Changes in Soil Aggregate Fractions, Stability, and Associated Organic Carbon and Nitrogen in Different Land Use Types in the Loess Plateau, China
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Overview of the Study Area
2.2. Sample Collection
2.3. Sample Treatment
2.3.1. Sieving of Aggregates
2.3.2. Determination of Chemical Indexes
2.4. Data Processing
3. Results
3.1. Influence of Ecological Restoration on Soil Aggregate Size Distribution
3.2. Effect of Ecological Restoration on the Content of Soil-Aggregate-Associated SOC
3.3. Effect of Ecological Restoration on the Total Nitrogen of Soil Aggregates
3.4. The Effect of Ecological Restoration on the Stability of Soil Aggregates
3.5. Evaluation of the Stability Factors of Soil Aggregates
4. Discussion
4.1. Analysis of the Difference in Soil-Aggregates-Associated SOC and TN under Ecological Restoration
4.2. Analysis of Factors Influencing the Stability of Soil Aggregates under Ecological Restoration
4.3. The Formation Mechanism of Soil Aggregates under Ecological Restoration
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Land Use | Longitude | Latitude | Altitude/m | Slope/° | Plant Family | Coverage/Crown Density/% | Slope Aspect | Characteristics |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cultivated land/CL | 37°35′38.4″ | 110°21′30.8″ | 1066 | 38 | Gramineae | 20 | Semi-shady | SF is mainly cultivated sorghum, planting system for sorghum—winter— sorghum, ploughed, extensive human disturbance, no fertilisation. |
Woodland/WL | 37°35′33.6″ | 110°20′52.5″ | 985 | 25 | Pinaceae | 60 | Semi-shady | The tree heights are more than 6 m, artificial cultivation, pine the main tree species for the woodland, ≥30-y planting period since 1990s, no human disturbance. |
Grassland/GR | 37°35′24.4″ | 110°20′22.6″ | 966 | 30 | Gramineae | 86 | Semi-shady | Grass coverage >90%, artificial cultivation, mainly white Aegilops tauschii, 20-y planting period, no human disturbance. |
Shrub land/SH | 37°35′15.0″ | 110°21′43.5″ | 1030 | 12 | Asteraceae | 68 | Semi-shady | Shrub height of about 1 m, main vegetation is Artemisia capillaris, 20-y planting period, no human disturbance. |
Terrace/TE | 37°35′40.1″ | 110°21′33.2″ | 1036 | 4 | Rosaceae | 40 | Semi-shady | Planted apple + jujube, 30-y planting period, minor use of spray fertiliser, minimum human disturbance. |
Type | Depth (cm) | ||
---|---|---|---|
0–20 cm | 20 cm–40 cm | 40 cm–60 cm | |
Cultivated land | 1.03 ± 0.39 Ca | 1.44 ± 0.34 Ba | 0.75 ± 0.36 Ba |
Woodland | 3.16 ± 0.90 Aa | 2.00 ± 0.31 Ab | 1.92 ± 1.11 Ab |
Grassland | 3.26 ± 0.56 Aa | 1.56 ± 0.62 Bb | 1.08 ± 0.59 Bb |
Shrub land | 2.68 ± 0.30 Aa | 1.77 ± 0.87 Bb | 1.26 ± 0.42 Bb |
Terrace | 1.83 ± 0.91 Ba | 1.15 ± 0.51 Bb | 1.04 ± 0.25 Bb |
Land Use Types | Bulk Density (g·cm−3) | Ammonium Nitrogen (g·kg−1) | Nitrate Nitrogen (g·kg−1) | Available Phosphorus (g·kg−1) | Clay < 2 μm (%) | Silt 2 μm–50 μm (%) | Sand 50 μm–2 mm (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cultivated land | 1.21 ± 0.11 a | 8.14 ± 0.94 b | 0.77 ± 0.06 a | 0.13 ± 0.03 b | 0.28 ± 0.03 b | 27.70 ± 3.20 b | 72.00 ± 3.23 a |
Woodland | 1.40 ± 0.13 a | 9.92 ± 0.43 a | 0.75 ± 0.18 a | 0.17 ± 0.08 a | 0.25 ± 0.04 bc | 26.93 ± 3.70 b | 72.81 ± 3.74 a |
Grassland | 1.36 ± 0.12 a | 10.03 ± 0.36 a | 0.59 ± 0.15 a | 0.09 ± 0.02 ab | 0.46 ± 0.13 a | 33.60 ± 5.29 a | 65.93 ± 5.42 b |
Shrub land | 1.22 ± 0.09 a | 9.18 ± 0.22 a | 0.82 ± 0.06 a | 0.15 ± 0.02 ab | 0.19 ± 0.01 c | 26.28 ± 1.00 b | 73.51 ± 1.01 a |
Terrace | 1.28 ± 0.09 a | 9.56 ± 0.99 a | 0.35 ± 0.21 b | 0.09 ± 0.02 b | 0.27 ± 0.04 b | 28.87 ± 2.04 b | 70.84 ± 2.07 a |
Type | Influence Factor | p-Value | Contribution |
---|---|---|---|
MWD | Ecological restoration | 0.001 | 28.20% |
Depth | 0.001 | 17.80% | |
Ecological restoration × Depth | 0.490 | 5.90% | |
MWD | Total carbon | 0.223 | 7.70% |
Total nitrogen | 0.001 | 21.80% | |
Total carbon × Total nitrogen | 0.508 | 16.20% | |
SOC | Ecological restoration | 0.001 | 91.20% |
Depth | 0.001 | 96.80% | |
Ecological restoration × Depth | 0.001 | 92.90% | |
TN | Ecological restoration | 0.001 | 84.60% |
Depth | 0.001 | 85.70% | |
Ecological restoration × Depth | 0.001 | 77.30% |
Type | SOC | TN | MWD |
---|---|---|---|
SOC | 1 | 0.73 ** | −0.435 ** |
TN | 0.730 ** | 1 | −0.498 ** |
MWD | −0.435 ** | −0.498 ** | 1 |
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Zhang, Y.; Li, P.; Liu, X.; Xiao, L. Changes in Soil Aggregate Fractions, Stability, and Associated Organic Carbon and Nitrogen in Different Land Use Types in the Loess Plateau, China. Sustainability 2022, 14, 3963. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073963
Zhang Y, Li P, Liu X, Xiao L. Changes in Soil Aggregate Fractions, Stability, and Associated Organic Carbon and Nitrogen in Different Land Use Types in the Loess Plateau, China. Sustainability. 2022; 14(7):3963. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073963
Chicago/Turabian StyleZhang, Yi, Peng Li, Xiaojun Liu, and Lie Xiao. 2022. "Changes in Soil Aggregate Fractions, Stability, and Associated Organic Carbon and Nitrogen in Different Land Use Types in the Loess Plateau, China" Sustainability 14, no. 7: 3963. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14073963