VARIATIONS OF SOIL PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION WITH LAND-USE TYPES AND INFLUENCES ON SOIL ORGANIC CARBON AND NITROGEN

doi:10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2008.03.009

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims In this study, variations of soil particle size distribution and correlations with soil C and N were studied on sites representing six different land-use types in the steppe grasslands of Inner Mongolia, Northern China. The six land-use types are grazing exclusion by fencing (GE), mowing (MW), free grazing (FG), fallow (FL), alfalfa pasture (AP), and corn plantation (CP). Our objectives were to: (a) assess variability of soil particle size distribution across different land-use types in the steppe grasslands of northern China and (b) examine correlations of soil particle size distribution with soil C and N as affected by land-uses.

Methods Twenty-four sampling plots, each 30 m×30 m, were established on sites representing the six land-use types. Measurements were made on soil particle size distribution, aboveground biomass, root biomass, litter, soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (TN) in the 0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm soil layers. Data were evaluated by one-way analysis of variance and correlation analysis using SPSS. Fractal dimension of soil particle size distribution was calculated using the method of Yang et al. (1993).

Important findings Fractal dimension of soil particle size distribution was lowest in the FG among the six land-use types. Soil clay (<0.005 mm) and silt (0.005-0.05 mm) content of the FL and AP were consistently higher than the other four land-use types; whereas those of the FG were consistently lower. Clay and silt content decreased with soil depth except for the AP and FG. Soil sand content was significantly negatively correlated withSOC and TN for all land-use types, while soil clay content was significantly positively correlated with SOC and TN except for FG and AP. Regardless of the land-use types, root biomass was found to be significantly positively correlated with SOC, TN and soil clay and silt content. Aboveground biomass and litter were significantly positively correlated with only clay content. Root biomass and clay content together explained 70% of the variance in SOC and soil TN, and separately only 20% of the variance each. The relationships were best described as: SOC = 1.08 × clay% + 0.01 × biomass _roots-19.45,TN=0.079×clay%+0.001×biomass_roots-1.143. Findings indicate that land-use types can have significant effects on soil physical properties as well as SOC and soil TN and consequently alter the relationships of soil particle size distribution with SOC and soil TN.

Key words: land-use, soil texture, grassland, fractal dimension analysis, correlation analysis

TIAN Jia-Qian, ZHOU Zhi-Yong, BAO Bin, SUN Jian-Xin. VARIATIONS OF SOIL PARTICLE SIZE DISTRIBUTION WITH LAND-USE TYPES AND INFLUENCES ON SOIL ORGANIC CARBON AND NITROGEN[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2008, 32(3): 601-610.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2008.03.009

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2008/V32/I3/601

Figures/Tables 7

Fig.1 Fractal dimension of soil particle by land-use types

Fig.2 Soil particle size distribution of three soil layers for six land-use types Same letters indicate no significant differences at 5% level among land-use types

Table 1 One-way ANOVA in soil clay and silt content among three soil layers (0~10,10~20 and 20~30 cm) for six different land-use types

土地利用方式 Land-use types	土壤粘粒含量 Soil clay content (%)		土壤粉粒含量 Soil silt content (%)
土地利用方式 Land-use types	F	p	F	p
自由放牧Free grazing	1.701	0.260	0.108	0.900
刈割Mowing	30.901	0.001	95.781	0.000
围封禁牧Grazing exclusion	45.810	0.000	7.931	0.021
弃耕地 Fallow	6.646	0.030	11.176	0.009
人工牧草地 Alfalfa pasture	2.636	0.151	7.152	0.052
青储作物Corn plantation	4.861	0.056	2.516	0.161

Table 2 Plant aboveground biomass, litter, root biomass, along with soil organic carbon content, total nitrogen content, C∶N ratio and soil bulk density of three soil layers (0~10 cm, 10~20 cm, 20~30 cm) in six land-use types (Mean±SE)

土地利用方式 Land-use type	地上生物量 Aboveground biomass (g·m^-2)	凋落物 Litter (g·m^-2)	土壤剖面深度 Soil depth (cm)	根系生物量 Root biomass (g·m^-2)	有机碳 Organic carbon (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	碳氮比 C∶N	容重 Bulk density (g·cm^-3)
自由放牧 Free grazing	71.32±21.81	-	0~10	656.15±268.45	7.153±2.169	0.449±0.140	15.961±1.053	1.644
			10~20	169.50±31.00	5.379±1.964	0.413±0.137	12.952±0.942	1.544
			20~30	68.92±19.58	5.176±1.732	0.429±0.099	11.970±2.042	1.552
刈割 Mowing	173.08±23.93	38.47±5.99	0~10	755.96±216.31	22.182±0.720	1.631±0.040	13.604±0.319	1.435
			10~20	168.05±38.97	10.686±1.865	0.850±0.163	12.713±1.849	1.494
			20~30	81.56±21.32	6.427±1.955	0.516±0.098	12.421±2.770	1.559
围封禁牧 Grazing exclusion	251.61±24.18	30.12±15.43	0~10	779.70±53.41	19.073±0.678	1.339±0.064	14.273±0.831	1.414
			10~20	189.25±19.38	12.217±1.075	0.956±0.089	12.809±0.843	1.542
			20~30	71.65±26.86	7.273±1.038	0.533±0.100	13.856±2.018	1.589
弃耕 Fallow	350.96±81.76	29.46±8.76	0~10	751.20±60.13	20.686±3.573	1.596±0.075	12.996±2.420	1.258
			10~20	256.30±57.23	16.740±0.736	1.290±0.034	12.985±0.647	1.535
			20~30	56.14±9.64	11.883±2.813	0.623±0.055	19.209±5.265	1.621
人工牧草 Alfalfa pasture	289.69±87.5	77.58±7.17	0~10	612.29±84.20	16.120±1.144	1.169±0.083	13.821±0.94	1.509
			10~20	258.12±60.60	14.151±0.737	1.107±0.110	12.916±1.687	1.560
			20~30	133.37±26.00	11.830±1.643	0.853±0.187	14.704±4.584	1.581
青储作物 Corn plantation	2197.087±209.43	—	0~10	521.24±173.0	14.486±2.539	0.942±0.066	15.436±2.793	1.478
			10~20	204.27±68.00	15.603±1.112	0.988±0019	15.796±1.078	1.629
			20~30	78.75±54.19	6.526±1.547	0.529±0.091	12.371±1.696	1.640

土地利用方式 Land-use type	地上生物量 Aboveground biomass (g·m^-2)	凋落物 Litter (g·m^-2)	土壤剖面深度 Soil depth (cm)	根系生物量 Root biomass (g·m^-2)	有机碳 Organic carbon (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	碳氮比 C∶N	容重 Bulk density (g·cm^-3)
自由放牧 Free grazing	71.32±21.81	-	0~10	656.15±268.45	7.153±2.169	0.449±0.140	15.961±1.053	1.644
			10~20	169.50±31.00	5.379±1.964	0.413±0.137	12.952±0.942	1.544
			20~30	68.92±19.58	5.176±1.732	0.429±0.099	11.970±2.042	1.552
刈割 Mowing	173.08±23.93	38.47±5.99	0~10	755.96±216.31	22.182±0.720	1.631±0.040	13.604±0.319	1.435
			10~20	168.05±38.97	10.686±1.865	0.850±0.163	12.713±1.849	1.494
			20~30	81.56±21.32	6.427±1.955	0.516±0.098	12.421±2.770	1.559
围封禁牧 Grazing exclusion	251.61±24.18	30.12±15.43	0~10	779.70±53.41	19.073±0.678	1.339±0.064	14.273±0.831	1.414
			10~20	189.25±19.38	12.217±1.075	0.956±0.089	12.809±0.843	1.542
			20~30	71.65±26.86	7.273±1.038	0.533±0.100	13.856±2.018	1.589
弃耕 Fallow	350.96±81.76	29.46±8.76	0~10	751.20±60.13	20.686±3.573	1.596±0.075	12.996±2.420	1.258
			10~20	256.30±57.23	16.740±0.736	1.290±0.034	12.985±0.647	1.535
			20~30	56.14±9.64	11.883±2.813	0.623±0.055	19.209±5.265	1.621
人工牧草 Alfalfa pasture	289.69±87.5	77.58±7.17	0~10	612.29±84.20	16.120±1.144	1.169±0.083	13.821±0.94	1.509
			10~20	258.12±60.60	14.151±0.737	1.107±0.110	12.916±1.687	1.560
			20~30	133.37±26.00	11.830±1.643	0.853±0.187	14.704±4.584	1.581
青储作物 Corn plantation	2197.087±209.43	—	0~10	521.24±173.0	14.486±2.539	0.942±0.066	15.436±2.793	1.478
			10~20	204.27±68.00	15.603±1.112	0.988±0019	15.796±1.078	1.629
			20~30	78.75±54.19	6.526±1.547	0.529±0.091	12.371±1.696	1.640

Table 3 Pearson correlation analysis for relationships of soil particle size distribution with soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) content in six land-use types

土地利用方式 Land-use types	粘粒含量 Clay (%)			粉粒含量Silt (%)			砂粒含量 Sand (%)
土地利用方式 Land-use types	有机碳 Organic carbon (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	碳氮比 C∶N ratio	有机碳 Organic carbon (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	碳氮比 C∶N ratio	有机碳 Organic carbon (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	碳氮比 C∶N ratio
自由放牧 Free grazing	0.653 2	0.792 7^*	0.060 9	0.305 1	-0.005 0	0.551 0	-0.788 6^*	-0.913 8^**	-0.119 7
刈割 Mowing	0.862 2^**	0.891 5^**	0.090 6	0.946 0^**	0.958 0^**	0.080 2	-0.940 7^**	-0.957 4^**	-0.037 0
围封禁牧 Grazing exclusion	0.957 1^**	0.917 8^**	0.494 0	-0.144 1	-0.001 0	-0.351 6	-0.880 9^**	-0.881 6^**	-0.263 2
弃耕Fallow	0.854 6^**	0.828 0^**	0.449 7	0.927 0^**	0.884 8^**	-0.497 0	-0.937 6^**	-0.900 0^**	0.499 2
人工牧草Alfalfa pasture	0.037 3	0.200 3	0.229 0	0.416 0	0.755 9^*	-0.466 9	-0.388 9	-0.869 5^**	0.601 0
青储作物 Corn plantation	0.677 3^*	0.791 7^*	0.489 2	0.376 2	0.577 5	0.128 7	-0.517 9	-0.687 2^*	-0.289 2

Table 4 Rank correlation analysis between plant biomass (aboveground, root and litter) and soil nutrient content, as well as soil particle size distribution in different soil layers

植物生物量 Plant biomass (g·m^-2)	土壤剖面深度 Soil depth (cm)	有机碳 Organic carbon (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	碳氮比 C∶N ratio	粘粒 Clay content (%)	粉粒 Silt content (%)
地上生物量 Aboveground biomass	0~30	0.426	0.232	0.302	0.561^*	0.410
		(-0.078)	(-0.354)	(-0.223)	(-0.015 3)	(-0.091)
凋落物 Litter	0~30	-0.161	-0.035	-0.056	0.599^*	0.315
		(-0.618)	(-0.914)	(-0.863)	(-0.040)	(-0.318)
根系生物量 Root biomass	0~10	0.657	0.657	-0.371	-0.371	0.406
		(-0.156)	(-0.156)	(-0.468)	(-0.468)	(-0.425)
	10~20	0.771	0.886^*	0.314	0.829^*	0.886^*
		(-0.072)	(-0.019)	(-0.554)	(-0.042)	(-0.019)
	20~30	0.200	0.200	-0.029	-0.029	-0.086
		(-0.704)	(-0.704)	(-0.957)	(-0.957)	(-0.872)
	0~30	0.750^**	0.701^**	0.302	0.505^*	0.700^**
		(0.000)	(-0.001)	(-0.223)	(-0.033)	(-0.001)

Table 5 Statistics of regression for SOC and total N content with given factors by stepwise elimination

因变量 Dependent variable	自变量 Independent variable	(复)相关系数 (Multiple) correlation coefficient (R)	判定系数 Determination coefficient (R²)	调整的判定系数 Adjusted determination coefficient ( $R a 2$ )	p	自变量独立解释量 Independent explanation (%)
土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon content (g·kg^-1)	粘粒含量 Clay content (%)	0.839	0.703	0.664	0.000	20.79
	根系生物量 Root biomass (g·m^-2)					20.70
土壤全氮含量 Soil total nitrogen content (g·kg^-1)	粘粒含量 Silt content (%)	0.823	0.678	0.635	0.000	20.61
	根系生物量 Root biomass (g·m^-2)					19.54

Table 5 Statistics of regression for SOC and total N content with given factors by stepwise elimination

因变量 Dependent variable	自变量 Independent variable	(复)相关系数 (Multiple) correlation coefficient (R)	判定系数 Determination coefficient (R²)	调整的判定系数 Adjusted determination coefficient ( $R a 2$ )	p	自变量独立解释量 Independent explanation (%)
土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon content (g·kg^-1)	粘粒含量 Clay content (%)	0.839	0.703	0.664	0.000	20.79
	根系生物量 Root biomass (g·m^-2)					20.70
土壤全氮含量 Soil total nitrogen content (g·kg^-1)	粘粒含量 Silt content (%)	0.823	0.678	0.635	0.000	20.61
	根系生物量 Root biomass (g·m^-2)					19.54

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