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Changes of soil organic and inorganic carbon in relation to grassland degradation in Northern Tibet

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Ecological Research

Abstract

The effect of livestock grazing on grassland degradation and the resulting impact on soil carbon concentration is an important factor in carbon estimation. We addressed this issue using field observations and laboratory analysis of samples from Tibetan grassland. Based on the field measurements, we investigated the soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil inorganic carbon (SIC) under two contrasting degradation states: lightly or non-degraded grasslands (LDG) and heavily degraded grasslands (HDG). We assessed their relationships with environmental factors using data collected from 99 sites across Northern Tibet during 2011–2012. Data were analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model and one-way ANOVA. The results showed that: (1) SOC concentration decreased and SIC concentration increased following grassland degradation, especially at soil depths in the range of 0–10 cm (P < 0.05); (2) the major environmental factors affecting SOC and SIC were soil pH and plant biomass; (3) spatially, the SOC density increased with the mean annual temperature and mean annual precipitation, whereas SIC exhibited the opposite trend; (4) the SOC density increased at first and then decreased with increasing grazing intensity, with an opposite trend in SIC; and (5) soil carbon storage in this region was 0.14 Pg smaller in the HDG than in the LDG. This study suggests that grassland degradation can significantly affect the vertical distribution and storage of SOC and SIC. The carbon sequestration capacity of the top 100 cm of soil in Northern Tibet was estimated as 0.14 Pg.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41030105) and the “Strategic Priority Research Program—Climate Change: Carbon Budget, Related Issues” of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05050404). The data in this study were provided by the Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Data were also obtained from a study of long-term changes in climate change and ecosystems in East Asia funded by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 23 Xinning Road, Xining, Qinghai, 810008, China

    Shuli Liu, Fawei Zhang, Yangong Du, Li Lin, Yikang Li, Xiaowei Guo, Qian Li & Guangmin Cao

  2. School of Life Science, Jiangxi Normal University, 99 Ziyang Road, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330022, China

    Shuli Liu

  3. Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Beijing, 100871, China

    Yanhong Tang

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  1. Shuli Liu
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  5. Li Lin
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  9. Guangmin Cao
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Correspondence to Guangmin Cao.

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Liu, S., Tang, Y., Zhang, F. et al. Changes of soil organic and inorganic carbon in relation to grassland degradation in Northern Tibet. Ecol Res 32, 395–404 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-017-1447-2

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