CollectHomepage AdvertisementContact usMessage

Arid Land Geography ›› 2022, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (4): 1224-1234.doi: 10.12118/j.issn.1000-6060.2021.487

• Biology and Environment • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Characteristics of soil particle size distribution of typical plant communities on the hilly areas of Loess Plateau

SHA Guoliang1,2,3(),WEI Tianxing1,2,3(),CHEN Yuxuan1,2,3,FU Yanchao1,2,3,REN Kang1,2,3   

  1. 1. School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
    2. Key Laboratory of State Forestry Administration on Soil and Water Conservation and Desertification Combating, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
    3. Jixian National Forest Ecosystem Observation and Research Station, CNERN/CFERN, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2021-10-20 Revised:2022-01-17 Online:2022-07-25 Published:2022-08-11
  • Contact: Tianxing WEI E-mail:sgl2020@bjfu.edu.cn;weitx@bjfu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Soil particle size distribution (PSD), a basic soil physical property, is highly related to soil structure, water movement, fertility development, porosity condition, and soil-forming process and has been widely studied as an indicator of soil erosion in different plant communities. Generally, soil PSD comprises different layers of clay, silt, and sand. Among these layers, clay has the colloidal property that can effectively promote the formation and development of soil aggregates, enhance the stability of soil structure, and strengthen soil erosion resistance. Previous studies on the Loess Plateau of China only focused on the soil PSD in the upper soil layers, but the vertical variation in soil PSD in the deep layers is unknown. Additionally, planting large areas of pure forests leads to problems such as a single stand structure, weak stability of the intraforest ecosystem, poor resistance to disturbance, and restricted soil quality, all of which affect the sustainability of vegetation restoration. In the present work, soil samples (0-200 cm) from grassland, Pinus tabuliformis pure forests, Armeniaca sibirica pure forests, Pinus tabuliformis and Armeniaca sibirica mixed plantations were collected to examine the effects of different forest allocations on the vertical variation in soil PSD and provide a theoretical basis for the ecological reconstruction efforts work on the Loess Plateau. First, soil PSD was measured through laser diffraction technique. Then, soil particle size parameters (mean particle size, median particle size, standard deviation, and skewness and kurtosis values) and frequency distribution curve were calculated and analyzed. Finally, the fractal theory was applied to accurately express the soil structural form and function. Results showed that (1) the soils in the study area belonged to silty loam. The soil PSD of different plant communities was dominated by silt accounting for 56.58%-71.67% followed by sand accounting for 21.37%-38.71% and clay accounting for 3.55%-6.96%. (2) The soil PSD of different plant communities, which were primarily affected by parent material, showed uniformity along the soil depth. Generally, the soil PSD of different plant communities reflected poor sorting, positive skewness, and sharp kurtosis. The frequency curves showed two peaks. Significant difference in PSD was only found at the soil surface (0-20 cm). (3) The soil average fractal dimension (0-200 cm) of grassland, Pinus tabuliformis pure forests, Armeniaca sibirica pure forests, and mixed plantations of Pinus tabuliformis and Armeniaca sibirica were 2.63, 2.60, 2.61, and 2.58, respectively. Soil fractal dimension, which was positively correlated with clay content, could accurately reflect the soil particle composition in grass land. Moreover, grassland in the Wuqi County had finer soil PSD than plantations.

Key words: plantations, particle size distribution, particle size parameters, fractal dimension, Loess Plateau