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Cuoji Peng Lina Shi Yicheng He Zeying Yao Zhenrong Lin Meng-ai Hu Ning Yin Hengkang Xu Yikang Li Huakun Zhou Xinmin Lu Kesi Liu Xinqing Shao 《Land Degradation u0026amp; Development》2023,34(16):4924-4934
Soil carbon (C) is one of the most abundant C pools in terrestrial ecosystems, and its dynamics is highly dependent on soil depth. Grazing exclusion (GE) has proven to be a promising approach for enhancing C sequestration; however, the comprehensive analysis on the depth distribution of soil C and driving factors of soil C dynamics under GE are still lacking. This study collected data comprising 563 paired observations from 75 papers to analyze the distribution characteristics and the driving factors of soil organic carbon (SOC) changes with soil depth under GE in Chinese grasslands. The results showed that GE positively contributed to soil C sequestration, and the change range of SOC were higher (47.70%) in the subsoil (>20 cm) than in the topsoil layer (0–20 cm; 29.24%). Furthermore, SOC was influenced by GE duration, exhibiting an increasing trend and reaching its highest value at 13–15 years of GE, then remaining stable or slightly decreasing thereafter. Boosted regression trees (BRTs) showed that climatic factors were the primary determinants of SOC changes; however, the key drivers of SOC varied across different soil depths. Mean annual precipitation (MAP) was the key driver of topsoil C dynamics, accounting for 32.7% of the variance. In contrast, mean annual temperature (MAT) regulated the response of subsoil SOC to GE, explaining 48.23% of the variance. In addition, plant biomass was a significant factor influencing the depth distribution of soil C under GE, and its effect on SOC decreased with increasing soil depth. Our study provides evidence that the subsoil has a greater potential for C sequestration than the topsoil layer after GE, and future studies should consider deep soil C dynamics to accurately assess C sequestration in grassland ecosystems. 相似文献
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为了评价表层土壤有机碳和养分对放牧和不同植被类型互作的反应,选择四川省西昌市西溪乡牛郎村马家松坡放牧丘陵坡地,分别在坡顶、上、中、下部各层采集有乔木(桉树)、灌木(米油枝)、草本3种类型植被覆盖以及无植被覆盖的0—5 cm表层土壤,测定分析了土壤容重、土壤有机碳、速效氮含量。结果表明,植被对改善表层土壤有机碳和速效氮含量的作用大小顺序为:米油枝>草本植物>桉树。米油枝、草本植物能显著提高土壤有机碳和速效氮含量,桉树改善表层土壤有机碳和速效氮含量的作用则比较小。不同坡位对土壤有机碳、速效氮含量无显著影响。不同植被类型下表层土壤容重变化为:米油枝下土壤<桉树下土壤<草地<裸地。米油枝能显著降低表层土壤容重,而在不同坡位间无显著差异。不同植被类型下表层土壤对放牧的反应不同。放牧显著降低了桉树林下表层土壤有机碳和速效氮的含量,对米油枝和草本植物覆被下表层土壤性质的影响不显著。 相似文献
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内蒙古荒漠化草地土壤碳、氮养分及土壤呼吸的空间异质性研究 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
There is a limited knowledge of spatial heterogeneity in soil nutrients and soil respiration in the semi-arid and arid grasslands of China. This study investigated the spatial differences in soil nutrients and soil respiration among three desertified grasslands and within two shrub-dominated communities on the Ordos Plateau of Inner Mongolia, China in 2006. Both soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) were significantly different (P < 0.01) among the three desertified grasslands along a degradation gradient. Within the two shrub-dominated communities, the SOC and TN contents decreased with increasing distance from the main stems of the shrub, and this “fertile island” effect was most pronounced in the surface soil. The total soil respirations during the growing season were 131.26, 95.95, and 118.66 g C m-2, respectively, for the steppe, shrub, and shrub-perennial grass communities. The coefficient of variability of soil respiration was the highest in the shrub community and lowest in the steppe community. CO2 effluxes from the soil under the canopy of shrub were significantly higher than those from the soil covered with biological crusts and the bare soil in the interplant spaces in the shrub community. However, soil respiration beneath the shrubs was not different from that of the soil in the inter-shrub of the shrub-perennial grass community. This is probably due to the smaller shrub size. In the two shrub-dominated communities, spatial variability in soil respiration was found to depend on soil water content and C:N ratio. 相似文献
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Edward W. Bork Lisa L. Raatz Cameron N. Carlyle Daniel B. Hewins Karen A. Thompson 《Soil Use and Management》2020,36(3):387-399
Grassland management aimed at enhancing carbon (C) in soil is an important tool in mitigation of rising atmospheric CO2, yet little is known of how grassland soil C changes with livestock stocking rate (SR). We relate soil organic and inorganic C mass (t ha−1 to 60 cm depth) with cattle stocking over periods of 7–27 year for 32 paddocks distributed across nine community pastures in the mixed-grass prairie of Saskatchewan, Canada. Initial analysis comparing Akaike information criterion models showed that cattle SR explained a greater proportion of variance in soil C, particularly soil organic C, than rainfall. Soil organic C mass increased with cattle SR (R2 = .293; p = .001), even when the latter was normalized to account for differences in vegetation composition and growing conditions among pastures. Normalized SR varied from 0.49 to 2.30 times recommended levels, over which SOC increased from 24.7 to 57.4 t ha−1. Increases in soil organic C under greater stocking coincided with increased abundance of introduced vegetation, particularly the rhizomatous grass Poa pratensis. Inorganic soil C accounted for 34.6% of total soil C, being particularly large below 30 cm soil depth, but did not vary with stocking rate. These findings indicate that both organic and inorganic C are important pools of C in northern temperate grassland soils, with soil organic C positively associated with long-term cattle SR. Further studies are recommended to understand more fully the mechanisms regulating grazing impacts on soil C mass in northern temperate grasslands. 相似文献
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《Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis》2012,43(15):1878-1886
ABSTRACTResearch for nutrient optimization and crop nutrient use efficiency requires precise control on soil nutrient status. While nutrient-depleted soils are preferable to artificial soils or hydroponics, reliable and affordable methods for nutrient removal are lacking. We report the systematic standardization and validation of a simple method to wash soil with purified deionized water for the removal of nutrients such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and organic carbon. Sandy soil was washed with RO water (1:1, w/v) followed by several washes with Type 1 ultrapure water (2:1, w/v) and tested after each wash for the removal of organic carbon, N, P, K, and Ca. After seven washes, total dissolved solids (TDS) were reduced to 5 ppm, conductivity to 10 µS, organic carbon content was reduced by 78%, while N by 19.5%, P by 30%, K by 48% and Ca by 29%. Two genotypes of rice were grown for full life cycle under normal and low N fertilizer (urea) levels to demonstrate that soil depleted with nutrients by our method supports normal plant growth in the greenhouse and allows experiments impossible under field conditions. Precise control on the nutrient status of the soil by our method also helped demonstrate yield differences between genotypes and N regimes and also that higher grain yields can be obtained with low nitrogen (N) input. Thus, our method facilitates better design of experiments for precise determination of nutrient requirements for crop growth and nutrient use efficiency. 相似文献
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[目的]为探究磷输入如何调节大气氮沉降对土壤团聚体有机碳含量及碳与磷关系的影响。[方法]在常绿阔叶林土壤建立长达6年(2015—2021年)的养分添加长期监测试验平台,包括4个处理:对照[P0+N0,P0 kg/(hm2·a)+N0 kg/(hm2·a)]、氮添加[P0+N100,P0 kg/(hm2·a)+N100 kg/(hm2·a)]、磷输入[P50+N0,P50 kg/(hm2·a)+N0 kg/(hm2·a)]以及氮磷同时输入[P50+N100,P50 kg/(hm2·a)+N100 kg/(hm2·a)],各处理设3次重复,共计12个样地。于2021年8月采集样地0—10 cm土层土壤样品,测定基础理化性质、土壤粒径分布规律、不同粒径土壤团聚体磷组分及有机碳(SOC)含量。[结果](1)P0处理下,氮添加显著增加大团聚体占比,减少黏粒和粉粒含量,提高各团聚体粒径中SOC含量;氮添加分别显著降低和增加团... 相似文献
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Yan Fang Ze Huang Zeng Cui Hong‐Hua He Yu Liu 《Land Degradation u0026amp; Development》2021,32(1):374-386
Obtaining sustainable high yield and suitable soil nutrient management is crucial for cultivate alfalfa grassland. However, the information on the trade‐offs between soil nutrient and productivity of alfalfa grassland following long‐term cultivation under intensive agricultural management is scare. Six alfalfa grasslands of different ages under a highly intensive agricultural management system were chosen for this study. It was shown that long‐term planting of alfalfa reduced soil nutrients overall. In the 0–100, 100–200, and 200–300 cm layers, the highest values of soil organic carbon (SOC), soil total nitrogen (TN), and soil total phosphorus (TP) content were observed in one‐year‐old alfalfa grassland. SOC, TN, and TP contents in each 100 cm soil layers linearly declined with increasing stand age, and decreasing rates of SOC and TN (4.31 and 0.03 g kg−1 yr−1) in the 0–100 cm layer were higher than other two soil layers. The SOC storage (SOCS) and TN storage (TNS) in 0–20 cm soil were significantly higher than other soil profiles in six alfalfa grasslands of different ages. SOCS and TNS in 0–100 cm, especially in upper 40 cm soil, decreased over time until the fourth year, and gradually increased in the fifth and sixth years. While in the third and fourth years, productivity reached peak value (3.13 and 3.12 t ha−1), and then reduced. Correlation analysis showed productivity was significantly negatively correlated with SOCS and TNS in 0–100 cm soil depth. The decline in soil nutrients affected alfalfa growth and then feedback its productivity, and the optimal stand age of alfalfa grasslands should not be longer than 6 years for the limitation of soil nutrient, especially SOC storage. To acquire sustainable high productivity of artificial alfalfa grassland, our study suggested that more organic and nitrogen/phosphorus fertilizers should be applied to the upper soil layer beginning in the third year after planting. 相似文献
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Abstract. Artificial urine containing 20.2 g N per patch of 0.2 m2 was applied in May and September to permanent grassland swards of a long‐term experiment in the western uplands of Germany (location Rengen/Eifel), which were fertilized with 0, 120, 240, 360 kg N ha?1 yr?1 given as calcium ammonium nitrate. The effect on N2O fluxes measured regularly during a 357‐day period with the closed‐chamber technique were as follows. (1) N2O emission varied widely among the fertilized control areas without urine, and when a threshold water‐filled pore space >60% was exceeded, the greater the topsoil nitrate content the greater the flux from the individual urine patches on the fertilized swards. (2) After urine application in May, 1.4–4.2% of the applied urine‐N was lost as N2O from the fertilized swards; and after urine application in September, 0.3–0.9% of the applied urine‐N was lost. The primary influence on N2O flux from urine patches was the date of simulated grazing, N‐fertilization rate being a secondary influence. (3) The large differences in N2O emissions between unfertilized and fertilized swards after May‐applied urine contrasted with only small differences after urine applied in September, indicating an interaction between time of urine application and N‐fertilizer rate. (4) The estimated annual N2O emissions were in the range 0.6–1.6 kg N2O‐N per livestock unit, or 1.4, 3.6, 4.1 and 5.1 kg N2O‐N ha?1 from the 0–360 kg ha?1 of fertilizer‐N. The study demonstrated that date of grazing and N‐fertilizer application could influence the N2O emission from urine patches to such an extent that both factors should be considered in detailed large‐scale estimations of N2O fluxes from grazed grassland. 相似文献
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Habtamu Degefa Motuma Tolera Dong-Gill Kim Wolde Mekuria 《Land Degradation u0026amp; Development》2023,34(7):2073-2087
Effects of exclosures on restoring degraded lands may vary with soil type, exclosure age, and conditions before the establishment of exclosures. Yet, studies investigating the effectiveness of exclosures in restoring degraded lands under different environmental conditions are lacking. This study aims at investigating the changes in woody species richness and diversity, and ecosystem carbon stocks after implementing exclosures in the Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia. Vegetation and soil data were gathered from 120 nested plots established in exclosures of eight and 30-years-old and adjacent grazing lands. Results showed that exclosures contained a higher number of economically important woody species compared to their respective adjacent grazing lands. However, the exclosures and respective adjacent grazing lands did not differ significantly in the diversity of tree and shrub species, and both the exclosures and adjacent grazing lands were dominated by few tree and shrub species. The older exclosure (30 years old) displayed significantly (p < 0.01) higher soil organic carbon and soil total nitrogen content and stocks than the adjacent grazing land, whereas the youngest exclosure (8 years old) did not show a significant difference in these variables. The results suggest that a longer time (e.g., ≥10 years) is needed to detect significant differences in soil organic carbon and total soil nitrogen. However, exclosures could bring considerable changes in woody species density in a relatively shorter period (e.g., ≤10 years) and support to restore degraded native woody species. 相似文献
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The impacts of tillage and cropping sequences on soil organic matter and nutrients have been frequently reported to affect the uppermost soil layers, but there is little published information concerning effects at greater depth. This article reports results on the distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC), active carbon (AC), N, Olsen‐P and extractable K within 100 cm in short (4 yr) and long (16 yr) term experiments under different tillage systems. Short (TT4) and long (TT16) traditional tillage are compared with conservation tillage, reduced (RT16) and non‐tillage (NT4). The results show more accumulation of SOC in the near‐surface under RT16 and NT4 in both experiments compared with traditional tillage. Moreover, greater C content occurs to 40 cm depth in the long‐term experiment. The results demonstrate the importance of time on C accumulation, not only in near‐surface layers but also at greater depths. Active C is an indicator of the increase in soil quality in the long‐term experiment. This trend is only apparent for the first 10 cm in the short‐term experiment. Patterns in N, Olsen‐P and extractable K are similar to that of SOC. However, only extractable K is significantly greater in soil under conservation tillage (RT16 and NT4) after short and long periods. Potassium availability is a good indicator of the changes caused by tillage. Our results indicate that studies of soils at depth could be very useful in long‐term experiments to demonstrate the effect of conservation tillage on C and nutrient distribution. 相似文献
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土壤有机碳氮是土壤肥力的关键因素,有机物料施用是提高土壤有机碳氮的有效措施。研究和比较了不同有机物料输入对土耕层(0—20 cm)土壤有机碳、全氮、可溶性有碳氮及0—200 cm剖面土壤硝态氮和含水量分布变化的后效作用。结果表明,停止施入有机物料两年后,与对照(CK)相比,秸秆与氮磷肥配施(SNP)和生物炭与氮磷肥配施(BNP)的表层(0—20 cm)土壤有机碳(SOC)分别提高了29.5%和29.8%(p<0.05);氮磷肥(NP)、有机肥与氮磷肥配施(MNP)、秸秆与氮磷肥配施(SNP)和生物炭与氮磷肥配施(BNP)的表层土壤全氮含量较CK分别提高了22.0%,14.3%,24.2%和26.4%(p<0.05)。BNP处理的土壤可溶性有机碳(DOC)显著高于其他处理(p<0.05),分别比CK,NP,MNP和SNP提高了23.4%,10.9%,21.3%,20.5%;所有施肥处理的土壤可溶性有机氮(DON)均显著高于CK(p<0.05),分别提高了39.3%,29.3%,34.5%和52.3%。与CK相比,各施肥处理显著提高了表层土壤硝态氮含量(p<0.05),增加了0—100 cm土层的硝态氮累积量。与NP处理相比,MNP和SNP显著提高了0—200 cm土层的硝态氮累积量(p<0.05),而BNP则差异不显著。相比CK,施肥处理(NP,MNP,SNP,BNP)可显著提高0—20 cm土层的含水量,增加0—40 cm土层的储水量,且BNP处理显著高于SNP和MNP。总体而言,生物炭在提高和维持表层土壤肥力以及降低剖面硝态氮淋溶风险等方面的后效作用显著优于秸秆和有机肥,是陕西关中地区旱地土上一种较好的有机物料施用方式。 相似文献
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以空间代替时间的方法,通过对宁夏荒漠草原不同沙漠化阶段土壤有机碳(SOC)和无机碳(SIC)的研究,探讨荒漠草原沙漠化对土壤SIC、SOC及不同粒径组分土壤SIC、SOC分布特征的影响。结果表明:(1)随着荒漠草原沙漠化程度的加剧,0—10cm土层各粒径组分土壤SIC和SOC含量呈下降趋势。半固定沙地和流动沙地各粒径组分土壤SIC含量均表现为黏粉粒无机碳(CSIC)>细砂粒无机碳(FIC)>粗砂粒无机碳(CIC),而SOC含量均表现为细砂粒有机碳(FOC)>粗砂粒有机碳(COC)>黏粉粒有机碳(CSOC)。(2)随着荒漠草原沙漠化程度的加剧,0—30cm土层土壤无机碳(SICD)、土壤有机碳(SOCD)和土壤总碳(STCD)密度均表现为荒漠草原>固定沙地>半固定沙地>流动沙地。固定沙地、半固定沙地和流动沙地土壤SOCD、SICD分别比荒漠草原降低了18.5%,57.7%,60.5%和6.7%,35.9%,47.0%。(3)0—10cm土层各粒径组分土壤SOC和SIC含量、全土SOC含量与0—30cm土层SOC和SIC均呈显著正相关关系,其中土壤粗砂粒有机碳和粗砂粒无机碳对SOC影响最大,而土壤黏粉粒有机碳和黏粉粒无机碳与全土SIC含量呈显著负相关关系。因此,沙漠化防治对于减少荒漠草原土壤碳损失极为重要。 相似文献
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不同放牧强度下荒漠草原土壤有机碳及其δ~(13)C值分布特征 总被引:3,自引:0,他引:3
以内蒙古短花针茅荒漠草原为研究对象,通过测定不同载畜率下土壤部分理化性质、土壤有机碳含量和δ~(13)C值.探讨随放牧强度增加土壤有机碳深度分布和δ~(13)C值的组成差异特征.结果显示:随深度增加.有机碳含量呈线性急剧降低,变化范围在16.17~6.26 g/kg之间,而土壤有机碳的δ~(13)C值不断增大.变化范围在-22.5‰~-14.3‰.放牧对土壤有机碳的影响主要在0-20 cm土层,且放牧强度越大,有机碳含量越低,有机质分解程度越大,δ~(13)C值越偏正,δ~(13)C值的深度变化特征还表明.土壤剖面形成发育过程中当地气候和植被发生了很大的变化,可能实现了由C_4植物占优势向C_3植物占优势的变迁. 相似文献
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Tao Zhang Bing Song Guangxuan Han Huili Zhao Qiuli Hu Ying Zhao Haojie Liu 《Land Degradation u0026amp; Development》2023,34(11):3340-3349
The reclamation of coastal wetlands for agriculture has expanded considerably over the last 40 years in China. Wetland reclamation could substantially alter soil properties, but so far, a systematic analysis of the changes in soil chemical elements after reclamation is missing on a national scale. In this study, we synthesized 418 pairs of data from 41 experimental studies and investigated the responses of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) contents to coastal wetlands reclamation in China. The results showed that SOC significantly decreased by 24.77% after reclamation, while TN and TP were significantly increased by 23.57% and 13.55%, respectively. The changes in SOC, TN, and TP after reclamation of coastal wetlands mainly occurred in the 0–40 cm soil layer but not in the deep soil layer. For different land use types, SOC was significantly reduced by 49.48%, 44.57%, and 32.91% after reclaiming wetlands to woodlands, paddy fields, and drylands, respectively. TN and TP were significantly increased by 32.22% and 13.54% after the reclamation of wetlands to drylands, respectively. The reclamation duration also had significant effects on those elements. Specifically, SOC gradually decreased with increasing reclamation duration, while TN and TP increased with the increased reclamation duration. Anthropogenic factors, such as land use types and reclamation duration, rather than climatic factors, dominated changes in SOC, TN, and TP contents after coastal reclamation. Further, our study showed a significant SOC reduction following reclamation, and given the importance of coastal blue carbon, it is essential to reduce wetland reclamation to protect coastal blue carbon. 相似文献
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[目的]通过探讨草地开垦为耕地后土壤团聚体及有机碳的变化规律,为内蒙古自治区四子王旗土地利用方式优化及草原保护提供理论依据。[方法]以内蒙古四子王旗农牧交错带栗钙土、灰褐土和草甸土3种土壤类型下草地和耕地为研究对象,对0—10cm土层土壤团聚体组成、土壤有机碳、各粒径团聚体有机碳含量和各粒径团聚体对有机碳的贡献率进行了对比分析。[结果]栗钙土和灰褐土耕地与同地点草地相比,粒径3mm和0.25~3mm的团聚体含量减少,而≤0.25mm粒径团聚体含量增加,土壤有机碳和各粒径团聚体有机碳含量均有所降低,有机碳储存的主体由3mm粒径团聚体向0.25~3mm粒径团聚体转化,非团聚体对有机碳的贡献率上升;草甸土草地土壤结构性差,有机碳含量较低,主要是出现盐化现象所致,但是开垦为耕地后,受有机肥长期施入和耕作的影响,其各项指标均有所改善。[结论]栗钙土和灰褐土草地在开垦为耕地后,土壤结构退化,有机碳稳定性下降。但是,根据实际情况开垦研究区内盐化草甸土草地进行农田耕作是可行的。 相似文献
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黄土丘陵区不同恢复年限对天然草地土壤碳库动态的影响 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
[目的]揭示不同恢复年限的天然草地土壤碳库动态变化及其剖面分布特征,全面认识和理解天然草地恢复下土壤有机库、无机碳库的动态特征。[方法]采用野外调查与室内试验分析相结合的方法,以农田为对照,对黄土丘陵区不同恢复年限(11,16,22和35a)的天然草地土壤有机碳(SOC)、无机碳(SIC)、总碳(STC)的动态变化及其剖面分布特征进行了探讨。[结果](1)天然草地恢复过程中表层(0—10cm)SOC含量随植被恢复年限显著增加,下层(10—100cm)SOC含量随植被恢复年限变化不明显;0—100cm土层SOC储量呈先减少后增加趋势,但仍未达到农田SOC储量的水平。(2)天然草地0—20cm土层SIC含量呈相对脱钙现象,0—100cm土层SIC库储量约为SOC库储量的2.7~4.5倍。土壤无机碳库随植被恢复年限的增加无明显变化,但SIC的剖面分布深度发生改变。(3)土壤总碳库随恢复年限增加无明显变化,0—100cm土层SIC储量在STC库中所占比例约为75.6%~86.0%。[结论]短时间内天然草地的土壤碳汇效应并不明显,碳库增汇效应需要长期的过程。 相似文献
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不合理的垦殖是造成土壤退化的主要原因之一。为了揭示垦殖对高寒草地土壤有机氮组分变化特征的影响,以垦殖1,3,10,16,27,40年后的川西北高寒草地为研究对象,以未垦殖的天然草地为对照,通过土壤采样与分析,研究了垦殖对川西北高寒草地酸解性全氮、酸解铵态氮、氨基糖态氮、氨基酸态氮、酸解未知氮和酸不溶性氮变化特征的影响。结果表明:在川西北高寒草地垦殖过程中,随着垦殖年限的增加,引起了酸解性全氮、酸解铵态氮、氨基糖态氮、氨基酸态氮、酸解未知氮和酸不溶性氮含量的显著下降(P0.05),特别是在0—20cm土层,分别降低了72.15%,62.72%,66.08%,63.44%,94.00%,51.78%。有机氮组分中下降程度最大的是酸解未知氮。从不同垦殖年限看,酸解性全氮、酸解铵态氮、氨基糖态氮、氨基酸态氮、酸解未知氮和酸不溶性氮含量下降主要发生在垦殖前10年,随着垦殖年限的增加年平均减少率逐渐降低。因此,减少高寒草地垦殖对于促进川西北高原生态系统平衡和高寒草地可持续发展具有重要意义。 相似文献
20.
Zhiming Guo Xinyu Zhang Sophie M. Green Jennifer A.J. Dungait Xuefa Wen Timothy A. Quine 《Land Degradation u0026amp; Development》2019,30(16):1916-1927
The “Grain for Green Programme” was implemented in the 1990s as a solution to the extreme degradation of karst landscapes that cover one‐third of China, largely caused by decades of poorly managed intensive agriculture. The recovery of soil functions is key to the success of ecosystem regeneration of abandoned croplands where the carbon (C) and nutrient cycles have been severely perturbed by cultivation. However, an ecological ‘tipping point’ beyond which soil functions are unrecoverable in manageable timescales may have been passed in the fragile, subtropical karst ecosystem. The aim of this study was to use the activity of key enzymes for C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) acquisition in the soil as a proxy for the biological response to vegetation restoration after agricultural abandonment in a severely degraded karst catchment at the Karst Critical Zone Observatory in Guizhou Province. In 2016, a space‐for‐time approach was used to establish a chronosequence of vegetation recovery: sloping cropland < recently abandoned sloping cropland < shrubland < secondary (regenerated) forest < primary (natural) forest. Soils were sampled from the surface to the bedrock (up to 80‐cm depth) in each recovery phase. The activity of all enzymes in the top 0 to 30‐cm depth increased after abandonment and was positively correlated with soil nutrient and water contents. Nitrogen deficiencies were indicated by the reduced ratios of C‐ relative to N‐hydrolase activity and the increased ratios of N‐ relative to P‐hydrolase activity in the abandoned croplands and shrublands. Phosphorus deficiencies were indicated by the reduced ratios of N‐ relative to P‐hydrolase activity and C‐ relative to P‐hydrolase activity in the soils of the shrubland and secondary forest compared with the primary forest. Our results revealed that near‐to‐natural biological soil function was recoverable as vegetation naturally restored and suggested that the rate of recovery may be accelerated by managed nutrient amendments during the early stages after abandonment. This new information may help to inform the managed regeneration of degraded agricultural land in nutrient‐poor, subtropical environments. 相似文献