Effects of ecological restoration on soil properties of the aeolian sandy land around Lhasa, southern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract

2020. Effects of ecological restoration on soil properties of the aeolian sandy land around Lhasa, southern Tibetan Plateau. Ecosphere 11(1):e03009.Abstract. The ecological restoration of aeolian sandy land has not only improved the function of ecosystem services, such as wind prevention and sand fixation, but has also indirectly reduced the regional economic losses caused by sandstorms. However, the interaction between vegetation and soil properties after natural and artificial restoration of the sandy land in southern Tibetan Plateau has not been sufficiently studied. In the present study, we selected four vegetation types, including artificial forest (A), revegetated shrub (B), natural shrub (C), and natural grassland (D), in the sandy land in the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River basin, Tibet, China, and investigated the changes in soil particle size and nutrients at depths of 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm, finally examining the potential relationships between soil properties and leaf nutrients. Our results indicated that in the topsoil (0-20 cm), the natural shrub (C) and natural grassland (D) have greater silt content, recorded as 50.77% and 62.16%, respectively, compared to the artificial forest (A) and revegetated shrub (B). Natural grassland (D) had the highest silt content and the lowest soil bulk density (SBD) among the four vegetation types. There was no significant difference in the soil organic matter (SOM) in the topsoil of the different vegetation types. However, at the depth of 20-40 cm, the SOM content of the different vegetation types was in the following order: natural grassland (D) (23.37 g/ kg) > natural shrub (C) (17.42 g/kg) > revegetated shrub (B) (14.85 g/kg) > artificial forest (A) (8.43 g/kg). The ammonium nitrogen content in the revegetated shrub (B) was higher compared to the other vegetation types. The SOM content was significantly correlated with the total phosphorus (TP) and available phosphorus (AP) of the sandy land. The leaf total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus exhibited a positive correlation with SBD, AP, and available potassium. These findings can provide useful information to optimize the patterns of natural and artificial restoration for controlling desertification in similar eco-regions.

Stability and micro‐topographic effects of Sophora moorcroftiana population on a restored alluvial fan, Southern Tibetan Plateau

“…During the last decade, this region has received an annual precipitation of approximately 382.3 mm, mostly from June to September. The soils are mainly aeolian sandy soils with low contents of soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen and are highly susceptible to erosion (Liao et al, 2020a).…”

“…Natural and artificial restorations are two adaptive strategies for ecological restoration (Jin et al, 2014; Barral et al, 2015). Natural restoration is considered as an ecosystem management approach to reduce the adverse effect of unreasonable human activities or the damage of climate change, while artificial restoration mainly concerns revegetation of seriously degraded land (Li et al, 2019; Liao et al, 2020a).…”

“…In recent decades, natural restoration has mainly involved the secondary succession of shrubs and grassland after the prohibition of overgrazing, extensive reclamation, and reduction of excessive firewood collection in the Southern Tibetan Plateau. Natural restorations are increasingly being implemented throughout the world and have produced improvements to degraded ecosystems (Benayas et al, 2009; Huang et al, 2019); however, few scientific reports have been published on the influence of natural restoration in the Southern Tibetan Plateau (Liao et al, 2020a).…”

“…A previous study has reported that natural restoration has advantages in that it maintains the fine particles in aeolian sandy land as compared to artificial restoration (i.e. planting or seeding) (Liao et al, 2020a). However, few studies have focused on the changes in plant growth and population structure in different topographies during the natural restoration, especially for the population of the shrub Sophora moorcroftiana (Benth.)…”

Occurrence Regularity of Silt–Clay Minerals in Wind Eroded Deserts of Northwest China

“…In terms of plant types, studies have shown that shrubs are much more effective at intercepting near-surface sand material than herbs and trees [96]. Desertification control practices and experiments by researchers in Northwest China have accumulated rich experience in recent decades [97].…”