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Salt leaching leads to drier soils in disturbed semiarid woodlands of central Argentina

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Abstract

Disturbances in semiarid environments have revealed a strong connection between water, salt and vegetation dynamics highlighting how the alteration of water fluxes can drive salt redistribution process and long-term environmental degradation. Here, we explore to what extent the reciprocal effect, that of salt redistribution on water fluxes, may play a role in dictating environmental changes following disturbance in dry woodlands. We assessed salt and water dynamics comparing soil-solution electrical conductivity, chloride concentration, soil water content (SWC) and soil matric and osmotic water potential (Ψm, Ψos) between disturbed and undisturbed areas. A large pool of salts and chlorides present in undisturbed areas was absent in disturbed plots, suggesting deep leaching. Unexpectedly, this was associated with slight but consistently lower SWC in disturbed versus undisturbed situations during two growing seasons. The apparent paradox of increased leaching but diminishing SWC after disturbance can be explained by the effect of native salt lowering Ψos enough to prevent full soil drying. Under disturbed conditions, the onset of deep drainage and salt leaching would raise Ψos allowing a decline of Ψm and SWC. Soil water storage seems to be modulated by the presence (under natural conditions) and partial leaching (following selective shrub disturbance) of large salt pools. This counterintuitive effect of disturbances may be important in semiarid regions where deep soil salt accumulation is a common feature. Our results highlight the importance of water–salt–vegetation coupling for the understanding and management of these systems.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to SER BEEF S.A. for providing access to its ranch and its valuable field information, and to the Gómez family for their hospitality. R. Paéz, S. Ballesteros, E. Crespo, C. Santoni, E. Fernández and D. Steinaker provided field and laboratory support. Special thanks to James F. Reynolds and ARIDNET National Science Foundation Grant 0234186. This work was funded by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI, CRNII 2031; US-National Science Foundation Grant GEO-0452325), International Development Research Center (IDRC, Canada 106601-001), Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBACyT 20020100100736) and Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica de Argentina (PICT 1840/06). V.A.M, R.J.F. and E.G.J. were partially supported by CONICET.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. IFEVA-CONICET/Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Av. San Martín 4453, C1417DSE, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Victoria A. Marchesini & R. J. Fernández

  2. Grupo de Estudios Ambientales, IMASL-CONICET and Universidad de San Luis, San Luis, Argentina

    E. G. Jobbágy

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  1. Victoria A. Marchesini
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  2. R. J. Fernández
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  3. E. G. Jobbágy
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Correspondence to Victoria A. Marchesini.

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Communicated by Tim Seastedt.

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Marchesini, V.A., Fernández, R.J. & Jobbágy, E.G. Salt leaching leads to drier soils in disturbed semiarid woodlands of central Argentina. Oecologia 171, 1003–1012 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-012-2457-y

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