Holocene evolution of floodplain soils and landscapes in the Kulikovo field area

The lithostratigraphic, radiocarbon, macro- and micromorphological, particle-size, and other analyses have been applied to reconstruct the Holocene evolution of soils and landscapes on the high- and mediumlevel floodplains of the Nepryadva River in the Kulikovo field area. It is shown that the soils buried within the thickness of alluvial sediments on the high- and medium-level floodplains were formed in different times and had their own evolution patterns; the polygenetic nature of these soils is demonstrated. The development of floodplain landscapes in the Holocene was affected by the long-term climatic fluctuations. The bed of the high floodplain was formed during the Late Valdai glacial stage. The beginning of the development of an intricate sequence of buried soils and sediments of the floodplain dates back to the Boreal period. This pedosedimentary sequence in the studied area can be referred to as the Kulikovo sequence. In the course of its formation, the pedogenic stages with a predominant development of soils alternated with the lithogenic stages of active alluviation and deposition of colluvial deposits from adjacent slopes on the floodplain.     

Soil fertility in a large dryland floodplain: Patterns,processes and the implications of water resource development

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Primary production on semiarid floodplains supports a diverse local and regional fauna. Reduced flooding from water resource development (WRD) may affect floodplain production by decreasing water and nutrient supply.     

Holocene landscape evolution of a nivation hollow on Gassan volcano,northern Japan

This paper describes the results of detailed surveys for the landscape systems (landforms, vegetation, topsoils and snow cover duration) of a nivation hollow in northern Japan and discusses their evolution in the Holocene epoch. The nivation hollow studied consists of three concentric zones whose landscapes and historical development are different. The outermost zone where snow disappears early is covered with dwarfed trees, Sasa kurilensis (subalpine bamboo) thicket and snowbed grasses. Fossil solifluction lobes and drainage channels are common. In this zone, slope stabilization and vegetation establishment (penetration and settlement of vegetation on slopes) followed by pedogenesis occurred after 12,350 cal BP. In the middle zone, slopes are mostly covered with snowbed plants, and turf-banked terraces and minor slumps are observed. This zone experienced slope stabilization and vegetation establishment followed by pedogenesis after 4870 cal BP. The innermost zone overlaps with the snow-induced bare ground in the centre of the nivation hollow basin. Active geomorphic processes operate here and traces of surficial wash and rills are abundant. Humic soils are not present in this zone. These differences in landscape development of the nivation hollow may reflect the temporal changes in the timings of snow disappearance associated with the Holocene climatic variabilities.     

Trends and controls of Holocene floodplain sedimentation in the Rhine catchment

Holocene floodplain sedimentation in the Rhine catchment is controlled by human and climate impacts. Intricate river behaviour modifies the fluvial response to the external impacts making cause–effect analysis difficult, especially on large spatial scales. To better understand the relative importance and interdependencies of external and internal controls, temporally resolved floodplain sedimentation rates are established using three different methods: i) floodplain storage studies on the trunk stream, ii) depth/age-analysis of overbank deposits from different parts of the catchment and iii) cumulative frequency distributions of ¹⁴C-ages from floodplain deposits from various parts of the catchment. The applied methodology strongly differs with the available temporal resolution and the size of the corresponding catchment. All three methods show a strong increase in sedimentation rate for more recent periods that can be linked to increasing human impact. Evidences for climate impacts and intricate river behaviour are less clear and hindered by insufficient temporal resolution of the currently available data.     

Soil landscape evolution due to soil redistribution by tillage: a new conceptual model of soil catena evolution in agricultural landscapes

This paper focuses on analysing tillage as a mechanism for the transformation of soil spatial variability, soil morphology, superficial soil properties and development of soil–landscape relationships in agricultural lands. A new theoretical two-dimensional model of soil catena evolution due to soil redistribution by tillage is presented. Soil profile truncation occurs through loss of soil mass on convexities and in the upper areas of the cultivated hillslopes; while the opposite effect takes place in concavities and the lower areas of the field where the original soil profile becomes buried. At sectors of rectilinear morphology in the hillslope (backslope positions), a null balance of soil translocation takes place, independent of the slope gradient and of the rate of downslope soil translocation. As a result, in those backslope areas, a substitution of soil material in the surface horizon with material coming from upslope areas takes place. This substituted material can produce an inversion of soil horizons in the original soil profile and sometimes, the formation of “false truncated soil”. In the Skogstad agricultural field (Cyrus, MN) spatial patterns of soil properties (soil calcium carbonate content) in the surface soil horizons and soil morphology along several slope transects were analyzed. These spatial patterns are compared with those estimated for soil redistribution (areas of erosion and deposition) due to tillage using the Soil Redistribution by Tillage (SORET) model and water erosion using the models Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) and Universal Soil Loss Equation (Usle2D). Results show that tillage was the predominant process of soil redistribution in the studied agricultural field. Finally, some practical implications of the proposed model of soil landscape modification by tillage are discussed. Nomographs to calculated the intensity of the expansion process of the eroded soil units by tillage are proposed for three different patterns of tillage.     

Soil chronosequences, soil development, and soil evolution: a critical review

Soils chronosequences are valuable tools for investigating rates and directions of soil and landscape evolution. Post-incisive chronosequences are the most common type of chronosequence. They are found in many landscapes, including sand dunes, glacial moraines, landslide scars, old pasture, burnt landscape patches, old mining areas, lava flows, alluvial fans, floodplains, river terraces, and marine terraces. They register pedogenic change over time-scales ranging from years to millions of years. Soil chronosequences help in testing rival theories of pedogenesis. Traditional soil formation theory sees a soil developing progressively under the influence of the environmental state factors until it is in equilibrium with prevailing environmental conditions. This developmental view of pedogenesis is supported by the classic soil chronosequence studies. A new evolutionary view of pedogenesis, which was prompted by the omnipresent inconstancy of environmental conditions and the notions of multidirectional changes and multiple steady states (as predicted by non-linear dynamics), proposes that environmental inconstancy and non-linear behaviour in soil-landscapes lead to soil evolution, rather than to soil development. Soils ‘evolve' through continual creation and destruction at all scales, and may progress, stay the same, or retrogress, depending on the environmental circumstances. Some recent soil and vegetation chronosequence investigations support an evolutionary view of pedogenesis. It is concluded that soil chronosequences are still potent instruments for pedological investigations and that they have a starring role to play in the testing of pedological theories.     

Deep weathering and landscape evolution in a tropical plateau

The thick weathering profiles of humid tropical areas are an important, yet generally neglected, source of information on landscape evolution. Six complete profiles of the weathering mantle were sampled by drilling on the three stepped levels of the Campos do Jordão Plateau, on the NW flank of the Continental Rift of Southeastern Brazil. Mineralogical and micromorphological analyses of drill core samples, complemented by geochemical interpretations and by previous data on the upper saprolite, indicate continuity of a general lateritic trend during the entire process of mantle formation. Lateritization phases of different intensity were defined and considered to reflect adjustment to changes in environmental conditions created by the gradual uplift of the plateau to its present position. Older and more superficial materials related to intense lateritic weathering are characterized by allitization with direct formation of gibbsite from silicates, probably related to tropical climates existing immediately before the formation of the continental rift, during the Paleogene, and also before any significant increase in altitude. Monosialitization phase with general kaolinitization and restricted indirect formation of gibbsite from silicates could be associated to less aggressive climates that followed the Neogene (Miocene?) accentuation of uplift rates along the continental rift. The changes produced by uplift in the tropical climate eventually favored the development of a podzolization trend in soils above 1800 m.     

Soil and human health: a review

Soil can affect human health in several ways leading either to specific diseases or to more general ill health. Some illnesses are caused by people's eating soil (geophagia), or by their inhaling it which can lead to malignancy if the soil contains asbestiform minerals; pathogens in the soil can lead to tetanus and infestations of hookworm, and particles may enter the body through abrasions and cause a form of elephantiasis. Radon from the soil is implicated in some cancers, and poorly drained soil has been linked recently with infant mortality. Most examples of ill health associated with the soil are caused by concentrations of elements in food or water that are either deficient or toxic. These elements include aluminium, arsenic, cadmium, copper, fluorine, iodine, lead, selenium, thallium and zinc. Their concentrations might reflect the natural condition of the soil, or the effects of people's actions, such as pollution. In isolated subsistence communities that grow their own food, distinct relations between elements and the aetiology of diseases can be identified. Examples include Keshan disease caused by selenium deficiency, and itai-itai disease caused by excess cadmium. Some of the relations between soil and health are uncertain and the causes putative, and they require further research to validate them. They include the association of heart disease with poor acid soil, as in the glaciated regions of northern Europe and the coastal plain of the eastern United States of America. Even for well-defined relations it is evident that many are more complex than was originally thought, however, and greater understanding will require multidisciplinary investigation.     

Soil structure and management: a review

Soil structure exerts important influences on the edaphic conditions and the environment. It is often expressed as the degree of stability of aggregates. Aggregation results from the rearrangement, flocculation and cementation of particles. It is mediated by soil organic carbon (SOC), biota, ionic bridging, clay and carbonates. The complex interactions of these aggregants can be synergistic or disruptive to aggregation. Clay-sized particles are commonly associated with aggregation by rearrangement and flocculation, although swelling clay can disrupt aggregates. Organo-metallic compounds and cations form bridges between particles. The SOC originates from plants, animals and microorganisms, and their exudates. It enhances aggregation through the bonding of primary soil particles. The effectiveness of SOC in forming stable aggregates is related to its decomposition rate, which in turn is influenced by its physical and chemical protection from microbial action. Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) increases aggregation in arid and semi-arid environments, and the formation of secondary carbonates is influenced by the presence of SOC and Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. Soil biota release CO₂ and form SOC which increase dissolution of primary carbonates while cations increase precipitation of secondary carbonates. The precipitation of (hydr)oxides, phosphates and carbonates enhances aggregation. Cations such as Si⁴⁺, Fe³⁺, Al³⁺ and Ca²⁺ stimulate the precipitation of compounds that act as bonding agents for primary particles. Roots and hyphae can enmesh particles together while realigning them and releasing organic compounds that hold particles together, a process with a positive impact on soil C sequestration. Soil structure can be significantly modified through management practices and environmental changes. Practices that increase productivity and decrease soil disruption enhance aggregation and structural development.     

Periglacial cover-beds on the Swiss Plateau: indicators of soil, climate and landscape evolution during the Late Quaternary

Soils and the stratification of their parent materials were studied on the central Swiss Plateau. This area is characterized by glacial deposits varying from Late Glacial to pre-Würmian in age. Soils of all studied sites are developed within colluvial layers, the so-called cover-beds. In relation to the underlying deposits, we find a regular spatial distribution of cover-bed types. A surficial layer (Upper Layer) with relatively constant thickness (around 50 cm independent of relief position) covers Pleistocene sediments of any age. Therefore, it was formed mainly by cryoturbation/solifluction after the final glacier retreat from the Swiss Plateau (Younger Dryas or Oldest Dryas age). Layers that originate mainly from aeolian processes (Intermediate Layers) are restricted to areas outside the recessional moraines of the Berne-Stade (BS). Hence, they were formed merely up to the late Pleniglacial. They frequently consist of two distinct layers. Outside the glaciation of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), cover-beds in places overlie pre-LGM palaeosol relics (probably of Eemian age or even older). These are preserved even on higher relief positions, indicating that periglacial erosion during the Pleniglacial was only marginal. The palaeosol relics also occur on till of the so-called Older Wangen-Stade, which is commonly believed to represent the LGM, whereas we consider it to be older at least partly. Eventually, the distribution of soil types and their ecological characteristics are influenced considerably by cover-beds. As these beds reflect distinct phases of the Pleistocene, colluvial sediments provide a major tool for linking modern landscape characteristics to the Late Quaternary climate evolution.     

土壤排水系统在土壤演变中的作用

While research on pedogenesis mainly focuses on long-term soil formation and most often neglects recent soil evolution in response to human practices or climate changes, this article reviews the impact of artificial subsurface drainage on soil evolution. Artificial drainage is considered as an example of the impact of recent changes in water fluxes on soil evolution over time scales of decades to a century. Results from various classical studies on artificial drainage including hydrological and environmental studies are reviewed and collated with rare studies dealing explicitly with soil morphology changes, in response to artificial drainage. We deduce that soil should react to the perturbations associated with subsurface drainage over time scales that do not exceeding a few decades. Subsurface drainage decreases the intensity of erosion and must i) increase the intensity of the lixiviation and eluviation processes, ii) affect iron and manganese dynamics, and iii) induce heterogeneities in soil evolution at the ten meter scale. Such recent soil evolutions can no longer be neglected as they are mostly irreversible and will probably have unknown, but expectable, feedbacks on crucial soil functions such as the sequestration of soil organic matter or the water available capacity.     

The regularities of the late Holocene soil formation in the lower don steppes

The direction and stages of pedogenesis, rate and scales of changeability, and type of evolution of chernozems in the steppes of the Lower Don are ascertained by studying the archaeological monuments of the Bronze Age, Early Iron Age, and Middle Ages. It is shown that the soil formation process was characterized by cyclicity, and evolutional soil transformations took place at the level of subtype. The paper ascertains the polygenetic character of modern chernozems, whose evolution during the second half of the Holocene was predominantly low-contrast, inheriting, and transforming. The processes forming the humus, salt, gypsum, and carbonate profiles, as well as the processes of solonetzization-desolonetzization, were the most dynamic. The fundamental differences in the genesis of different parts of the humus profile are revealed. The role of climatically pulsing solonetzicity in forming the specific Azov chernozems is for the first time ascertained.     

Soil erosion and sediment dynamics in the Anthropocene: a review of human impacts during a period of rapid global environmental change

Journal of Soils and Sediments - Humanity has been modifying the planet in a measurable way for thousands of years. Recently, this influence has been such that some feel we are in a new geological...     

Soil mineral–organic matter–microbe interactions: Impacts on biogeochemical processes and biodiversity in soils

Soils are the central organizer of the terrestrial ecosystem. Their colloidal and particulate constituents, be they minerals, organic matter, and microorganisms, are not separate entities; rather, they are constantly interacting with each other. Interactions of these components control biogeochemical reactions, namely, the formation of short-range-ordered metal oxides, catalysis of humic substance formation, enzymatic stability and activity, mineral transformation, aggregate turnover, biogeochemical cycling of C, N, P, and S, and the fate and transformation of organic and inorganic pollutants. Furthermore, the impacts of mineral–organic matter–microorganism interactions and associated biogeochemical reactions and processes on biodiversity, species composition, and sustainability of the terrestrial ecosystem deserve close attention for years to come. This paper integrates the frontiers of knowledge on this subject matter, which is essential to uncovering the dynamics and mechanisms of terrestrial ecosystem processes and to developing innovative management strategies to sustain ecosystem health on the global scale.     

近40a凯拉库姆库区土地利用/覆盖变化及景观格局分析

为研究近40 a凯拉库姆库区土地利用/覆盖和景观格局时空变化状况,该文以凯拉库姆库区1975年Landsat MSS、1990年Landsat TM、2000年Landsat ETM+和2011年Landsat TM遥感影像为数据源,利用ENVI软件得到各时期的土地利用/覆盖类型转移矩阵,建立土地利用面积变化量、单一土地利用类型动态度以及区域土地利用综合动态度模型;同时,在景观格局分析中采用景观格局数量分析方法,在类型水平和景观水平分别选取不同的指数,系统分析凯拉库姆库区土地利用/覆盖和景观格局变化的时空特征。研究结果显示:近40 a凯拉库姆库区的土地利用/覆盖发生了剧烈变化,建设用地面积呈现出持续增加的态势,低覆盖度草地和未利用地的面积随时间序列呈"V"型变化,而水体、耕地、中覆盖度草地的面积随时间序列呈倒"V"型变化;建设用地和耕地大面积急剧扩张,并伴随着低覆盖度草地、中覆盖度草地和未利用地面积的减少,大量的中覆盖度草地、未利用地转化为耕地,同时部分耕地又转化为建设用地,使得建设用地和耕地面积显著增加,研究区区域土地利用综合动态度呈"V"字型变化,并有逐渐加快的趋势,活跃土地利用/覆盖类型由早期和中期的水体转化为近期低覆盖度草地,稳定土地利用/覆盖类型由早期的耕地和中覆盖度草地,过度到中期未利用地,进而转化为近期的耕地;景观格局分析表明,中覆盖度草地和耕地对整个景观发挥主导作用,与水体相邻的景观要素多,建设用地斑块数目多且相对分散,但有集中分布的趋势,在人类活动的影响下,整体斑块尺度趋于均匀,景观趋于丰富和复杂化,斑块聚集程度减少,破碎度增加。该研究结果为凯拉库姆库区水土地资源可持续开发和利用、生态环境保护提供科学依据。     

Bryophytes in a changing landscape: The hierarchical effects of habitat fragmentation on ecological and evolutionary processes

Testing the myriad predictions associated with the community, demographic and genetic impacts of habitat fragmentation remains a high conservation priority. Many bryophyte taxa are ideal model systems for experimentally testing such metapopulation-based and population genetic predictions due to their relatively fast colonisation-extinction rates, high substrate specificity, dominant haploid condition, and diminutive size. Herein, we review the community, demographic and population genetic impacts of habitat fragmentation on bryophytes, highlight the present knowledge gaps, and offer ideas on how experimental studies utilizing bryophytes may be used to address the broader conservation implications associated with fragmented ecosystems. Previous research suggests that dispersal limitation best explains observed patterns of abundance and distribution of bryophytes in some fragmented habitats. However, edge effects influence bryophyte community structure of border habitats especially where abrupt differences in micro-climatic conditions between the matrix and the forest remnant exist, or where the species pool contains members with inherently restricted ecological amplitudes. Existing studies do not agree on the relationship between basic attributes of bryophyte community structure (i.e., species richness and local density), and habitat area and degree of spatial-isolation. Demographic studies are a critical step in structuring conservation strategies, however surprisingly little empirical information exists as to the impacts of habitat fragmentation on plant population dynamics. We propose that bryophytes offer great potential for testing predictions with respect to plant population persistence in spatially-structured landscapes.     

Divergent evolution and the spatial structure of soil landscape variability

The spatial structure of soil variability at the landscape scale was examined on adjacent geomorphic surfaces dating from 80 to 200 ka in eastern North Carolina. The purpose was to determine whether there is evidence at broader scales (distances of 10²–10⁴ m) for the divergent evolution observed in the field at very detailed scales (distances of 10⁰–10² m). The state probability function (SPF), which measures spatial dependence for categorical environmental data along a transect, was applied to soil series mapped at a 1:24,000 scale. The older Talbot Terrace and younger Pamlico Terrace surfaces showed distinctly different patterns of spatial variability. The range of spatial dependence was shorter on the older surface (about 200 vs. 300 m), and the SPF was higher at any given distance, indicating more variability. The SPF for the Pamlico surface also indicates a periodicity related to fluvial dissection of the landscape, which is not readily detectable on the Talbot transect despite its greater degree of dissection. The results confirm earlier field studies which suggest that pedogenesis is marked by divergence, whereby differences in initial conditions or local perturbations persist and increase to produce a more variable soil cover.     

Soil carbon dynamics in saline and sodic soils: a review

Soil salinity (high levels of water-soluble salt) and sodicity (high levels of exchangeable sodium), called collectively salt-affected soils, affect approximately 932 million ha of land globally. Saline and sodic landscapes are subjected to modified hydrologic processes which can impact upon soil chemistry, carbon and nutrient cycling, and organic matter decomposition. The soil organic carbon (SOC) pool is the largest terrestrial carbon pool, with the level of SOC an important measure of a soil's health. Because the SOC pool is dependent on inputs from vegetation, the effects of salinity and sodicity on plant health adversely impacts upon SOC stocks in salt-affected areas, generally leading to less SOC. Saline and sodic soils are subjected to a number of opposing processes which affect the soil microbial biomass and microbial activity, changing CO₂ fluxes and the nature and delivery of nutrients to vegetation. Sodic soils compound SOC loss by increasing dispersion of aggregates, which increases SOC mineralisation, and increasing bulk density which restricts access to substrate for mineralisation. Saline conditions can increase the decomposability of soil organic matter but also restrict access to substrates due to flocculation of aggregates as a result of high concentrations of soluble salts. Saline and sodic soils usually contain carbonates, which complicates the carbon (C) dynamics. This paper reviews soil processes that commonly occur in saline and sodic soils, and their effect on C stocks and fluxes to identify the key issues involved in the decomposition of soil organic matter and soil aggregation processes which need to be addressed to fully understand C dynamics in salt-affected soils.