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The effects of ecological construction and topography on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in the Loess Plateau of China

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Abstract

The construction of terraces and vegetation restoration in the hillslope are major soil and water conservation measures on the Chinese Loess Plateau and contributed to the distribution patterns of soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil total nitrogen (STN). Topography influences soil erosion and changes SOC and STN contents. However, little information is available regarding the effects of ecological construction and topography on SOC and STN. A study was undertaken in the Loess Plateau, to evaluate the effects of land use conversion and topographic factors on the topsoil SOC and STN content at three hillslope positions (upper, middle, and foot slopes) under four land uses types: artificial forest, grassland, terraced fields, and sloping cropland. The results showed that land use conversion from sloping cropland to artificial forest and grassland improved the SOC and STN content. Slope position was an important topographic factor governing the SOC and STN distribution at the slope scale in artificial forest, grassland, and sloping cropland, with the foot slope having the highest SOC and STN content, followed by the upper slope, while the middle slope had the lowest values. SOC and STN showed positive correlation with Caesium-137 (137Cs) content. Land use types, slope position, and soil erosion had significant relationships with SON and STN. The results suggested that vegetation restoration of sloping cropland will contribute to soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) sequestration in the loess hilly region. The quantitative estimation of land use change and topography effects on SOC and STN could improve the accuracy of SOC and STN predictions in the region with a complex topography.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China, Grant no: 2017YFC0504704; the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant no: 41601092, 41330858 and 41601017; the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin (China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research), Grant no: IWHR-SKL-201608.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China

    Peng Shi

  2. State Key Laboratory Base of Eco-hydraulic Engineering in Arid Area, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, China

    Peng Shi, Jinxiao Duan, Peng Li, Zhanbin Li, Lie Xiao, Guoce Xu, Kexin Lu, Shengdong Cheng, Zongping Ren, Yi Zhang & Wengang Yang

  3. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, 710127, China

    Yan Zhang

  4. College of Life Sciences, Yan’an University, Yan’an, 716000, China

    Xiukang Wang

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  1. Peng Shi
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Shi, P., Duan, J., Zhang, Y. et al. The effects of ecological construction and topography on soil organic carbon and total nitrogen in the Loess Plateau of China. Environ Earth Sci 78, 5 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-018-7992-3

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