EFFECTS OF LITTER IN PINUS CARIBAEA STANDS ON RUNOFF AND NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS LOSSES

doi:10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2009.05.006

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Litter reduces surface runoff directly by an interception effect and indirectly by a barrier effect. Our objective is to study the effects of litter in Pinus caribaea stands on runoff and nitrogen and phosphorus losses by analyzing their runoff.
Methods We collected runoff from a P. caribaea stand with litter and a P. caribaea stand without litter in Foshan, Guandong Province and analyzed concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the runoff in the lab.
Important findings Annual runoff amounts of the stands with and without litter were 12.6 and 51.8 mm, respectively, with >90% of annual runoff in summer. The relationships between rainfall and runoff in both stands were linear. Except for July 2007 and February 2008, monthly N concentration of the stand with litter was greater than the stand without litter, which was mainly caused by the difference in runoff amount between the two stands. Generally, monthly P concentration in the stand with litter was greater than that in the stand without litter. A negative exponent relationship existed between runoff and N concentration. Annual N losses of the stands with and without litter were 341 and 983 g·hm^-2, respectively, accounting for 73% and 64% of their annual N losses, respectively. Annual P losses of the stands with and without litter were 6.5 and 21.5 g·hm^-2, respectively. The greatest monthly P losses of the stands with litter and without litter occurred in June 2008, accounting 46% and 60% of their annual P losses, respectively. Therefore, N and P exports from P. caribaea stands could be significantly reduced by keeping litter in place.

Key words: Pinus caribaea, runoff, nitrogen loss, phosphorus loss

XUE Li, SHI Xiao-Ling, FENG Hui-Fang, FU Jing-Dan, ZHENG Wei-Guo, TIAN Xue-Qin. EFFECTS OF LITTER IN PINUS CARIBAEA STANDS ON RUNOFF AND NITROGEN AND PHOSPHORUS LOSSES[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2009, 33(5): 878-884.

Add to citation manager EndNote|Ris|BibTeX

URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2009.05.006

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2009/V33/I5/878

Figures/Tables 7

Fig. 1 Monthly surface runoff of two stands (A) and monthly rainfall of stands (B)

Fig. 2 Relationship between surface runoff and rainfall

Fig. 3 Monthly N concentration of runoff in two stands

Fig. 4 Monthly P concentration of runoff in two stands

Fig. 5 Relationship between surface runoff and N concentration

Fig. 6 Monthly N loss of two stands

Fig. 7 Monthly P loss of two stands

References 32

[1]	Basic F (2001). Run off and soil loss under different tillage methods on Stagnic Luvisols in Central Croatia. Soil & Tillage Research, 52, 145-151.
[2]	Cosser PZ (1989). Nutrient concentration-flow relationships and loads in the South Pine River, Southeastern Queensland. I. Phosphorus loads. Journal of Mar Freshwater Research, 40, 613-630. DOI URL
[3]	Didham RK (1998). Altered leaf-litter decomposition rates in tropical forest fragments. Oecologia, 116, 397-406. DOI URL PMID
[4]	Environmental Protection Bureau of China,Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater Association of China (国家环境保护总局水和废水监测分析方法编委会) (2002). Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater 4th edn (水和废水监测分析方法(第四版)). China Environmental Science Press,Beijing. (in Chinese)
[5]	Gao C (高超), Zhu JY (朱继业), Zhu JG (朱建国), Hosen Y (宝川靖和), Wang DF (王登峰), Zhou JJ (周娟娟), Gao X (高翔), Dou YJ (窦贻俭) (2005). Phosphorus exports via overland runoff under different land uses and their seasonal pattern. Acta Scientiae Circumstantiae (环境科学学报), 25, 1543-1549. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[6]	Hong HS (洪华生), Cao WZ (曹文志), Zhang YZ (张玉珍), Chen NW (陈能汪), Zeng Y (曾悦), Huang JL (黄金良) (2004). Modeling of nitrogen and phosphorus losses from agricultural catchments. Journal of Xiamen University (Natural Science) (厦门大学学报(自然科学版)), 43(B08), 243-248. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[7]	Jimenez CC, Tejedor M, Morillas G, Neris J (2006). Infiltrationrate in andisols: effect of changes in vegetation cover (Tenerife, Spain). Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 61, 153-158.
[8]	Kang SZ (2001). Rainfall and land runoff and sediment loss responses use in two agriculture catchments on the Loess Plateau of China. Hydrological Processes, 15, 977-988. DOI URL
[9]	Kumar R, Ambasht RS, Srivastava A, Srivastava NK, Sinha A (1997). Reduction of nitrogen losses through erosion by Leonotis nepetaefolia and Sida acuta in simulated rain intensities. Ecological Engineering, 8, 233-239. DOI URL
[10]	Li JY (李纪元), Xiao Q (肖青), Li XL (李辛雷), Li JM (李锦明), Lu YZ (鲁仪增) (2008). Soil, water and nutrient loss in young plantation of the inter-cropped tea oil (Camellia oleifera) with different crops. Scientia Silvae Sinicae (林业科学), 44, 167-172. (in Chinese with English abstract) DOI URL
[11]	Lu HM (陆海明), Yin CQ (尹澄清), Wang XH (王夏晖), Zou Y (邹鹰) (2008). Comparison of nitrogen loss via surface runoff from two agricultural catchments in semi-arid North China. Environmental Science (环境科学), 29, 2689-2695. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[12]	Lu YD (陆耀东), Xue L (薛立), Cao H (曹鹤), Xie TF (谢腾芳), Wang XE (王相娥) (2008). Impacts of litter removal on soil characteristics in a Pinus caribaea stand. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 28, 3205-3211. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[13]	Matsushima M, Chang SX (2007). Effects of understory removal, N fertilization, and litter layer removal on soil N cycling in a 13-year-old white spruce plantation infested with Canada bluejoint grass. Plant and Soil, 292, 243-258. DOI URL
[14]	Mo JM (莫江明), Kong GH (孔国辉), Brown B, Fang YT (方运霆), Zhang YC (张佑昌) (2001). Litterfall response to human impacts in a Dinghushan pine forest. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (植物生态学报), 25, 656-664. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[15]	Mo JM (莫江明), Peng SL (彭少麟), Brown S, Fang YT (方运霆), Kong GH (孔国辉) (2004). Nutrient dynamics in response to harvesting practices in a pine forest of subtropical China. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (植物生态学报), 28, 810-822. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[16]	Peng YQ (彭耀强), Xue L (薛立), Cao H (曹鹤), Ren XR (任向荣), Liang LL (梁丽丽) (2006). Water holding characteristics in three broadleaved forests. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation (水土保持学报), 20(5), 189-191, 200. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[17]	Pionke HB, Gburek WJ, Schnabel RR, Sharpley AN, Elwinger GF (1999). Seasonal flow, nutrient concentrations and loading patterns in stream flow draining an agricultural hill-land watershed. Journal of Hydrology, 220, 62-73. DOI URL
[18]	Pote DH, Grigg BC, Blanehe CA, Danie TC (2004). Effects of pine straw harvesting on quantity and quality of surface runoff. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 59(5), 197-203.
[19]	Sayer EJ, Tanner EVJ, Lacey AL (2006). Effects of litter manipulation on early-stage decomposition and meso-arthropod abundance in a tropical moist forest. Forest Ecology and Management, 229, 285-293. DOI URL
[20]	Tan X, Chang SX, Kabzems R (2005). Effects of soil compaction and forest floor removal on soil microbial properties and N transformations in a boreal forest long-term soil productivity study. Forest Ecology and Management, 217, 158-170. DOI URL
[21]	Wan LX, Zhang ZQ (2001). Impacts of forest vegetation on watershed runoff in dry areas. Journal of Natural Resources, 16, 439-444. DOI URL
[22]	Xiong YM, Xia HP, Li ZA, Cai XA, Fu SL (2008). Impacts of litter and understory removal on soil properties in a subtropical Acacia mangiumplantation in China. Plant and Soil, 304, 179-188. DOI URL
[23]	Xue L (1996). Nutrient cycling in a Chinese-fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) stand on a poor site in Yishan, Guangxi. Forest Ecology and Management, 89, 115-123. DOI URL
[24]	Xue L (薛立), He YJ (何跃君), Qu M (屈明), Wu M (吴敏), Xu Y (徐燕) (2005a). Water holding character- istics of litter in plantations in South China. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica (植物生态学报), 29, 415-421. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[25]	Xue L (薛立), Li Y (李燕), Qu M (屈明), Yan S (晏姝), Wang XE (王相娥) (2005b). Studies on water conservation and soil characteristics in stands of Michelia macclurei, Schima superba and Castanopsis fissa. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 16, 1623-1627. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[26]	Xue L (薛立), Liang LL (梁丽丽), Ren XR (任向荣), Cao H (曹鹤), Wang XE (王相娥), Xie TF (谢腾芳) (2008). Soil physical properties and water conservation function of model plantations in South China. Chinese Journal of Soil Science (土壤通报), 39, 986-989. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[27]	Zeng XP (曾小平), Zhao P (赵平), Peng SL (彭少麟), Yu ZY (余作岳), Cai XA (蔡锡安) (1999). Physioecolo- gical characteristics of three species of pine. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 10, 275-278. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[28]	Zhang G, Jiang H, Niu G, Lin XW, Peng SL (2006). Simulating the dynamics of carbon and nitrogen in litter-removed pine forest. Ecological Modelling, 195, 363-376. DOI URL
[29]	Zhang XB (张希彪), Shangguan ZP (上官周平) (2006). Effect of human-induced disturbance on physical properties of soil in artificial Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. forests of the Loess Plateau. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 26, 3685-3695. (in Chinese with English abstract)
[30]	Zhang Y (张颖), Niu JZ (牛健植), Xie BY (谢宝元), Yu XX (余新晓), Zhu JG (朱建刚), Li W (李维) (2008). Dynamics mechanism of the effect of forest vegetation on hill-slop water erosion. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 28, 5084-5094. (in Chinese with English abstract).
[31]	Zheng YQ, Wang HR (2000). Genetic resources and breeding of Pinus caribaea in China. In: Forests and Society: the Role of Research, Abstracts of Group Discussions vol. 2. XXI IUFRO World Congress 2000. Kuala Lumpur, 46.
[32]	Zöbisch MA, Richter C, Heiligtag B, Schlott R (1999). Nutrient losses from cropland in the Central Highlands of Kenya due to surface runoff and soil erosion. Soil & Tillage Research, 33, 109-116.