin. Specifically, relative to the moving sand dunes, shrub plantation has increased the silt and clay contents, total porosity and water holding capacity, soil organic matter, total nitrogen, total phosphorus and total potassium contents. The calculated soil quality index suggested that in the Gonghe Basin, C. intermedia is the best choice for soil amelioration. In all the three plantation types, soil amelioration mainly occurred in the shallow depths.     

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.     

地表覆盖对黄土高原土壤有机碳及其组分的影响

基于中国科学院长武黄土高原农业生态实验站2008年开始田间定位试验资料,分析研究秸秆覆盖与地膜覆盖对黄土高原土壤有机碳（SOC）及其组分的影响,试验包括5个处理：对照不覆盖（CK）、作物生育期9000 kg ·hm-2秸秆覆盖（M1）、作物生育期4500 kg·hm-2秸秆覆盖（M2）、夏闲秸秆覆盖（SF）、作物生育期地膜覆盖（PM）。2010（干旱年）、2012（丰水年）两次测定结果表明：0～30 cm土层平均,与CK相比,2012年土壤有机碳（SOC）含量M1处理提高了7．4％,潜在矿化碳（PCM）含量M1、M2、SF处理分别提高了37．8％、23．9％、7．2％,微生物量碳（MBC）含量M1和M2处理分别提高了59．9％和42．3％,碳库管理指数（CMI）M1、M2、SF 处理分别提高了53．1％、35．6％、13．9％;2010年M1处理CMI较CK提高了16．1％（P＜0．05）,其余处理土壤有机碳各指标与CK差异两年均不显著。不同覆盖方式对表层土壤有机碳及各项指标影响较大,随土层加深影响减弱,其中秸秆覆盖4年后碳库管理指数均有显著提高。两种活性有机碳的相对含量与其各自绝对含量的变化基本一致,且有机碳各指标间显著相关。综合来看,高量秸秆覆盖能够提高表层土壤有机碳及其组分含量,地膜覆盖对土壤有机碳及其组分积累影响不大。     

Crop yields and soil organic carbon dynamics in a long-term fertilization experiment in an extremely arid region of northern Xinjiang,China

A long-term fertilization experiment was set up in northern Xinjiang, China to evaluate the dynamics of crop production and soil organic carbon(SOC) from 1990 to 2012 with seven fertilization treatments. The seven treatments included an unfertilized control(CK) and six different combinations of phosphorus(P), potassium(K), nitrogen(N), straw(S) and animal manure(M). The balanced fertilization treatments had significantly(P0.05) higher average yields than the unbalanced ones. The treatment with 2/3 N from potassium sulfate(NPK) and 1/3 N from farmyard manure(NPKM) had a higher average yield than the other treatments. The average yields(over the 23 years) in the treatments of NPK, and urea, calcium superphosphate(NP) did not differ significantly(P0.05) but were higher than that in the treatment with urea and potassium sulfate(NK; P0.05). The results also show that the highest increases in SOC(P0.05) occurred in NPKM with a potential increase of 1.2 t C/(hm~2·a). The increase in SOC was only 0.31, 0.30 and 0.12 t C/(hm~2·a) for NPKS(9/10 N from NPK and 1/10 N from straw), NPK and NP, respectively; and the SOC in the NP, NK and CK treatments were approaching equilibrium and so did not rise or fall significantly over the 23-year experiment. A complete NPK plus manure fertilization program is recommended for this extremely arid region to maximize both yields and carbon sequestration.     

退耕年限与方式对土壤团聚体稳定性及有机碳分布的影响

以黄土高原南部退耕还林年限6 a(FL06)和15 a(FL15)刺槐林地、退耕还草年限6 a(GL06)和15 a(GL15)紫花苜蓿草地为研究对象,以临近长期耕作坡耕地(CK)作为对照,采用湿筛法,分离出2 mm、1~2 mm、0.5~1 mm、0.25~0.5 mm和0.25 mm 5个粒级的水稳性团聚体,研究了退耕年限与方式对团聚体稳定性和不同粒径团聚体有机碳分布的影响。结果表明:在0~20 cm土层,退耕还林还草与未退耕相比能显著提高2 mm和1~2 mm粒径团聚体含量,显著减少0.25 mm粒径团聚体含量,其中对于2 mm和1~2 mm粒径团聚体在不同退耕年限与方式下含量表现为GL15GL06FL06FL15CK和GL15FL06GL06FL15CK;退耕还林和还草增加了两个土层的团聚体稳定性,GL15的平均重量直径(MWD)值和几何平均直径(GMD)值均最大,土壤结构最稳定,其次为GL06;不同退耕年限,2 mm粒径下退耕还林地和还草地、1~2 mm粒径下退耕还草地团聚体有机碳含量均随退耕年限的延长而增加。20~40 cm土层中,团聚体含量均值随粒径的减小而增加;MWD和GMD值均小于0~20 cm层;各粒径范围内退耕还林与还草后的团聚体有机碳含量与坡耕地相比总体表现出减小的趋势。研究结果表明,退耕改善了土壤结构,对各粒径团聚体有机碳含量分布的影响随退耕年限与方式不同效应各异,且GL15相较于其它退耕年限和方式下的样地有更好的土壤团聚体稳定性和更多的团聚体有机碳积累。     

不同覆盖措施对塿土碳氮及水分的影响

通过田间试验,研究了陕西关中塿土区地膜覆盖和秸秆覆盖对表层土壤有机碳、全氮和微生物量碳氮,以及0~200 cm土壤剖面水分及硝态氮分布的影响。结果表明:与不覆盖(NM)相比,白色全膜覆盖(WF)、黑色全膜覆盖(BF)和秸秆覆盖(SM)的表层土壤有机碳分别降低了19.8%、26.3%和20.9%,土壤全氮也分别降低了4.8%、9.6%和10.6%。与NM相比,覆盖处理(WF、BF和SM)可以提高表层(0~20 cm)土壤硝态氮的含量,增加0~40 cm土层的硝态氮累积量(BF的差异不显著),降低40~120 cm土层的硝态氮累积量,但120~200 cm土层的硝态氮累积量差异不显著。SM和BF显著降低0~200 cm土层的硝态氮总累积量,而WF没有显著差异。与NM相比,地膜覆盖(WF和BF)和秸秆覆盖(SM)均可以提高表层0~40 cm土壤水分含量和储水量,但SM的效果低于地膜覆盖;WF可以降低深层土壤水分含量和储水量,而SM和BF与NM无显著差异。0~200 cm土层的总储水量,SM显著高于NM,而地膜覆盖则与NM无显著差异。各覆盖处理均显著降低了表层土壤微生物碳(MBC)和微生物氮(MBN)的含量,与NM相比,MBC分别降低了27.4%、55.4%和66.5%,MBN分别降低了4.6%、4.8%和6.8%。地膜覆盖(WF和BF)和秸秆覆盖(SM)均能够加速土壤有机碳的矿化分解,降低土壤微生物,减少土壤硝态氮的深层淋溶,其对塿土碳氮和水分的长期影响值得进一步研究关注。     

Changes in soil carbon stocks and related soil properties along a 50-year grassland-to-cropland conversion chronosequence in an agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia, China

Land use change significantly influences soil properties.There is little information available on the long-term effects of post-reclamation from grassland to cropland on soil properties.We compared soil carbon(C) and nitrogen(N) storage and related soil properties in a 50-year cultivation chronosequence of grassland in the agro-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia.Field surveys on land use changes during the period of 1955-2002 were conducted to build a chronosequence of cropland of different ages since the conversion from grassland.The results showed that soil C and N storage,soil texture,and soil nutrient contents varied with land use types and cropland ages(P<0.01).In the 0-30 cm soil layer,the soil organic carbon(SOC) density was significantly lower in the croplands(3.28 kg C/m2 for C50 soil) than in the grasslands(6.32 kg C/m2).After 5,10,15,20,35,and 50 years of crop planting(years since the onset of cultivation),the SOC losses were 17%,12%,19%,47%,46%,and 48%,respectively,compared with the grasslands.The soil total nitrogen(TN) density of the grasslands was 65 g N/m2,and TN density of the cropland soil was 35 g N/m2 after 50 years of crop planting.Both the SOC and TN densities could be quantitatively determined by a negative exponential function of cropland age(P<0.0001,R2=0.8528;P<0.0001,R2=0.9637).The dissolved organic carbon(DOC) content,soil available potassium(AK) content,clay content,and pH value were decreased;and the soil bulk density and sand content were increased since the conversion of grassland into cropland during the 50-year period.Our results show soil nutrients were higher in grassland than in cropland.The conversion of grasslands to croplands induced a loss of soil C storage and changes of related soil properties.The reclamation time of cultivated soil(cropland age) had significant effects on soil properties in the study area.     

Carbon fixation and influencing factors of biological soil crusts in a revegetated area of the Tengger Desert,northern China

Biological soil crusts （BSCs） are an important type of land cover in arid desert landscapes and play an important role in the carbon source-sink exchange within a desert system. In this study, two typical BSCs, moss crusts and algae crusts, were selected from a revegetated sandy area of the Tengger Desert in northern China, and the experiment was carried out over a 3-year period from January 2010 to November 2012. We obtained the effec- tive active wetting time to maintain the physiological activity of BSCs basing on continuous field measurements and previous laboratory studies on BSCs photosynthesis and respiration rates. And then we developed a BSCs carbon fixation model that is driven by soil moisture. The results indicated that moss crusts and algae crusts had significant effects on soil moisture and temperature dynamics by decreasing rainfall infiltration. The mean carbon fixation rates of moss and algae crusts were 0.21 and 0.13 g C/（m2.d）, respectively. The annual carbon fixations of moss crusts and algae crusts were 64.9 and 38.6 g C/（m2.a）, respectively, and the carbon fixation of non-rainfall water reached 11.6 g C/（m2.a） （30.2% of the total） and 8.8 g C/（m2.a） （43.6% of the total）, respectively. Finally, the model was tested and verified with continuous field observations. The data of the modeled and measured CO2 fluxes matched notably well. In desert regions, the carbon fixation is higher with high-frequency rainfall even the total amount of seasonal rainfall was the same.     

松嫩平原西部土壤有机碳空间变异研究——以吉林省通榆县为例

结合统计方法、地统计学方法和GIS技术,以吉林省通榆县为例,分析其土壤有机碳的空间变异特征.结果表明:通榆县土壤有机碳含量普遍较低,平均值仅为0.76%,变幅0.13%～3.72%.利用局部Moran's I指数检验法得到土壤样点中存在的14个异常值及其位置,剔除异常值后的变异函数理论模型块金效应小、决定系数高,土壤有机碳含量具有较强的空间自相关性,结构性因素(气候、母质、地形、土壤类型等)对其空间变异的贡献较大.通榆县土壤有机碳含量自西向东逐渐增加,且呈近似南北向的条带状梯度变化,这与该区域地势西高东低的空间格局存在较强的相关性(r=-0.64).统计检验表明,通榆县内西部土壤有机碳含量明显低于东部.西部干旱少雨、土壤质地偏沙,且地势较高等环境因子是形成上述空间分布格局的主要原因.     

Manipulated precipitation regulated carbon and phosphorus limitations of microbial metabolisms in a temperate grassland on the Loess Plateau,China

Manipulated precipitation patterns can profoundly influence the metabolism of soil microorganisms. However, the responses of soil organic carbon(SOC) and nutrient turnover to microbial metabolic limitation under changing precipitation conditions remain unclear in semi-arid ecosystems. This study measured the potential activities of enzymes associated with carbon(C: β-1,4-glucosidase(BG) and β-D-cellobiosidase(CBH)), nitrogen(N: β-1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase(NAG) and L-leucine aminopeptidase(LAP)...