Effects of Long-Term Enclosing on Vertical Distributions of Soil Physical Properties and Nutrient Stocks in Grassland of Inner Mongolia
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methodology
2.1. Study Site and Experimental Design
2.2. Sampling and Analysis
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Dry Matter of Green Plants and Litter
3.2. Soil Physical Properties
3.2.1. Soil Texture
3.2.2. Bulk Density, pH Value, and Electrical Conductivity
3.3. Soil Nutrient Stocks
3.3.1. Soil SOC, TN, TP, and TK Stocks
3.3.2. Soil Ca, Mg, and S Stocks
3.3.3. Soil AN, AP, and AK Stocks
3.4. Pearson Correlation among Soil Nutrients and Dry Matter of Green Plants and Litter
4. Discussion
4.1. Dry Matter of Green Plants and Litter
4.2. Soil Physical Properties
4.3. Soil Nutrient Stocks
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
- Hoffmann, C.; Giese, M.; Dickhoefer, U. Effects of grazing and climate variability on grassland ecosystem functions in Inner Mongolia: Synthesis of a 6 year grazing experiment. J. Arid Environ. 2016, 135, 50–63. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gao, Y.; He, N.; Yu, G.; Chen, W.; Wang, Q. Long-term effects of different land use types on C, N, and P stoichiometry and storage in subtropical ecosystems: A case study in China. Ecol. Eng. 2014, 67, 171–181. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Cao, J.; Gong, Y.; Yeh, E.T.; Holden, N.M.; Adamowski, J.F.; Deo, R.C.; Liu, M.; Zhou, J.; Zhang, J.; Zhang, W. Impact of grassland contract policy on soil organic carbon losses from alpine grassland on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Soil Use Manag. 2017, 33, 663–671. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Baudron, F.; Mamo, M.; Tirfessa, T.; Argaw, A. Impact of farmland exclosure on the productivity and sustainability of a mixed crop-livestock system in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2015, 207, 109–118. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Liu, J.; Zhang, Q.C.; Li, Y.; Di, H.J.; Xu, J.M.; Li, J.Y.; Guan, X.M.; Xu, X.Y.; Pan, H. Effects of pasture management on soil fertility and microbial communities in the semi-arid grasslands of Inner Mongolia. J. Soils Sediments 2016, 16, 235–242. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Frank, A.S.K.; Wardle, G.M.; Dickman, C.R.; Greenville, A.C. Habitat- and rainfall-dependent biodiversity responses to cattle removal in an arid woodland–grassland environment. Ecol. Appl. 2014, 24, 2013–2028. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Su, H.; Liu, W.; Xu, H.; Wang, Z.S.; Zhang, H.F.; Hu, H.X.; Li, Y.G. Long-term livestock exclusion facilitates native woody plant encroachment in a sandy semiarid rangeland. Ecol. Evol. 2015, 5, 2445–2456. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Deléglise, C.; Loucougaray, G.; Alard, D. Effects of grazing exclusion on the spatial variability of subalpine plant communities: A multiscale approach. Basic Appl. Ecol. 2011, 12, 609–619. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Jeddi, K.; Chaieb, M. Changes in soil properties and vegetation following livestock grazing exclusion in degraded arid environments of South Tunisia. Flora 2010, 205, 184–189. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Witt, G.B.; Noël, M.V.; Bird, M.I.; Beeton, R.J.S.; Menzies, N.W. Carbon sequestration and biodiversity restoration potential of semi-arid mulga lands of Australia interpreted from long-term grazing exclosures. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2011, 141, 108–118. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Luan, J.W.; Cui, L.J.; Xiang, C.H.; Wu, J.H.; Song, H.T.; Ma, Q.F.; Hu, Z.D. Different grazing removal exclosures effects on soil C stocks among alpine ecosystems in east Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. Ecol. Eng. 2014, 64, 262–268. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Pei, S.F.; Fu, H.; Wan, C.G. Changes in soil properties and vegetation following exclosure and grazing in degraded Alxades Gert steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2008, 124, 33–39. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hu, J.; Zhou, D.W.; Li, Q.; Wang, Q.C. Vertical distributions of soil nutrients and their stoichiometric ratios as affected by long term grazing and enclosing in a semi-arid grassland of Inner Mongolia. Agriculture 2020, 10, 382. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Shi, X.M.; Li, X.G.; Li, C.T.; Zhao, Y.; Shang, Z.H.; Ma, Q.F. Grazing exclusion decreases soil organic C storage at an alpine grassland of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Ecol. Eng. 2013, 57, 183–187. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Medina-Roldán, E.; Paz-Ferreiro, J.; Bardgett, R.D. Grazing exclusion affects soil and plant communities, but has no impact on soil carbon storage in an upland grassland. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2012, 149, 118–123. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Shan, Y.M.; Chen, D.M.; Guan, X.X. Seasonally dependent impacts of grazing on soil nitrogen mineralization and linkages to ecosystem functioning in Inner Mongolia grassland. Soil Biol. Biochem. 2011, 43, 1943–1954. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hoffmann, C.; Funk, R.; Wieland, R. Effects of grazing and topography on dust flux and deposition in the Xilingele grassland, Inner Mongolia. J. Arid. Environ. 2008, 72, 792–807. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Shang, W.; Wu, X.D.; Zhao, L.; Yue, G.Y.; Zhao, Y.H.; Qiao, Y.P.; Li, Y.Q. Seasonal variations in labile soil organic matter fractions in permafrost soils with different vegetation types in the central Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Catena 2016, 137, 670–678. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lu, R.K. Soil and Agricultural Chemistry Analysis Method; China Agriculture Science and Technique Press: Beijing, China, 2000. [Google Scholar]
- Chaudhari, S.K.; Singh, R.; Kundu, D.K. Rapid textural analysis for saline and alkaline soils with different physical and chemical properties. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 2008, 72, 431–441. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Yayneshet, T.; Eik, L.O.; Moe, S.R. The effects of exclosures in restoring degraded semi-arid vegetation in communal grazing lands in northern. Ethiopia. J. Arid. Environ. 2009, 73, 542–549. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chiaki, O.; Hayato, I.; Takuo, N. Plant community recovery from intense deer grazing depends on reduction of graminoids and the time after exclosure installation in a semi-natural grassland. Peerj 2019, 7, e7833. [Google Scholar]
- Cao, J.J.; Li, G.D.; Adamowski, J.F.; Holden, N.M.; Deo, R.C.; Hu, Z.Y.; Zhu, G.F.; Xu, X.Y.; Feng, Q. Suitable exclosure duration for the restoration of degraded alpine grasslands on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Land Use Policy 2019, 86, 261–267. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Yan, Y.C.; Tang, H.P.; Chang, R.Y.; Liu, L. Study on the difference of vegetation and soil in typical steppe communities under different fenced time. J. Arid Land Resour. Environ. 2008, 22, 145–151. [Google Scholar]
- Li, Z.Q.; Guo, X.L. Remote sensing of terrestrial non-photosyn thetic vegetation using hyperspectral, multispectral, SAR, and LiDAR data. Prog. Phys. Geog. 2016, 40, 276–304. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hewins, D.B.; Archer, S.R.; Okin, G.S.; McCulley, R.L.; Throop, H.L. Soil-litter mixing accelerates decomposition in a Chihuahuan desert grassland. Ecosystems 2013, 16, 183–195. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Garcia-Palacios, P.; Maestre, F.T.; Kattge, J.; Wall, D.H. Climate and litter quality differently modulate the effects of soil fauna on litter decomposition across biomes. Ecol. Lett. 2013, 16, 1045–1053. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Makarov, V.; Savvinov, G.; Gavrilieva, L.; Gololobova, A. The Effect of Grazing on the Temperature Regime of the Alas Soils of Central Yakutia. Land 2020, 9, 365. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Liu, J.H.; Wu, J.J.; Sua, H.B. Effects of grazing exclusion in Xilin Gol grassland differ between Regions. Ecol. Eng. 2017, 99, 271–281. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Tang, J.; Davy, A.J.; Jiang, D.M.; Musa, A.; Wu, D.F.; Wang, Y.C.; Miao, C.P. Effects of excluding grazing on the vegetation and soils of degraded sparse-elm grassland in the Horqin Sandy Land, China. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ. 2016, 235, 340–348. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Yan, Y.C.; Tang, H.P.; Zhang, X.S. Probe on grassland wind erosion based on the analysis of soil particle size. J. Desert Res. 2010, 30, 1263–1268. [Google Scholar]
- Li, Y.Q.; Zhao, H.L.; Zhao, X.Y.; Zhang, T.H.; Li, Y.L.; Cui, J.Y. Effects of grazing and livestock exclusion on soil physical and chemical properties in desertified sandy grassland, Inner Mongolia, northern China. Environ. Earth Sci. 2011, 63, 771–783. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Singer, F.J.; Schoenecker, K.A. Do ungulates accelerate or decelerate nitrogen cycling? For. Ecol. Manag. 2003, 181, 189–204. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Song, Z.L.; Wang, J.; Liu, G.B.; Zhang, C. Changes in nitrogen functional genes in soil profiles of grassland under long-term grazing prohibition in a semiarid area. Sci. Total Environ. 2019, 673, 92–101. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Yang, Y.H.; Fang, J.Y.; Tang, Y.H.; Ji, C.J.; Zheng, C.Y.; He, J.S.; Zhu, B. Stock, patterns and controls of soil organic carbon in the Tibetan grasslands. Glob. Chang. Biol. 2008, 14, 1592–1599. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Wang, W.; Sardans, J.; Zeng, C.; Zhong, C.; Peñuelas, J. Responses of soil nutrient concentrations and stoichiometry to different human land uses in a subtropical tidal wetland. Geoderma 2014, 232, 459–470. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed] [Green Version]
- Ma, W.M.; Ding, K.Y.; Li, Z.W. Comparison of soil carbon and nitrogen stocks at grazing-excluded and yak grazed alpine meadow sites in Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, China. Ecol. Eng. 2016, 87, 203–211. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Chai, Q.; Ma, Z.; Chang, X.; Wu, G.; Zheng, J.; Li, Z.; Wang, G. Optimizing management to conserve plant diversity and soil carbon stock of semi-arid grasslands on the Loess Plateau. Catena 2018, 172, 781–788. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Song, Y.T.; Zhou, D.W.; Zhang, H.X.; Li, G.D.; Jin, Y.H.; Li, Q. Effects of vegetation height and density on soil temperature Variations. Chin. Sci. Bull. 2013, 58, 1–6. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [Green Version]
- Kuzyakov, Y. Priming effects: Interactions between living and dead organic matter. Soil Biol. Biochem. 2010, 42, 1363–1371. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Zhao, J.; Liu, C.; Hongbo, L.I.; Luo, N.; Meng, S.; Zhang, Z.; Wang, J. Effects of Main Climatic Factors on Plant Community Characteristics of a Meadow Steppe Under Different Grazing Intensities. J. Landsc. Res. 2019, 11, 104–106. [Google Scholar]
- Dickinson, C.H.; Underhay, V.S.H.; Ross, V. Effect of season, soil fauna and water content on the decomposition of cattle dung pats. New Phytol. 1981, 88, 129–141. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ma, J.; Li, L.H.; Guo, L.P.; Bai, L.; Zhang, J.R.; Chen, Z.H.; Ahmad, S. Variation in soil nutrients in grasslands along the Kunes River in Xinjiang, China. Chem. Ecol. 2015, 31, 111–122. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
SOC | N | p | K | Ca | Mg | S | AN | AP | AK | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dry matter of green plants | −0.758 | −0.783 | −0.564 | 0.806 | −0.517 | −0.648 | −0.347 | −0.913 * | 0.940 ** | 0.958 ** |
Dry matter of litter | −0.680 | −0.925 ** | −0.513 | 0.818 * | −0.465 | −0.513 | −0.261 | −0.851 * | 0.794 | 0.897 * |
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. |
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Hu, J.; Zhou, D.; Li, Q.; Wang, Q. Effects of Long-Term Enclosing on Vertical Distributions of Soil Physical Properties and Nutrient Stocks in Grassland of Inner Mongolia. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1832. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11091832
Hu J, Zhou D, Li Q, Wang Q. Effects of Long-Term Enclosing on Vertical Distributions of Soil Physical Properties and Nutrient Stocks in Grassland of Inner Mongolia. Agronomy. 2021; 11(9):1832. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11091832
Chicago/Turabian StyleHu, Juan, Daowei Zhou, Qiang Li, and Qicun Wang. 2021. "Effects of Long-Term Enclosing on Vertical Distributions of Soil Physical Properties and Nutrient Stocks in Grassland of Inner Mongolia" Agronomy 11, no. 9: 1832. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11091832