Abstract
Background and Aims
Rock fragments within topsoil have important effects on soil properties and plant growth. This study mainly aimed to investigate the relationships between rock fragments, soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) densities and vegetation biomass in an alpine steppe.
Methods
Rock fragments, plant and soil samples were collected from four topographic positions (top, upper, lower, and bottom) on a hillslope.
Results
Volumetric rock fragment content within the 0–30 cm soil profile varied from 17.8 to 30.5%, the upper position value was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than those at other positions. The highest aboveground biomass was observed at the lower position (921 kg ha−1), while the highest belowground biomass within the 0–30 cm profile was found at the upper position (4460 kg ha−1). More fine earth and plant litter input accompanied by lower C and N losses induced by rainfall erosion resulted in higher soil organic C and total N densities (28.6 Mg C ha−1 and 2.87 Mg N ha−1) at the lower position.
Conclusions
Rock fragments may promote root growth but limit aboveground biomass production, and can therefore change the biomass distribution pattern. Our findings provide more evidence for scientifically assessing alpine steppe productivity.
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Acknowledgements
This study was funded by the “Strategic Priority Research Program” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB03030505), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41573070) and the Open Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Y412201403).
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Du, Z., Cai, Y., Yan, Y. et al. Embedded rock fragments affect alpine steppe plant growth, soil carbon and nitrogen in the northern Tibetan Plateau. Plant Soil 420, 79–92 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3376-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3376-9