Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of land use patterns on slope soil water in the semiarid Loess Plateau, China

  • Research Articles
  • Published:
Journal of Geographical Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Land use patterns (LUPs) are the form in which various land use types are combined spatially, evidently impacting soil water. However, the influence mechanism by which LUPs form remains unclear. In this study, the soil water content (SWC) in the 0–160-cm soil depth was observed in shrubland (SL), mature forestland (MF), grassland (GL) and young forestland (YF) sites on four slopes with different LUPs in the Yangjuangou catchment of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The SWC in SL-YF-SL (13.28%) was significantly greater than that in YF-MF (9.93%), MF-GL-YF (10.38%) and SL-MF (10.83%) and was temporally stable during the study period. The spatial distribution of SWC along the slope differed among the four LUPs. Vegetation characteristics and soil texture mainly determined the spatial variations in SWC in the shallow soil layers (0–40 cm), while topographic factors were the determinants in the deep soil layers (60–160 cm) as well as in the entire soil profile (0–160 cm). The significance of SWC differences among the various land use patterns increased with decreasing precipitation during the growing seasons. YF-MF (77.8 mm) and SL-YF-GL (73.9 mm) required more rainwater than SL-MF (68.2 mm) and MF-GL-MF (67.5 mm) to compensate for the loss of soil water on the monthly scale during the rainy season. Therefore, vegetation restoration should consider land use patterns on hillslopes for soil water conservation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • An W, Li Z, Wang S et al., 2017. Exploring the effects of the “Grain for Green” program on the differences in soil water in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China. Ecological Engineering, 107: 144–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asbjornsen H, Goldsmith G R, Alvarado-Barrientos M S et al., 2011. Ecohydrological advances and applications in plant-water relations research: A review. Journal of Plant Ecology, 4(1/2): 3–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao Z, Li Y, Liu Z et al., 2019. Quantifying the vertical distribution pattern of land-use conversion in the loess hilly region of northern Shaanxi Province 1995–2015. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 29(5): 730–748.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caravaca F, Masciandaro G, Ceccanti B, 2002. Land use in relation to soil chemical and biochemical properties in a semiarid Mediterranean environment. Soil & Tillage Research, 68(1): 23–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen W, Li Z, Jiao L et al., 2020. Response of soil moisture to rainfall event in black locust plantations at different stages of restoration in hilly-gully area of the Loess Plateau, China. Chinese Geographical Science, 30(3): 427–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng R R, Chen Q W, Zhang J G et al., 2020. Soil moisture variations in response to precipitation in different vegetation types: A multi-year study in the loess hilly region in China. Ecohydrology, 13(3): e2196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dymond S F, Bradford J B, Bolstad P V et al., 2017. Topographic, edaphic, and vegetative controls on plant-available water. Ecohydrology, 10(8): e1897.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Earles J M, Stevens J T, Sperling O et al., 2018. Extreme mid-winter drought weakens tree hydraulic-carbohydrate systems and slows growth. New Phytologist, 219(1): 89–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang X, Zhao W, Wang L et al., 2016. Variations of deep soil moisture under different vegetation types and influencing factors in a watershed of the Loess Plateau, China. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 20(8): 3309–3323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feldman A F, Short G D J, Konings A G et al., 2018. Moisture pulse-reserve in the soil-plant continuum observed across biomes. Nature Plants, 4(12): 1026–1033.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng T, Wei W, Chen L et al., 2018. Effects of land preparation and plantings of vegetation on soil moisture in a hilly loess catchment in China. Land Degradation & Development, 29(5): 1427–1441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng X, Fu B, Piao S et al., 2016. Revegetation in China’s Loess Plateau is approaching sustainable water resource limits. Nature Climate Change, 6(11): 1019–1022.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferrante D, Oliva G E, Fernández R J, 2014. Soil water dynamics, root systems, and plant responses in a semiarid grassland of Southern Patagonia. Journal of Arid Environments, 104: 52–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu B, Chen L, Ma K et al., 2000. The relationships between land use and soil conditions in the hilly area of the loess plateau in northern Shaanxi, China. Catena, 39(1): 69–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu B, Wang J, Chen L et al., 2003. The effects of land use on soil moisture variation in the Danangou catchment of the Loess Plateau, China. Catena, 54(1): 197–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu B, Wang S, Liu Y et al., 2017. Hydrogeomorphic ecosystem responses to natural and anthropogenic changes in the Loess Plateau of China. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, 45(1): 223–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu B, Wang Y, Lu Y et al., 2009. The effects of land-use combinations on soil erosion: A case study in the Loess Plateau of China. Progress in Physical Geography, 33(6): 793–804.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao G, Tuo D, Han X et al., 2020. Effects of land-use patterns on soil carbon and nitrogen variations along revegetated hillslopes in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Science of the Total Environment, 746: 141156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gwak Y, Kim S. 2016. Factors affecting soil moisture spatial variability for a humid forest hillslope. Hydrological Processes, 31: 431–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jia X, Shao M A, Zhu Y et al., 2017. Soil moisture decline due to afforestation across the Loess Plateau, China. Journal of Hydrology, 546: 113–122.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jian S, Zhao C, Fang S et al., 2015. Effects of different vegetation restoration on soil water storage and water balance in the Chinese Loess Plateau. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 206: 85–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiao L, Lu N, Fang W et al., 2019. Determining the independent impact of soil water on forest transpiration: A case study of a black locust plantation in the Loess Plateau, China. Journal of Hydrology, 572: 671–681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiao L, Lu N, Sun G et al., 2016. Biophysical controls on canopy transpiration in a black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) plantation on the semi-arid Loess Plateau, China. Ecohydrology, 9(6): 1068–1081.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Legates D R, Mahmood R, Levia D F et al., 2010. Soil moisture: A central and unifying theme in physical geography. Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment, 35(1): 65–86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leitinger G, Ruggenthaler R, Hammerle A et al., 2015. Impact of droughts on water provision in managed alpine grasslands in two climatically different regions of the Alps. Ecohydrology, 8(8): 1600–1613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Fu B, Lu Y et al., 2012. Hydrological responses and soil erosion potential of abandoned cropland in the Loess Plateau, China. Geomorphology, 138(1): 404–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Llorens P, Domingo F, 2007. Rainfall partitioning by vegetation under Mediterranean conditions. A review of studies in Europe. Journal of Hydrology, 335(1): 37–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magliano P N, Whitworth-Hulse J I, Florio E L et al., 2019. Interception loss, throughfall and stemflow by Larrea divaricata: The role of rainfall characteristics and plant morphological attributes. Ecological Research, 34(6): 753–764.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Penna D, Brocca L, Borga M et al., 2013. Soil moisture temporal stability at different depths on two alpine hillslopes during wet and dry periods. Journal of Hydrology, 477: 55–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Recha J W, Mati B M, Nyasimi M et al., 2016. Changing rainfall patterns and farmers’ adaptation through soil water management practices in semi-arid eastern Kenya. Arid Soil Research & Rehabilitation, 30(3): 229–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • She D L, Shao M A, Timm L C et al., 2010. Impacts of land-use pattern on soil water-content variability on the Loess Plateau of China. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica Section B: Soil and Plant Science, 60(4): 369–380.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shi P, Zhang Y, Li Z et al., 2017. Influence of land use and land cover patterns on seasonal water quality at multi-spatial scales. Catena, 151: 182–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Singh G, Panda R K, Mohanty B P, 2019. Spatiotemporal analysis of soil moisture and optimal sampling design for regional-scale soil moisture estimation in a tropical watershed of India. Water Resources Research, 55: 2057–2078.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang C, Fu B, Zhang L et al., 2019. Soil moisture—plant interactions: An ecohydrological review. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 19: 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Fu B, Qiu Y et al., 2003. The effects of land use and its patterns on soil properties in a small catchment of the Loess Plateau. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 15(02): 263–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Fu B, Gao G et al., 2015. Linking the soil moisture distribution pattern to dynamic processes along slope transects in the Loess Plateau, China. Environmental Monitoring & Assessment, 187(12): 778.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Fu B, Gao G et al., 2013. Responses of soil moisture in different land cover types to rainfall events in a re-vegetation catchment area of the Loess Plateau, China. Catena, 101: 122–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Fu B, Gao G et al., 2012. Soil moisture and evapotranspiration of different land cover types in the Loess Plateau, China. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 16(8): 2883–2892.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Y, Shao M A, Zhu Y et al., 2011. Impacts of land use and plant characteristics on dried soil layers in different climatic regions on the Loess Plateau of China. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 151(4): 437–448.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z, Liu B, Zhang Y, 2009. Soil moisture of different vegetation types on the Loess Plateau. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 19(6): 707–718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Western A W, Zhou S L, Grayson R B et al., 2004. Spatial correlation of soil moisture in small catchments and its relationship to dominant spatial hydrological processes. Journal of Hydrology, 286(1): 113–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang L, Chen L D, Wei W et al., 2014. Comparison of deep soil moisture in two re-vegetation watersheds in semi-arid regions. Journal of Hydrology, 513: 314–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang L, Chen L, Wei W, 2015. Effects of vegetation restoration on the spatial distribution of soil moisture at the hillslope scale in semi-arid regions. Catena, 124: 138–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang L, Zhang H, Chen L, 2018. Identification on threshold and efficiency of rainfall replenishment to soil water in semi-arid loess hilly areas. Science China Earth Sciences, 61: 292–301. (in Chinese)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu X, Zhou W, Wang Y et al., 2020. Effects of land use and cultivation time on soil organic and inorganic carbon storage in deep soils. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 30(6): 921–934.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu Y, Wei W, Chen L et al., 2017. Land preparation and vegetation type jointly determine soil conditions after long-term land stabilization measures in a typical hilly catchment, Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 17(1): 144–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu Y, Zhao W, Martinez-Murillo J F et al., 2020. Loess Plateau: From degradation to restoration. Science of the Total Environment, 738: 140206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Shangguan Z, 2016. The change of soil water storage in three land use types after 10 years on the Loess Plateau. Catena, 147: 87–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao W, Fu B, Meng Q et al., 2004. Effects of land-use pattern change on rainfall-runoff and runoff-sediment relations: A case study in Zichang watershed of the Loess Plateau of China. Journal of Environmental Sciences, 16(3): 436–442.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu Y, Jia X, Shao M A, 2018. Loess thickness variations across the Loess Plateau of China. Surveys in Geophysics, 39(4): 715–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, 710119, China

    Lei Jiao, Wenhui Yang & Tian Jia

  2. State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100085, China

    Keyimu Maierdang, Weiliang Chen, Guangyao Gao & Cong Wang

  3. Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Shuai Wang

  4. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Environment, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, 300387, China

    Jianbo Liu

  5. National Observation and Research Station of Earth Critical Zone on the Loess Plateau in Shaanxi, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Weiliang Chen, Guangyao Gao & Cong Wang

Authors
  1. Lei Jiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Wenhui Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tian Jia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Keyimu Maierdang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Weiliang Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Guangyao Gao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Shuai Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jianbo Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Cong Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Guangyao Gao.

Additional information

Foundation: National Key Research and Development Program of China, No.2017YFC0504701, No.2016YFC0501602; Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China, No.2019JQ-767; Doctoral Foundation of Tianjin Normal University, No.52XB1910

Author: Jiao Lei (1985–), PhD, specialized in ecological restoration and ecohydrology.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jiao, L., Yang, W., Jia, T. et al. Effects of land use patterns on slope soil water in the semiarid Loess Plateau, China. J. Geogr. Sci. 32, 701–716 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-022-1968-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-022-1968-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation