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Recovery approach affects soil quality in the water level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China: implications for revegetation

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Abstract

Plants in the water level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region disappeared due to winter-flooding and prolonged inundation. Revegetation (plantation and natural recovery) have been promoted to restore and protect the riparian ecosystem in recent years. Revegetation may affect soil qualities and have broad important implications both for ecological services and soil recovery. In this study, we investigated soil properties including soil pH values, bulk density, soil organic matter (SOM), soil nutrients and heavy metals, soil microbial community structure, microbial biomass, and soil quality index under plantation and natural recovery in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region. Most soil properties showed significant temporal and spatial variations in both the plantation and natural recovery areas. Higher contents of SOM and NO3-N were found in plantation area, while higher contents of soil pH values, bulk density, and total potassium were observed in the natural recovery area. However, there were no significant differences in plant richness and diversity and soil microbial community structure between the two restoration approaches. A soil quality index derived from SOM, bulk density, Zn, Cd, and Hg indicated that natural recovery areas with larger herbaceous coverage had more effective capacity for soil restoration.

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Acknowledgments

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31130010), Q-CAS Biotechnology Fund of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (GJHZ1243), and the Executive Office of the State Council Three Gorges Construction Committee (SX2010-014). We would like to thank Jing Wang, Jiaquan Zhang, Fei Li, and Chuan Wu for their assistance during fieldwork, and Pingcai Yan for the assistance on the laboratory analyses. We also would like to thank Professor Jiquan Chen (The University of Toledo) for editing the manuscript.

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  1. Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Chen Ye, Xiaoli Cheng & Quanfa Zhang

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  1. Chen Ye
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  2. Xiaoli Cheng
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  3. Quanfa Zhang
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Correspondence to Quanfa Zhang.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Ye, C., Cheng, X. & Zhang, Q. Recovery approach affects soil quality in the water level fluctuation zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir, China: implications for revegetation. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 2018–2031 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2128-5

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