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Spatial variations and impact factors of soil water content in typical natural and artificial grasslands: a case study in the Loess Plateau of China

  • Soils, Sec 2 • Global Change, Environ Risk Assess, Sustainable Land Use • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

Soil water overconsumption is threatening the sustainability of regional vegetation rehabilitation in the Loess Plateau of China. In this study, two typical natural and artificial grasslands under different precipitation regimes were selected and the spatial variations in and the factors that impact the soil water content were investigated to provide support for vegetation restoration and sustainability management in the Loess Plateau.

Materials and methods

Soil samples were collected in May and September. Medicago sativa L. and Stipa bungeana Trin. were selected as representatives of natural and artificial grasslands, respectively. Soil measurements were conducted at the beginning and end of the rainy seasons at soil depths of 0 to 3 m in 0.2-m increments, and 147 undisturbed and 2205 disturbed soil samples were collected at 27 sampling sites with different precipitation gradients across the Loess Plateau. The plant height, the field capacity, the saturated hydraulic conductivity, the bulk density, and the slope gradient were considered as impact factors. Statistic methods included one-way ANOVA, correlation tests, significance tests, and redundancy analyses.

Results and discussion

Spatial variation trends indicated that the mean soil water content increased as the multi-year mean precipitation increased, and the soil water content was higher in the natural grassland of Stipa bungeana Trin. than in the artificial grassland of Medicago sativa L. in the same precipitation gradient zone. Vertical spatial variation trends indicated that the soil water content was higher in most surface layers than in the deep layer and lower at the end of the rainy season than at the beginning of the rainy season, when the mean annual precipitation was less than 510 mm. The soil water content of the Stipa bungeana Trin. grassland was significantly correlated with precipitation and plant height, whereas the soil water content of the Medicago sativa L. grassland only exhibited a significant correlation with precipitation. Thus, grasses with fine palatability, good adaptability, and low water consumption should be cultivated in the Loess Plateau.

Conclusions

The decreased soil water content is more obvious in the soil layers with active vegetation roots. In the areas with multi-year precipitation at 370–440 mm, natural grasslands are more suitable for restoration and these areas should be treated as key areas for vegetation restoration. With regard to the spatial distribution of vegetation restoration, the economic and ecological benefits must be balanced so that the ratio of artificial vegetation and natural restoration can be optimized to realize the continued sustainability of vegetation restorations.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41390462) and the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (No. IRT_15R06).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, College of Resource and Technology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China

    Xiao Zhang, Wenwu Zhao, Yuanxin Liu, Xuening Fang, Qiang Feng & Zongfeng Chen

  2. College of Forestry, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, Shanxi, 030801, People’s Republic of China

    Qiang Feng

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  1. Xiao Zhang
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  2. Wenwu Zhao
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  3. Yuanxin Liu
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  4. Xuening Fang
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Correspondence to Wenwu Zhao.

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Zhang, X., Zhao, W., Liu, Y. et al. Spatial variations and impact factors of soil water content in typical natural and artificial grasslands: a case study in the Loess Plateau of China. J Soils Sediments 17, 157–171 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-016-1505-3

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