Allocation of mass and stability of soil aggregate in different types of Nei Mongol grasslands

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2017.0220

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Soil aggregate is an important component of soil structure, playing an important role in the physical and biological protection mechanism of soil organic carbon (SOC) through isolating SOC from microorganisms. As far as we know, there are few studies, however, on exploring the spatial distribution of soil aggregate at the regional scale. Our objective was to investigate the mass allocation and stability of soil aggregate in different types of Nei Mongol grasslands.
Methods We have established 78 sites with a size of 10 m × 10 m across the transect of Nei Mongol grasslands and collected soil samples from different soil depth up to 1 m. We used wet sieving method to separate different sizes of aggregate partition and used mean mass diameter (MMD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) in order to evaluate the stability of soil aggregate. The two-way ANOVA was used to test the difference of mass percentage and stability of soil aggregate in different grassland types and soil depths. In addition, a linear regression analysis was used to analyze the correlations of mass percentage and stability of soil aggregate with both mean annual precipitation (MAP) and mean annual temperature (MAT).
Important findings The results showed that the mass percentages of soil aggregate were highest in meadow steppe, while almost equal in typical steppe and desert steppe. However, no significant patterns were found along the soil depth. The mass percentage of soil aggregate fractions were positively correlated with MAP in all soil layers, but negatively correlated with MAT except the layer of 70-100 cm. For the stability of soil aggregate, at 0-10 and 10-20 cm, MMD and GMD of meadow steppe were significantly greater than those of typical and desert steppes, whereas no significant differences among three grassland types were found for other soil layers. Besides, MMD and GMD in meadow steppe and typical steppe gradually decreased along the soil depth.

http://jtp.cnki.net/bilingual/detail/html/ZWSB201711005

Key words: Nei Mongol grasslands, mass percentage of soil aggregate, soil aggregate stability, soil depth, climate factors

Tian WANG, Shan XU, Meng-Ying ZHAO, He LI, Dan KOU, Jing-Yun FANG, Hui-Feng HU. Allocation of mass and stability of soil aggregate in different types of Nei Mongol grasslands[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2017, 41(11): 1168-1176.

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Figures/Tables 8

References 43

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草原类型 Grassland type	GSP平均值(范围)¹⁾ Mean of GSP (range)¹⁾(mm)	GST平均值(范围)¹⁾Mean of GST ^a(range)¹⁾(℃)	氮:磷平均值(范围) ²⁾ Mean of N:P (range)²⁾	pH平均值(范围) ³⁾ Mean of pH (range)³⁾	优势种⁴⁾Dominant species⁴⁾
草甸草原 Meadow steppe	306 (277-327)	12.50 (11.20-13.60)	3.83 (3.25-4.37)	7.10 (7.60-8.00)	贝加尔针茅 Stipa baicalensis, 羊草 Leymus chinensis
典型草原 Typical steppe	242 (174-295)	14.00 (12.60-18.20)	3.02 (2.93-3.11)	7.50 (7.26-7.73)	大针茅 Stipa grandis, 克氏针茅 Stipa kryovii
荒漠草原 Desert steppe	163 (110-219)	16.50 (14.70-17.60)	2.48 (2.41-2.54)	7.80 (6.65-7.56)	小针茅 Stipa klemenzii, 短花针茅 Stipa breviflora

草原类型 Grassland type	GSP平均值(范围)¹⁾ Mean of GSP (range)¹⁾(mm)	GST平均值(范围)¹⁾Mean of GST ^a(range)¹⁾(℃)	氮:磷平均值(范围) ²⁾ Mean of N:P (range)²⁾	pH平均值(范围) ³⁾ Mean of pH (range)³⁾	优势种⁴⁾Dominant species⁴⁾
草甸草原 Meadow steppe	306 (277-327)	12.50 (11.20-13.60)	3.83 (3.25-4.37)	7.10 (7.60-8.00)	贝加尔针茅 Stipa baicalensis, 羊草 Leymus chinensis
典型草原 Typical steppe	242 (174-295)	14.00 (12.60-18.20)	3.02 (2.93-3.11)	7.50 (7.26-7.73)	大针茅 Stipa grandis, 克氏针茅 Stipa kryovii
荒漠草原 Desert steppe	163 (110-219)	16.50 (14.70-17.60)	2.48 (2.41-2.54)	7.80 (6.65-7.56)	小针茅 Stipa klemenzii, 短花针茅 Stipa breviflora

土层 Soil layer (cm)		草甸草原 Meadow steppe (%)	典型草原 Typical steppe (%)	荒漠草原 Desert steppe (%)
0-10	A1	14.15 ± 1.98^a	13.58 ± 1.20^a	14.8 ± 1.49^a
	A2	9.33 ± 0.93^a	8.32 ± 0.44^a	5.90 ± 0.45^a
	A3	15.90 ± 2.96^a	10.33 ± 1.24^ab	6.76 ± 0.71^b
	A4	14.15 ± 4.48^a	5.93 ± 0.99^b	-
10-20	A1	18.82 ± 3.41^a	12.89 ± 1.02^ab	12.67 ± 1.30^b
	A2	10.37 ± 1.30^a	8.30 ± 0.59^a	6.84 ± 1.09^a
	A3	15.43 ± 3.08^a	9.30 ± 0.93a^b	7.32 ± 0.90^b
20-30	A4	10.22 ± 2.87^a	4.51 ± 0.96^b	-
	A1	22.86 ± 3.23^a	13.70 ± 1.39^ab	10.14 ± 1.16^b
	A2	12.93 ± 1.34^a	7.65 ± 0.52^ab	6.64 ± 0.65^b
	A3	12.39 ± 2.54^a	9.24 ± 0.95^a	7.74 ± 1.35^a
	A4	6.95 ± 1.35^a	3.72 ± 1.03^a	-
30-50	A1	18.97 ± 2.43^a	13.55 ± 1.16^ab	10.30 ± 1.20^b
	A2	14.70 ± 2.61^a	8.74 ± 0.82^ab	6.93 ± 1.53^b
	A3	13.39 ± 2.83^a	8.02 ± 0.75^ab	6.75 ± 0.66^b
	A4	4.76 ± 0.79^a	3.70 ± 1.17^a	-
50-70	A1	23.89 ± 8.50^a	17.02 ± 3.26^b	9.43 ± 1.50^c
	A2	12.34 ± 3.64^a	7.18 ± 1.09^ab	5.32 ± 0.68^b
	A3	17.35 ± 5.94^a	6.84 ± 1.28^b	6.29 ± 0.83^b
	A4	-	-	-
70-100	A1	29.72 ± 9.86^a	14.71 ± 3.01^b	10.09 ± 1.22^b
	A2	10.79 ± 2.97^a	6.87 ± 1.08^a	5.15 ± 1.150^a
	A3	14.68 ± 5.49^a	6.65 ± 1.46^b	7.86 ± 2.23^b
	A4	-	-	-

土层 Soil layer (cm)		草甸草原 Meadow steppe (%)	典型草原 Typical steppe (%)	荒漠草原 Desert steppe (%)
0-10	A1	14.15 ± 1.98^a	13.58 ± 1.20^a	14.8 ± 1.49^a
	A2	9.33 ± 0.93^a	8.32 ± 0.44^a	5.90 ± 0.45^a
	A3	15.90 ± 2.96^a	10.33 ± 1.24^ab	6.76 ± 0.71^b
	A4	14.15 ± 4.48^a	5.93 ± 0.99^b	-
10-20	A1	18.82 ± 3.41^a	12.89 ± 1.02^ab	12.67 ± 1.30^b
	A2	10.37 ± 1.30^a	8.30 ± 0.59^a	6.84 ± 1.09^a
	A3	15.43 ± 3.08^a	9.30 ± 0.93a^b	7.32 ± 0.90^b
20-30	A4	10.22 ± 2.87^a	4.51 ± 0.96^b	-
	A1	22.86 ± 3.23^a	13.70 ± 1.39^ab	10.14 ± 1.16^b
	A2	12.93 ± 1.34^a	7.65 ± 0.52^ab	6.64 ± 0.65^b
	A3	12.39 ± 2.54^a	9.24 ± 0.95^a	7.74 ± 1.35^a
	A4	6.95 ± 1.35^a	3.72 ± 1.03^a	-
30-50	A1	18.97 ± 2.43^a	13.55 ± 1.16^ab	10.30 ± 1.20^b
	A2	14.70 ± 2.61^a	8.74 ± 0.82^ab	6.93 ± 1.53^b
	A3	13.39 ± 2.83^a	8.02 ± 0.75^ab	6.75 ± 0.66^b
	A4	4.76 ± 0.79^a	3.70 ± 1.17^a	-
50-70	A1	23.89 ± 8.50^a	17.02 ± 3.26^b	9.43 ± 1.50^c
	A2	12.34 ± 3.64^a	7.18 ± 1.09^ab	5.32 ± 0.68^b
	A3	17.35 ± 5.94^a	6.84 ± 1.28^b	6.29 ± 0.83^b
	A4	-	-	-
70-100	A1	29.72 ± 9.86^a	14.71 ± 3.01^b	10.09 ± 1.22^b
	A2	10.79 ± 2.97^a	6.87 ± 1.08^a	5.15 ± 1.150^a
	A3	14.68 ± 5.49^a	6.65 ± 1.46^b	7.86 ± 2.23^b
	A4	-	-	-

因素 Factor	团聚体质量百分数 Mass percentage of aggregate
土层深度 Soil depth	0.12
草原类型 Grassland type	< 0.01
土层深度×草原类型 Soil depth × Grassland type	0.41