Archaeal populations in biological soil crusts from arid lands in North America

Archaea are common and abundant members of biological soil crust communities across large-scale biogeographic provinces of arid North America. Regardless of microbial community development, archaeal populations averaged 2 × 10⁷ 16S rRNA gene copies per gram of soil, representing around 5% of the prokaryotic (total calculated bacterial and archaeal) numbers assessed by quantitative-PCR. In contrast, archaeal diversity, determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprinting and clone libraries of 16S rRNA genes, was very restricted. Only six different phylotypes (all Crenarchaea) were detected, three of which were very dominant. Some phylotypes were widespread, while others were typical of Southern desert areas.     

Successional trajectories of soil nematode and plant communities in a chronosequence of ex-arable lands

Conversion of arable land into semi-natural grassland or heath land is a common practice for restoring and conserving plant diversity. However, little is known about the effectiveness of land conversion for restoring and conserving taxonomic and functional diversity in the soil. We studied soil nematode community development in a chronosequence of abandoned fields and related this to plant community development. The taxonomic and functional composition of the soil nematode community was analyzed to detect changes in soil food web structure, using semi-natural sites and theoretical plant and soil communities as references.While plant communities clearly developed towards the semi-natural references, there was less direction in succession of nematode taxa. The number of fungal feeding nematodes increased after land abandonment. Numbers of omni-carnivorous nematodes expanded only during the first years, after which there were no substantial changes for the next three decades. Plant communities on the ex-arable fields developed towards the theoretical reference plant associations Galio hercynici-Festucetum ovinae and Genisto anglicae-Callunetum. Nematode communities developed away from a theoretical community indicative of arable land, but there was no clear development towards a theoretical (semi-)natural reference. Our results show that restoration and conservation of plant communities is of limited indicative value for developments belowground: successful restoration of plant diversity does not necessarily imply successful restoration of belowground diversity. Assessing the impact of conservation measures on restoring soil biodiversity requires information on belowground community composition of (semi-)natural areas in order to establish proper references for restoration sites.     

油蒿群落土壤碳酸钙和脱氢酶对土壤有机质的响应

Little attention has been paid to the role of soil organic matter (OM) in the formation of pedogenic carbonate in desert soils. The relationships among soil OM, soil dehydrogenase activity (DHA), and soil CaCO₃ in a plant community dominated by Artemisia ordosica, located on the eastern boundary of Tengger Desert in the Alxa League, Inner Mongolia, China, were studied to understand whether OM was directly involved in the formation of pedogenic carbonate. The results showed that DHA and CaCO₃ positively correlated with OM content, and DHA, OM, and CaCO₃ were correlated with each other in their spatial distribution, indicating that abundant OM content contributed to the formation of CaCO₃. Therefore, the formation of pedogenic CaCO₃ was a biotic process in the plant community dominated by A. ordosica.     

Changes in soil organic carbon stocks and soil quality: land-use system effects in northern Ethiopia

Abstract

In Tigray, Ethiopia, land degradation is a dominant environmental problem and hence the regional government has undertaken restoration measures on degraded soils since 1991. The present study was aimed to assess the impact of land uses and soil management practices on soil properties, and consequently on soil quality of degraded soils. The catchments selected were Maileba and Gum Selassa, and land uses included cultivated (CL), grazing (GL), plantation (PA) and area exclosure (AE). Replicated soil samples were collected from topsoil and profiles of four land-use types in both catchments. Soils in area exclosure showed higher soil organic carbon (SOC), total N and extractable K than grazing land, cultivated land and plantation area mainly at 0–40 cm soil depth. Estimated soil organic carbon stock at Maileba in 0–40 cm depth varied between 54 to 74 Mg C ha^?1, being lowest in cultivated land and highest in area exclosure, and the soil organic carbon stock in area exclosure represents 63% of total carbon stock stored in the profile. Soil organic carbon stock (0–40 cm) at Gum Selassa ranged between 33 to 38 Mg C ha^?1, being higher in cultivated land and lower in plantation area. Soil quality index (SQI) of area exclosure (0.794) at Maileba and cultivated land (0.721) at Gum Selassa scored highest among all land uses, and the order was area exclosure>grazing land>plantation area>cultivated land at Maileba and cultivated land>grazing land>plantation area at Gum Selassa, highlighting the effectiveness of area exclosure in restoring soil quality of degraded soils.     

Evaluation of coal combustion byproducts as soil liming materials: their influence on soil pH and enzyme activities

There is considerable interest in the use of coal combustion byproducts as soil liming materials in agricultural production, but there is concern that such use may be detrimental to the quality of agricultural soils. To evaluate these byproducts as liming materials and address issues related to soil quality, we compared the influence of different amounts of four combustion byproducts [fly ash and bed ash from a fluidized bed combustion furnace, lime-injected multistage burner residue, and spray dryer residue] and CaCO₃ on soil pH and activities of urease, phosphatase, arylsulfatase, and dehydrogenase in an acidic soil. Studies comparing the influence of the combustion byproducts and CaCO₃ on soil pH showed that on a weight basis of application, substantial differences were observed in the ability of these materials to influence soil pH but that such differences decreased markedly after the data were transformed to a CaCO₃ equivalent basis of application. Analysis of covariance for these transformed data indicated that whereas the liming abilities of fly ash and CaCO₃ were not significantly different when compared on the CaCO₃ equivalent basis, those of bed ash, multistage burner residue, and spray dryer residue were less than that of CaCO₃. Studies comparing the influence of the byproducts and CaCO₃ on soil enzyme activities showed that the effect of these liming materials on the enzyme activities studied was largely due to their influence on soil pH. The relationships obtained between soil pH and enzyme activities in soil amended with the liming materials generally demonstrated the marked similarities in the influence of the combustion byproducts and CaCO₃ on these activities when observed within the domain of soil pH. These studies showed that the combustion byproducts tested functioned as soil liming materials in a manner similar to that of CaCO₃ and seemed to have little adverse effect on soil quality.     

海南岛土壤质量系统评价与区域特征探析

研究建立了海南岛热带地区土壤质量系统评价模型 ,并对该岛土壤质量进行综合评价 ,结果表明海南岛土壤养分有效性为主要限制因子 ,水分有效性和根系适宜性状较好 ,土壤综合质量中等偏上。与林地相比其他土地利用方式土壤质量均有所下降     

乌兰布和沙漠东北部绿洲灌区水资源供需平衡及其承载力研究

根据乌兰布和沙漠东北部绿洲灌区存在多水源状况以及水资源的可供给量与需求量均与引黄水量有关的特点,以引黄水量为因素划分了2010年规划水平年的高中低3个方案,对绿洲灌区的水资源供给与需求量进行了分析评价。并在此基础上通过3个方案的水资源承载力平衡指数及绿洲规模、人口及人均GDP承载力等分量指数的度测,综合阐述了绿洲灌区的水资源承载力。     

荒漠草原土壤酶与土壤养分的动态研究

研究了内蒙古荒漠草原不同利用强度单元内土壤养分以及5种酶活性,并对土壤酶活性与土壤养分含量之间的相关性进行了分析。结果表明,草原的利用强度直接影响着草地的土壤养分状况和酶活性,轻度利用有利于土壤中5种酶活性的增加,重度利用则导致土壤转化酶和蛋白酶活性显著降低。轻度利用增加了土壤中有机质、全氮和全磷的含量,重度利用则导致土壤有机质、全磷、全氮和全钾含量降低。脲酶和多酚氧化酶的活性在年季内变化幅度较大。相关性分析表明,蛋白酶与各养分之间的相关性最大。     

Changes in soil nitrogen availability due to stand development and management practices on semi‐arid sandy lands,in northern China

Soil nitrogen (N) availability is one of the limiting factors for plant growth on sandy lands. Little is known about impacts of afforestation on soil N availability and its components in southeastern Keerqin sandy lands, China. In this study, we measured N transformation under sandy Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv.) plantations of different ages (grassland, young, middle‐aged, close‐to‐mature) and management practices (non‐grazing and free‐grazing) during the growing seasons using the ion exchange resin bag method. Results showed that, for all plots and growing season, soil NH‐N, NO‐N, mineral N, and relative nitrification index, varied from 0·18 to 1·54, 0·96 to 22·05, 1·23 to 23·58 µg d⁻¹ g⁻¹ dry resin, and 0·76 to 0·97, respectively, and NO‐N dominated the available N amount due to intense nitrification in these ecosystems. In general, the four indices significantly increased in the oldest plantation, with corresponding values in non‐grazing sites lower than those in free‐grazing sites (p < 0·05). Our studies indicated that it is a slow, extended process to achieve improvement in soil quality after afforestation of Mongolian pine in the study area. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A soil chronosequence in the semi-arid environment of Patagonia (Argentina)

Soil development with time was investigated on beach ridges with ages ranging from about 1380 to 6240 ¹⁴C-years BP at the eastern coast of central Patagonia. The main pedogenic processes are accumulation of organic matter and carbonate leaching and accumulation within the upper part of the soils. Soil formation is strongly influenced by incorporation of eolian sediments into the interstitial spaces between the gravel of which the beach ridges are composed. Different amounts of eolian material in the soils lead to differentiation into Leptosols (containing ≤ 10% fine earth in the upper 75 cm) and Regosols (containing > 10% fine earth). Soil depth functions and chronofunctions of organic carbon, calcium carbonate, pH, Ca:Zr, Mg:Zr, K:Zr, Na:Zr, Fe:Zr, Mn:Zr, and Si:Al (obtained from X-ray fluorescence analysis) were evaluated. To establish soil chronofunctions mean values of the horizon data of 0–10 cm below the desert pavement were used, which were weighted according to the horizon thicknesses. The depth function of pH shows a decrease towards the surface, indicating leaching of bases from the upper centimeters. Chronofunctions of pH show that within 6000 radiocarbon years of soil development pH drops from 7.0 to 6.6 in the Leptosols and from 8.1 to 7.5 in the Regosols. The higher pH of the Regosols is due to input of additional bases from the eolian sediments. Chronofunctions of Ca:Zr and K:Zr indicate progressive leaching of Ca and K in the Regosols, showing close relationships to time (R² = 0.972 and 0.995). Na leaching as indicated by decreasing Na:Zr ratios shows a strong correlation to time only in the Leptosols (R² = 0.999). Both, Leptosols and Regosols show close relationships to time for Fe:Zr (R² = 0.817 and 0.824), Mn:Zr (R² = 0.940 and 0.803), and Si:Al (0.971 and 0.977), indicating enrichment of Fe and Mn and leaching of Si. Leaching of mobile elements takes place on a higher level in the Regosols than in the Leptosols from the beginning of soil formation. Hence, a significant part of the eolian sediments must have been incorporated into the beach ridges very soon after their formation.     

Effect of long-term cropping systems on soil organic carbon pools and soil quality in western plain of hot arid India

Maintaining soil organic carbon (SOC) in arid ecosystem is important for soil productivity and restoration of deserted sandy soil in western plain of India. There is a need to understand how the cropping systems changes may alter SOC pools including total organic carbon (TOC), particulate organic C (POC), water soluble carbon (WSC), very labile C (VLC), labile C (LC), less labile C (LLC) and non-labile C (NLC) in arid climate. We selected seven major agricultural systems for this study viz., barren, fallow, barley–fallow, mustard–moth bean, chickpea–groundnut, wheat–green gram and wheat–pearl millet. Result revealed that conversion of sandy barren lands to agricultural systems significantly increased available nutrients and SOC pools. Among all studied cropping systems, the highest values of TOC (6.12 g kg^?1), POC (1.53 g kg^?1) and WSC (0.19 g kg^?1) were maintained in pearl millet–wheat system, while the lowest values of carbon pools observed in fallow and barren land. Strong relationships (P < 0.05) were exhibited between VLC and LC with available nutrients. The highest carbon management index (299) indicates that wheat–pearl millet system has greater soil quality for enhancing crop productivity, nutrient availability and carbon sequestration of arid soil.     

Land degradation and soil and water conservation in tropical highlands

Land degradation is not uniform, even in the same landscape, but nevertheless an overall consensus seems to grow on the fact that many areas are under way of rehabilitation. It is a debateable question whether the improving areas are improving because of interventions—or whether this has more to do with processes of innovation and adaptation. The international symposium ‘HighLand2006’ on land degradation and land rehabilitation, held in Mekelle (Ethiopia), from 21 to 25 September 2006, created a forum for those conducting research in East African Highlands as well as in similar regions around the globe to discuss findings. Tropical highlands (>1000 m a.s.l.) cover 4.5 million km² with an average population density of 33 inhabitants km⁻². Nearly all tropical highlands suffer from land degradation, especially medium to very high water erosion. Exchange of experiences during in-door sessions and excursions led to results which are condensed in this special issue. Studies presented tend to invalidate hypotheses on irreversibility of land degradation in tropical mountain areas. Circumstances are that in highly degraded environments, with high pressure on the land, no other alternatives are left open but to improve land husbandry; and that this is particularly successful in places where decision making processes at different levels in society give the highest priority to the implementation of soil and water conservation and other land rehabilitation, in situ and at catchment level.     

Geo-ecological soil features and the vegetation pattern in an arid dune area in the Northern Negev,Israel

Soils are suggested to be an important factor influencing the vegetation pattern. In order to prove this hypothesis in an arid and sandy Negev ecosystem of longitudinal dunes and interdune corridors near Nizzana, Israel, the distribution of soil units and plant communities were compared on a very small-distance level. The Nizzana site has a size of nearly 100 ha. 250 soil pits with 3–5 horizons were mapped and sampled within the soil geographical monitoring. Soil water capacity and cation exchange capacity were estimated from the field data. In addition 176 plots of 100 m² were established around the soil pits with emphasis on plants, coveting the environmental gradient across the dune ridges. Plant mapping plots were arranged into groups with the same dominating perennial species and a key for the vegetation mapping was developed. In the investigated desert site topography, soil surface crust, soil texture and salt content partly can explain the distribution of plant communities. A soil classification proposal is based on these parameters and is a useful tool to indicate correlations between soil units and the vegetation pattern. Nevertheless, dependent on topography and surface and/or subsurface water flow as well as the occurrence of “fertile islands” the moisture and nutrient regimes influence the vegetation pattern with respect to plant growth to a greater extent than the soils themselves.     

耕作方式对干旱绿洲滴灌复播大豆农田土壤有机碳的影响

为探讨不同耕作措施对不同层次土壤碳的影响,从而评价出滴灌条件下最有利于复播大豆农田固碳的耕作方式,于2012-2014年开展了冬小麦收获后土壤采取翻耕覆膜(tillage plough,TP)、翻耕(tillage,T)、旋耕(rotary tillage,RT)和免耕(no-till,NT)4种不同耕作方式的复播大豆田间试验,研究麦后不同土壤耕作方式对复播大豆农田0~100 cm土层土壤容重、总有机碳(soil organic carbon,SOC)及碳库管理指数(carbon pool management index,CPMI)的影响。结果表明,各处理土壤SOC和易氧化有机碳(easily oxidized organic carbon,EOC)含量随着土层的加深基本呈不断下降趋势。免耕、旋耕处理显著增加了表层0~10 cm土壤的SOC和EOC含量,而TP处理显著增加了耕层20~30 cm的SOC和EOC含量,60~100 cm土层TP处理的SOC含量显著低于其他处理,但各处理间EOC含量差异不显著;土壤容重与总有机碳含量呈显著负相关关系(P0.01);0~60 cm土层不同耕作方式CPMI平均值以免耕处理最高,分别比旋耕、翻耕覆膜、翻耕处理的增加了4.41%、9.90%、22.06%,表明免耕、旋耕能够提高0~60 cm土壤的总体CPMI,而耕翻覆膜显著提高20~30 cm耕层土壤CPMI值。该研究为干旱绿洲滴灌条件下选择最有利于复播大豆农田固碳的耕作方式提供了理论依据。     

干旱沙漠区小麦田水肥管理效率模拟

干旱沙漠区小麦田水肥管理效率模拟试验研究结果表明,在干旱沙漠区30cm厚的黄河灌淤沙地中进一步降低灌溉标准至田间持水量的40%以下是可能的,更低的灌溉标准将有利于提高小麦的水分利用效率,并降低渗漏损失率.在目前施有效氮、磷、钾总量＜800kg/hm2的水平下,施肥差异不会导致水分渗漏、蒸发和小麦对水分利用比例的差异,但小麦籽粒产量随施肥量的增加而增加.0.12kg/m3的高肥水指数(有效氮、磷、钾施用总量/灌水总量)可获得近5500kg/hm2小麦籽粒产量和约0.74kg/m3的水分生产率.     

Sedimentary and diagenetic features in saline lake deposits of the Monegros region, northern Spain

The Monegros region in northern Spain is marked by the occurrence of a large number of ephemeral to dry lake basins, occupying small karstic depressions. The lacustrine sediment fill of these basins contain various carbonate and silicate minerals whose origin and palaeoenvironmental significance is poorly understood. For the present study, 14 lake basins were sampled in order to establish vertical, lateral and regional variations in mineralogical and textural characteristics, aimed at determining the mode of formation of the various mineral phases present. In nearly all basins, the same sequence of three lithological units is recognized, including a basal clayey unit, a middle magnesite-bearing and gypsum-rich unit, and a calcite- and dolomite-dominated surface unit. Distribution patterns of carbonate minerals indicate that magnesite is a synsedimentary precipitate, dolomite formed as a diagenetic authigenic phase, and calcite is partly authigenic and partly allogenic. All clay minerals, including sepiolite and smectite, appear to be allogenic. Regional variations are marked by similarities between groups of neighbouring basins, but no overall trend related to regional drainage patterns is recognized. The middle lithological unit records a lake stage with predominantly chemical sedimentation (Unit II), overlying a less well documented interval corresponding to a perennial lake stage with lower salinity (Unit III), whereas the surface unit formed during a period with predominantly clastic sedimentation. Based on a comparison with other regional records, the middle unit is attributed to an Early Holocene humid stage, separated from the overlying Late Holocene deposits by a hiatus that corresponds to a Mid Holocene arid stage.     

Influence of management practices on soil organic matter changes in the Northern China plain and Northeastern China

Soil organic matter (SOM) is strongly related to soil type and management practices. Changes in government policy have brought drastic changes in farm management practices in the last two decades in rural China. This study investigates changes in SOM in two different soils: Ustepts and Udolls. Ustepts, in the North China Plain where the climate is warm and sub-humid, developed from an alluvial flood plain with organic matter <10 g kg⁻¹. Udolls, in Northeastern China where the climate is cool and sub-humid, developed from loess-like materials with organic matter >20 g kg⁻¹. Two locations for Ustepts and three locations for Udolls were used to collect 567 soil samples in 1980–1982 and again in 2000 for SOM analysis. Soil organic matter increased for Ustepts and decreased for Udolls soils over the sampling period, resulting from differences in fertilizer rates and crop residue input to soil. Higher fertilizer input and crop intensity and initially very low SOM content in Ustepts all contributed to greater OM input than oxidation release. In contrast, lower fertilizer input and crop intensity, and initially high SOM content in the Udolls, led to lower OM input than oxidation release. Increasing SOM content through higher mineral fertilizer input is a valuable option for sustainable agriculture production in areas where SOM is low and there is a shortage or potential shortage of food supply.     

东北地区水土保持措施因子研究

 东北地区土壤流失日益严重,亟需了解各种措施的水土保持效果,为水土保持规划和土壤流失预报提供科学依据。利用4个小流域17个径流小区总计343次产流产沙观测资料,计算并比较了本区7种主要水土保持措施因子值。水平台田和水平坑的工程措施因子值分别为0.020和0.061;灌木梗和封禁的生物措施因子值分别0.054和0.363。大豆顺坡种植、横坡种植和地梗植物带的耕作措施因子值分别为0.624、0.257和0.186。研究成果可为应用土壤侵蚀模型进行土壤流失预报服务。     

The impact of subdivision and sedentarization of pastoral lands on wildlife in an African savanna ecosystem

This study looks at the impact of subdivision and sedentarization of pastoral lands on wildlife numbers and production in a savanna ecosystem of southern Kenya. The study uses aerial counts over a period of 33 years to compare changes in wildlife populations on two adjacent and ecologically similar Maasai group ranches. During the period under study, one group ranch was subdivided and settled. The other remained communally owned under shifting seasonal use. Wildlife populations decreased sharply on the privatized ranch following subdivision and increased steadily on the adjacent ranch where pastoralists continued mobile pastoralism. The results of multivariate analysis show that sedentarization and settlement distribution accounts for wildlife declines on the subdivided ranch. Both the direct displacement of wildlife and the reduction in grass production following a switch from seasonal to permanent grazing associated with sedentarization are discussed as causes of wildlife loss. Given the demand for title deeds among pastoralists to counter land losses, the resulting sedentarization is likely to become the biggest threat to wildlife in the East African savannas.