Abstract
Purpose
Ecosystem changes occurring against a backdrop of climate changes have set off a chain reaction through the cycle of matter and energy affecting water, soils, and plants. Heavy metal elements have long been research hotspots due to their unique impacts on the composition and function of soils and plants. Most studies of heavy metals are conducted in contaminated industrial and residential areas, but more studies need to be conducted on well-protected nature reserves undergoing ecological transition.
Method
This study was conducted in a wetland-to-grassland ecotone in the Huihe National Nature Reserve, Inner Mongolia, where wetland has been decreasing and turning into grassland in the past few decades. To compare associations between the grasslandification of wetland and the presence of heavy metals, concentration of 11 heavy metals [iron (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), vanadium (V), antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb)], vegetation characteristics (above and belowground plant biomass, height, and species), and topsoil (0–20 cm) characteristics [pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil moisture, bulk density, and concentration of P, K, Ca, Na, and Mg] were measured at four independent sites, each of which contained three kinds of ecosystems (i.e., treatments): wetlands, wetland-grassland junctions, and grasslands.
Results
Soil Fe, Cr, and Pb concentrations increased as the ecotype shifted from wetland to grassland, whereas Mn and Cd decreased. SW (soil water) and pH levels also decreased; the SW value was the highest in the wetlands (32.8 ± 3.63%) and decreased from the junction lands (30.6 ± 4.7%) to the grasslands (22.1 ± 2.85%) (p < 0.01); and pH decreased from 8.9 to 7.8 from the wetlands to the adjacent wetlands (p < 0.01). Plant coverage and aboveground biomass levels were highest in the wetland plots, whereas belowground biomass levels were highest in the grassland plots.
Conclusions
Even though little human disturbance occurs in the grassland-to-wetland ecosystems in the nature reserves of Huihe Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, trace amounts of heavy metals were still detected (Fe, Cr, Pb, Mn, and Cd). Shifts in soil water and pH may be responsible for this phenomenon.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adhikari K, Hartemink AE (2016) Linking soils to ecosystem services—a global review. Geoderma 262:101–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2015.08.009
Asati A, Pichhode M, Nikhil K (2016) Effect of heavy metals on plants: an overview. Int J Appl Innov Eng Manage 5:2319–4847. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27583.87204
Bai YF, Wu JG, Xing Q et al (2008) Primary production and rain use efficiency across a precipitation gradient on the Mongolia Plateau. Ecology 89:2140–2153 https://doi.org/10.1890/07-0992.1
Batlle-Aguilar J, Brovelli A, Porporato A et al (2011) Modelling soil carbon and nitrogen cycles during land use change. Agronomy Sust Developm 2:499–527. https://doi.org/10.1051/agro/2010007
Behera SK, Shukla AK (2015) Spatial distribution of surface soil acidity, electrical conductivity, soil organic carbon content and exchangeable potassium, calcium and magnesium in some cropped acid soils of India. Land Degrad Dev 26(1):71–79
Cardon ZG, Whitbeck JL (2011) The rhizosphere: an ecological perspective
Chaffai R, Koyama H (2011) Heavy metal tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Adv Bot Res 60:1–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385851-1.00001-9
Charles H, Dukes JS (2008) Impacts of invasive species on ecosystem services. In: Nentwig W. (eds) Biological invasions. Ecol Stud (analysis and synthesis) 193:217–237. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-36920-2_13
Chen G, Zeng G, Du C et al (2010) Transfer of heavy metals from compost to red soil and groundwater under simulated rainfall conditions. J. Hazard Mater 181:211–216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2010.04.118
Cheng W, Lei SG, Bian ZF et al (2019a) Geographic distribution of heavy metals and identification of their sources in soils near large, open-pit coal mines using positive matrix factorization. J Hazard Mater 387:121666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121666
Cheng W, Lei SG, Bian ZF, Zhao YB, Li YC, Gan YD (2019b) Geographic distribution of heavy metals and identification of their sources in soils near large, open-pit coal mines using positive matrix factorization. J Hazard Mater 121666. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2019.121666
Choppala G, Saifullah BN et al (2014) Cellular mechanisms in higher plants governing tolerance to cadmium toxicity. Crit Rev Plant Sci 33:374–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352689.2014.903747
Colombo C, Palumbo G, He JZ (2014) Review on iron availability in soil: interaction of Fe minerals, plants, and microbes. J Soils Sediments 14:538–548. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-013-0814-z
Cornelissen G, Nurida NL, Hale SE et al (2018) Fading positive effect of biochar on crop yield and soil acidity during five growth seasons in an Indonesian Ultisol. Sci Total Environ 634:561–568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.380
Costanza R, Fisher B, Mulder K et al (2007) Biodiversity and ecosystem services: a multi-scale empirical study of the relationship between species richness and net primary production. Ecol Econ 61:478–491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2006.03.021
Dai J, Becquer T, Rouiller JH et al (2004) Influence of heavy metals on C and N mineralisation and microbial biomass in Zn-, Pb-, Cu-, and Cd-contaminated soils. Appl Soil Ecol 25:99–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2003.09.003
Deng L, Wang K, Li J et al (2016) Effect of soil moisture and atmospheric humidity on both plant productivity and diversity of native grasslands across the Loess Plateau. China Ecol Eng 94:525–531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.06.048
Dong S-K, Wen L, Li YY et al (2012) Soil-quality effects of grassland degradation and restoration on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Soil Sci Soc Am J 76:2256–2264. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2012.0092
Fageria NK, Barbosa Filho MP, Moreira A et al (2009) Foliar fertilization of crop plants. J Plant Nutr 32:1044–1064. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904160902872826
Faucon MP, Houben D, Lambers H (2017) Plant functional traits: soil and ecosystem services. Trends Plant Sci 22:385–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2017.01.005
Gao F, Cui X, Sang Y et al (2020) Changes in soil organic carbon and total nitrogen as affected by primary forest conversion. For Ecol Manag 463:118–213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118013
García-Palacios P, Gross N, Gaitán J (2018) Climate mediates the biodiversity–ecosystem stability relationship globally, Proc chromium stress in plants: an overview. Protoplasma 249:599–611. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-011-0331-0
Hayat S, Khalique G, Irfan M (2012) Physiological changes induced by chromium stress in plants: an overview. Protoplasma 249:599–611. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-011-0331-0
He J, Su D, Lv S et al (2018) Analysis of factors controlling soil phosphorus loss with surface runoff in Huihe National Nature Reserve by principal component and path analysis methods. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25:2320–2330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0570-5
Horion S, Ivits E, Keersmaecker De et al (2019) Mapping European ecosystem change types in response to land-use change, extreme climate events, and land degradation. Land Degrad Dev 30:951–963. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.3282
Hu Q, Pan FF, Pan XB et al (2015) Spatial analysis of climate change in Inner Mongolia during 1961–2012. China Appl Geogr 60:254⁃260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeog.2014.10.009
IUSS Working Group WRB (2014) World reference base for soil resources 2014
Kallenbach CM, Conant RT, Calderón F et al (2019) A novel soil amendment for enhancing soil moisture retention and soil carbon in drought-prone soils. Geoderma 337:256–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.09.027
Li Z, Bagan H, Yamagata Y (2018) Analysis of spatiotemporal land cover changes in Inner Mongolia using self-organizing map neural network and grid cells method. Sci Total Environ 636:1180–1191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.04.361
Li Z, Ma Z, van der Kuijp TJ et al (2014) A review of soil heavy metal pollution from mines in China: pollution and health risk assessment. Sci Total Environ 468–469:843–853. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.08.090
Liang Q, Jing H, Gregoire DC (2000) Determination of trace elements in granites by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Talanta 51:507–513. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0039-9140(99)00318-5
Lindsay WL (1984) Soil and plant relationships associated with iron deficiency with emphasis on nutrient interactions. J Plant Nutr 7:489–500. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904168409363215
Lindsay WL, Schwab AP (1982) The chemistry of iron in soils and its availability to plants. J Plant Nutr 5:821–840. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904168209363012
Liu ZF, Fu BJ, Zheng XX et al (2010) Plant biomass, soil water content and soil N: P ratio regulating soil microbial functional diversity in a temperate steppe: a regional scale study. Soil Biol Biochem 42:445–450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2009.11.027
Lorenzo P, RodríEcheverría S, González L et al (2010) Effect of invasive Acacia dealbata Link on soil microorganisms as determined by PCR-DGGE. Appl Soil Ecol 44:245–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2010.01.001
Manlay RJ, Chotte JL, Masse D et al (2002) Carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus allocation in agro-ecosystems of a West African savanna: III. Plant and soil components under continuous cultivation. Agric Ecosyst Environ 88:249–269. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0167-8809(01)00219-5
Meyfroidt P, Lambin EF (2011) Global land use change, economic globalization, and the looming land scarcity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108:3465–3472. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1100480108
Millaleo R, Reyes-Díaz M, Ivanov AG et al (2010) Manganese as essential and toxic element for plants: transport, accumulation and resistance mechanisms. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr 10:470–481. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-95162010000200008
Na R, Du H, Na L et al (2019) Spatiotemporal changes in the aeolian desertification of Hulunbuir grassland and its driving factors in China during 1980–2015. CATENA 182:104123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2019.104123
Nguyen H, Dargusch P, Moss P et al (2016) A review of the drivers of 200 years of wetland degradation in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. Reg Environ Change 16:2303–2315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-016-0941-3
Niu Z-G, Zhang HY, Wang XM et al (2012) Mapping wetland changes in China between 1978 and 2008. Chin Sci Bull 57:2813–2823. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-012-5093-3
R Core Team (2020) R: a language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria
Rahman Z, Singh VP (2019) The relative impact of toxic heavy metals (THMs) (arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr)(VI), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb)) on the total environment: an overview. Environ Monit Assess 191:419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7528-7
Rillig MC, Mummey DL (2010) Mycorrhizas and soil structure. New Phytol 171:41–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2006.01750.x
Risacher F, Alonso H, Salazar C (2003) The origin of brines and salts in Chilean salars: a hydrochemical review. Earth Sci Rev 63:249–293. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-8252(03)00037-0
Sarwar N, Imran M, Shaheen MR et al (2017) Phytoremediation strategies for soils contaminated with heavy metals: modifications and future perspectives. Chemosphere 171:710–721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2016.12.116
Schmidt SB, Jensen PE, Husted S (2016) Manganese deficiency in plants: the impact on photosystem II. Trends Plant Sci 21:622–632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2016.03.001
Scudiero E, Skaggs TH, Corwin DL (2016) Comparative regional-scale soil salinity assessment with near-ground apparent electrical conductivity and remote sensing canopy reflectance. Ecol Indic 70:276–284
Seth CS (2012) A review on mechanisms of plant tolerance and role of transgenic plants in environmental clean-up. Bot Rev 78:32–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-011-9092-x
Seth CS, Chaturvedi PK, Misra V (2007) Toxic effect of arsenate and cadmium alone and in combination on giant duckweed (Spirodela polyrrhiza L.) in response to its accumulation. Environ Toxicol 22:539–549. https://doi.org/10.1002/tox.20292
Shen C, Xiong J, Zhang H et al (2013) Soil pH drives the spatial distribution of bacterial communities along elevation on Changbai Mountain. Soil Biol Biochem 57:204–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.07.013
Soil environmental quality risk control standard for soil contamination of agricultural land. GB 15618–2018, 2018. http://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/fgbz/bz/bzwb/trhj/201807/t20180703_446029.shtml
Soil and sediment-determination of aqua regia extracts of 12 metal elements-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. HJ 803-2016, 2016. https://www.mee.gov.cn/ywgz/fgbz/bz/bzwb/jcffbz/201606/t20160630_356525.shtml
Sun B, Liu Y, Lei Y (2016) Growing season relative humidity variations and possible impacts on Hulunbuir grassland. Sci Bull 61:728–736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-016-1042-x
Sun S, Sang W, Axmacher JC (2020) China’s national nature reserve network shows great imbalances in conserving the country’s mega-diverse vegetation. Sci Total Environ 717:137–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137159
Tian S, Liang T, Li K et al (2018a) Source and path identification of metals pollution in a mining area by PMF and rare earth element patterns in road dust. Sci Total Environ 633:958–966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.227
Tian SH, Liang T, Li KX, Wang LQ (2018b) Source and path identification of metals pollution in a mining area by PMF and rare earth element patterns in road dust. Sci Total Environ 633:958–966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.227
Viehweger K (2014) How plants cope with heavy metals. Bot Stud 55:35. https://doi.org/10.1186/1999-3110-55-35
Wichelns D, Qadir M (2015) Achieving sustainable irrigation requires effective management of salts, soil salinity, and shallow groundwater. Agric Manage Water Qual 157:31–38
Xiong J, Liu Y, Lin X et al (2012) Geographic distance and pH drive bacterial distribution in alkaline lake sediments across Tibetan Plateau. Environ Microbiol 14:2457–2466. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02799.x
Xu W, Xiao Y, Zhang J et al (2017) Strengthening protected areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services in China. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114:1601–1606. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1620503114
Yang Y, Wang ZQ, Li JL et al (2016) Comparative assessment of grassland degradation dynamics in response to climate variation and human activities in China, Mongolia, Pakistan and Uzbekistan from 2000 to 2013. J Arid Environ 135:164–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2016.09.004
Yaylalı-Abanuz G (2011) Heavy metal contamination of surface soil around Gebze industrial area. Turkey Microchem J 99:82–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.microc.2011.04.004
Yinglan A, Wang G, Liu T et al (2019) Vertical variations of soil water and its controlling factors based on the structural equation model in a semi-arid grassland. Sci Total Environ 691:1016–1026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.07.181
Yu X, Chang Z, Jie X (2015) Areas benefiting from water conservation in key ecological function areas in China. J Resour Ecol 6:375–385. https://doi.org/10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x,2015.06.005
Zhang F, Yu A, Jing Y (2019a) Assessing and predicting changes of the ecosystem service values based on land use/cover change in Ebinur Lake Wetland National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang. China Sci Total Environ 656:1133–1144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.11.444
Zhang H, Wang ZF, Zhang YL, Hu ZJ (2012) The effects of the Qinghai-Tibet railway on heavy metals enrichment in soils. Sci Total Environ 439:240–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.09.027
Zhang P, Qin C, Hong X et al (2018) Risk assessment and source analysis of soil heavy metal pollution from lower reaches of Yellow River irrigation in China. Sci Total Environ 633:1136–1147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.03.228
Zhang Q, Tang HP, Cui FQ et al (2019) SPEI-based analysis of drought characteristics and trends in Hulun Buir grassland. Acta Ecol. Sin 39: 7110–7123. https://doi.org/10.5846/stxb201807061481
Zhou Y, Dong JW, Xiao XM et al (2019) Continuous monitoring of lake dynamics on the Mongolian Plateau using all available Landsat imagery and Google Earth Engine. Sci Total Environ 689:366–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.341
Zhu Y, Zhang Z, Zhao X et al (2017a) Accumulation and potential sources of heavy metals in the soils of the Hetao irrigation district, Inner Mongolia, China. Pedosphere 30:245–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1002-0160(17)60306-0
Zhu YC, Zhang ZH, Zhao XY, Lian J (2017b) Accumulation and potential sources of heavy metals in the soils of the Hetao irrigation district, Inner Mongolia, China. Pedosphere S1002016017603060. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1002-0160(17)60306-0
Funding
This study was mainly supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. 2021M693035). This study was also supported by a Special Fund for Basic Scientific Research Business of Central Public Research Institutes (Grant No. 2019YSKY-017).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
JYM designed experiments, analyzed data and wrote the manuscript. ZZH performed the experiments. JSL provided support for the study area. MJY, WJJ, JQD, JSL, YBS, and BL revised the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Claudio Colombo
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ma, J., Hao, Z., Sun, Y. et al. Heavy metal concentrations differ along wetland-to-grassland soils: a case study in an ecological transition zone in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia. J Soils Sediments 22, 1176–1187 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03132-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-021-03132-5