scholarly journals Increased precipitation enhances soil respiration in a semi-arid grassland on the Loess Plateau, China

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10729
Author(s):  
Yutao Wang ◽  
Yingzhong Xie ◽  
Gillian Rapson ◽  
Hongbin Ma ◽  
Le Jing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Western China ◽  
Shoot Biomass ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Grassland Ecosystems ◽  
Arid Steppe

Background Precipitation influences the vulnerability of grassland ecosystems, especially upland grasslands, and soil respiration is critical for carbon cycling in arid grassland ecosystems which typically experience more droughty conditions. Methods We used three precipitation treatments to understand the effect of precipitation on soil respiration of a typical arid steppe in the Loess Plateau in north-western China. Precipitation was captured and relocated to simulate precipitation rates of 50%, 100%, and 150% of ambient precipitation. Results and Discussion Soil moisture was influenced by all precipitation treatments. Shoot biomass was greater, though non-significantly, as precipitation increased. However, both increase and decrease of precipitation significantly reduced root biomass. There was a positive linear relationship between soil moisture and soil respiration in the study area during the summer (July and August), when most precipitation fell. Soil moisture, soil root biomass, pH, and fungal diversity were predictors of soil respiration based on partial least squares regression, and soil moisture was the best of these. Conclusion Our study highlights the importance of increased precipitation on soil respiration in drylands. Precipitation changes can cause significant alterations in soil properties, microbial fungi, and root biomass, and any surplus or transpired moisture is fed back into the climate, thereby affecting the rate of soil respiration in the future.

scholarly journals Soil Respiration Characteristics and Influencing Factors for Apple Orchards in Different Regions on the Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4780
Author(s):  
Tingting Hou ◽  
Yanping Wang ◽  
Fuxing Guo ◽  
Qiong Jia ◽  
Xinnan Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Shaanxi Province ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
The Loess Plateau

To explore the characteristics of the spatial and temporal variation in soil respiration (SR) in orchard ecosystems in different regions of the Loess Plateau of Shaanxi Province and to distinguish the controlling factors, representative orchards were studied from April to October 2019. We conducted SR measurements in five locations, including Mizhi dangta (MZ), Ansai Liuzhuang (AS), Luochuan houzitou (LC), Fuping meijiaping (FP), and Yangling Wuquan (YL). The results indicated that the SR of each orchard showed clear seasonal variation. The SR increased with the distance from the trunk at the tree scale, while gradually increasing from north to south on the regional scale (p < 0.05). The soil temperature and soil moisture were the main factors controlling the seasonal changes in SR in the orchards. On the tree scale, the fine root biomass was the main factor causing the tree-scale spatial variability. At the regional scale, SR was mainly influenced by the differences in the soil temperature, soil moisture, soil organic carbon, soil bulk density and pH. In agricultural management practices, the cumulative soil respiration was higher with irrigated treatment than with non-irrigated (NI) treatment (p < 0.05). In addition, traditional surface drip irrigation (SDI) and root injection irrigation (RII) showed great differences in soil respiration in the early and late stages of irrigation (p < 0.05), and the soil moisture was the main controlling factor. Compared with no tillage (NI), green cover (GC), deep tillage (DT), and shallow tillage (ST) increased the SR by 57%, 36% and 14%, respectively (p < 0.05). Due to the great temporal and spatial variation in the SR in our study area, we determined that the soil respiration in the orchards was affected not only by environmental factors but also by agricultural measures. Therefore, greater attention should be paid to human factors when exploring SR to ensure that orchard management can promote the economic benefits of the orchards without greatly impacting the environment.

Soil moisture variations in response to precipitation properties and plant communities on steep gully slope on the Loess Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 256 ◽  
pp. 107086
Author(s):  
Pingzong Zhu ◽  
Guanghui Zhang ◽  
Hongxiao Wang ◽  
Baojun Zhang ◽  
Yingna Liu
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
The Loess Plateau

Changes in root biomass of grassland along the environmental gradient in the Loess Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (15) ◽  
Author(s):  
孙天雨，王雪，李丹洋，刘欣蕊，王瑞丽，张硕新 SUN Tianyu
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Environmental Gradient ◽  
The Loess Plateau

Stochastic soil moisture dynamic modelling: a case study in the Loess Plateau, China

2018 ◽  
Vol 109 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 437-444
Author(s):  
Cong WANG ◽  
Shuai WANG ◽  
Bojie FU ◽  
Lu ZHANG ◽  
Nan LU ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Balance ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Hydrological Cycle ◽  
Dynamic Modelling ◽  
Vegetation Restoration ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Rainfall Regime ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Dry Period

ABSTRACTSoil moisture is a key factor in the ecohydrological cycle in water-limited ecosystems, and it integrates the effects of climate, soil, and vegetation. The water balance and the hydrological cycle are significantly important for vegetation restoration in water-limited regions, and these dynamics are still poorly understood. In this study, the soil moisture and water balance were modelled with the stochastic soil water balance model in the Loess Plateau, China. This model was verified by monitoring soil moisture data of black locust plantations in the Yangjuangou catchment in the Loess Plateau. The influences of a rainfall regime change on soil moisture and water balance were also explored. Three meteorological stations were selected (Yulin, Yan'an, and Luochuan) along the precipitation gradient to detect the effects of rainfall spatial variability on the soil moisture and water balance. The results showed that soil moisture tended to be more frequent at low levels with decreasing precipitation, and the ratio of evapotranspiration under stress in response to rainfall also changed from 74.0% in Yulin to 52.3% in Luochuan. In addition, the effects of a temporal change in rainfall regime on soil moisture and water balance were explored at Yan'an. The soil moisture probability density function moved to high soil moisture in the wet period compared to the dry period of Yan'an, and the evapotranspiration under stress increased from 59.5% to 72% from the wet period to the dry period. The results of this study prove the applicability of the stochastic model in the Loess Plateau and reveal its potential for guiding the vegetation restoration in the next stage.

Root production, mortality and turnover in soil profiles as affected by clipping in a temperate grassland on the Loess Plateau

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1059-1072
Author(s):  
Lin Wei ◽  
Pengwei Yao ◽  
Guanghua Jing ◽  
Xiefeng Ye ◽  
Jimin Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Profile ◽  
Root Length ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Turnover Rate ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Root Production ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Root Mortality

Abstract Aims Clipping or mowing for hay, as a prevalent land-use practice, is considered to be an important component of global change. Root production and turnover in response to clipping have great implications for the plant survival strategy and grassland ecosystem carbon processes. However, our knowledge about the clipping effect on root dynamics is mainly based on root living biomass, and limited by the lack of spatial and temporal observations. The study aim was to investigate the effect of clipping on seasonal variations in root length production and mortality and their distribution patterns in different soil layers in semiarid grassland on the Loess Plateau. Methods Clipping was performed once a year in June to mimic the local spring livestock grazing beginning from 2014. The minirhizotron technique was used to monitor the root production, mortality and turnover rate at various soil depths (0–10, 10–20, 20–30 and 30–50 cm) in 2014 (from 30 May to 29 October) and 2015 (from 22 April to 25 October). Soil temperature and moisture in different soil layers were also measured during the study period. Important Findings Our results showed that: (i) Clipping significantly decreased the cumulative root production (P < 0.05) and increased the cumulative root mortality and turnover rates of the 0–50 cm soil profile for both years. (ii) Clipping induced an immediate and sharp decrease in root length production and an increase in root length mortality in all soil layers. However, with plant regrowth, root production increased and root mortality decreased gradually, with the root production at a depth of 30–50 cm even exceeding the control in September–October 2014 and April–May 2015. (iii) Clipping mainly reduced root length production and increased root length mortality in the upper 0–20 cm soil profile with rapid root turnover. However, roots at deeper soil layers were either little influenced by clipping or exhibited an opposite trend with slower turnover rate compared with the upper soil profile, leading to the downward transport of root production and living root biomass. These findings indicate that roots in deeper soil layers tend to favour higher root biomass and longer fine root life spans to maximize the water absorption efficiency under environmental stress, and also suggest that short-term clipping would reduce the amount of carbon through fine root litter into the soil, especially in the shallow soil profile.

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