Dataset Information

Soil C, N, P and K stoichiometry affected by vegetation restoration patterns in the alpine region of the Loess Plateau, Northwest China.

ABSTRACT: The Grain-for-Green project is an important ecological restoration measure to address the degradation of alpine ecosystems in China, which has an important impact on the ecological stoichiometry of soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). However, soil stoichiometry changes under different vegetation restoration patterns and at different soil depths remain poorly understood in the alpine region of the Loess Plateau. To clarify these soil stoichiometry changes, a 0-60 cm soil profile was sampled from two typical vegetation restoration patterns: grassland (GL) and forestland (FL), including Picea crassifolia (PC), Larix principis-rupprechtii (LR), Populus cathayana (PR) and Betula platyphylla (BP). The control was a wheat field (WF). In all soil layers, the soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), soil available nitrogen and potassium (AN and AK, respectively) and C:P, C:K, N:P and N:K ratios of FL were higher than those of GL and WF. The TN content and N:P and N:K ratios of GL were higher than those of WF in each soil layer. Additionally, the soil nutrients (except TK) of all vegetation types and stoichiometry of PR and GL (except the N:P ratio of GL) were greater at 0-20 cm than at 20-60 cm. Moreover, the SOC and TN showed the strongest correlation with the soil stoichiometry (except P:K ratio); thus, C and N had the greatest effect on the soil stoichiometry. Furthermore, soil fertility was limited by N. Our results indicated that different vegetation restoration patterns and soil depths had significant effects on the soil nutrients and stoichiometry in the alpine region of the Loess Plateau. The recovery of farmland to forestland promoted better improvements of soil nutrients, and PR had the most significant positive effect on soil surface nutrients.

SUBMITTER: Liu R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7644019 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Soil C, N, P and K stoichiometry affected by vegetation restoration patterns in the alpine region of the Loess Plateau, Northwest China.

Liu Ruosha R Wang Dongmei D

PloS one 20201105 11

The Grain-for-Green project is an important ecological restoration measure to address the degradation of alpine ecosystems in China, which has an important impact on the ecological stoichiometry of soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). However, soil stoichiometry changes under different vegetation restoration patterns and at different soil depths remain poorly understood in the alpine region of the Loess Plateau. To clarify these soil stoichiometry changes, a 0-60 cm s ...[more]

PMID: 33151996

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Project description:Artificial vegetation restoration can induce variations in accumulation and distribution of soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). However, little is known about variations in soil C, N and P nutrient fraction stratification following artificial vegetation in Loess Plateau China. Based on the hypothesis that re-vegetated can improve soil quality and stratification ratios (SR) can be used as an indicator to evaluate soil quality. This study measured contents and storages of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and their SRs in topsoil (0-20 cm) and subsoil (20-60 cm) in three 30-year re-vegetated lands that had been converted from arable land (Robinia pseudoacacia L., Caragana Korshinskii Kom. and abandoned cropland with low interferences and few management measures) and one slope cropland (SC) as a control for three soil profiles(0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm) from June 2009 to June 2013. The results showed that the contents and storages of SOC, TN and TP in re-vegetated land were significantly higher than those in the SC in both topsoil and subsoil. The storages of SOC, TN and TP in the topsoil (0-20 cm) of the re-vegetated lands increased by 16.2%-26.4%, 12.7%-28.4% and 16.5%-20.9%, respectively, and increased by smaller but significant amounts in subsoil from 2009 to 2013. The SRs for SOC, TN and TP in the re-vegetated lands were mostly >2 (either for 0-20:20-40 cm or 0-20:40-60 cm) and greater than that in the SC. The SRs showed an increasing trend with increasing restoration age. The results also showed that the land use type and soil depth were the most influential factors for the SRs and storages, and the SRs of SOC and TN had significantly positive correlations with their storages. The SRs were concluded to be a good indicator for evaluating the soil quality, which can be significantly enhanced through vegetation restoration. Moreover, vegetation restoration can significantly enhance SOC, TN and TP accumulation in both topsoil and subsoil.

Project description:BackgroundEcological stoichiometry (C:N:P ratios) in soil is an important indicator of the elemental balance in ecological interactions and processes. Long-term natural vegetation plays an important role in the accumulation and distribution of soil stoichiometry. However, information about the effects of long-term secondary forest succession on soil stoichiometry along a deep soil profile is still limited.MethodsWe selected Ziwuling secondary succession forest developed from farmland as the study area, investigated the concentrations and stoichiometry of soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) at a depth of 0-100 cm along a 90-year succession chronosequence, including farmland (control), grassland, shrub, early forest, and climax forest.ResultsSOC and TN concentrations significantly increased with increasing restoration age, whereas soil P concentration remained relatively stable across various successional stages. SOC and TN concentrations decreased with an increase in soil depth, exhibiting distinct soil nutrient "surface-aggregation" (high nutrients concentration in the top soil layer). The soil C:P and N:P ratios increased with an increase in restoration age, whereas the variation of the C:N ratio was small and relatively stable across vegetation succession. The nutrient limitation changed along with vegetation succession, transitioning from limited N in the earlier successional stages to limited P in the later successional stages.ConclusionOur results suggest that more nitrogen input should be applied to earlier succession stages, and more phosphorus input should be utilized in later succession stages in order to address limited availability of these elements. In general, natural vegetation restoration was an ecologically beneficial practice for the recovery of degraded soils in this area. The findings of this study strengthen our understanding of the changes of soil nutrient concentration and nutrient limitation after vegetation restoration, and provide a simple guideline for future vegetation restoration and reconstruction efforts on the Loess Plateau.

Project description:Global temperatures will continue to increase in the future. The ∼640,000-km2 Loess Plateau (LP) is a typical arid and semi-arid region in China. Similar regions cover ∼41% of the Earth, and its soils are some of the most severely eroded anywhere in the world. It is very important to understand the vegetation change and its ecological threshold under climate change on the LP for the sustainable development in the Yellow River Basin. However, little is known about how vegetation on the LP will respond to climate change and what is the sustainable threshold level of vegetation cover on the LP. Here we show that the temperature on the LP has risen 0.27 °C per decade over the past 50 years, a rate that is 30% higher than the average warming rate across China. During historical times, vegetation change was regulated by environmental factors and anthropogenic activities. Vegetation coverage was about 53% on the LP from the Xia Dynasty to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period. Over the past 70 years, however, the environment has gradually improved and the vegetation cover had increased to ∼65% by 2021. We forecast future changes of vegetation cover on the LP in 2030s, in 2050s and in 2070s using SDM (Species Distribution Model) under Low-emission scenarios, Medium-emission scenarios and High-emission scenarios. An average value of vegetation cover under the three emission scenarios will be 64.67%, 62.70% and 61.47%, respectively. According to the historical record and SDM forecasts, the threshold level of vegetation cover on the LP is estimated to be 53-65%. Currently, vegetation cover on the LP has increased to the upper limit of the threshold value (∼65%). We conclude that the risk of ecosystem collapse on the LP will increase with further temperature increases once the vegetated area and density exceed the threshold value. It is urgent to adopt sustainable strategies such as stopping expanding vegetation area and scientifically optimizing the vegetation structure on the LP to improve the ecological sustainability of the Yellow River Basin.

Dataset Information

Soil C, N, P and K stoichiometry affected by vegetation restoration patterns in the alpine region of the Loess Plateau, Northwest China.

Publications

Soil C, N, P and K stoichiometry affected by vegetation restoration patterns in the alpine region of the Loess Plateau, Northwest China.

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