The arid and semi-arid northwestern China has been undergoing ecological degradation and the efforts to reverse the ecological degradation have been undertaken for many years. Some shifting dunes have been fixed and t...The arid and semi-arid northwestern China has been undergoing ecological degradation and the efforts to reverse the ecological degradation have been undertaken for many years. Some shifting dunes have been fixed and the vegetation has been partially recovered in certain areas and the Mu Us Sandy Land in the Ordos Plateau is an example of the success. The present study attempts to reveal the relationships between the vegetation restoration and ecohydrology in the Mu Us Sandy Land. We continuously measured soil water content at 10-min intervals under three vegetation types （i.e., shifting dune, shrub-dominated community, and herb-dominated community） in the Mu Us Sandy Land from April 2012 to October 2013. The results show the infiltration coefficient increased with increased rainfall amount and eventually reached a stable value. Infiltration coefficients were 0.91, 0.64, and 0.74 in the shifting dune, in the shrub-dominated community, and in the herb-dominated community, respectively. Cumulative infiltration and soil texture are two vital factors affecting the depths of rainfall penetration. Only rainfall events larger than 35.0 mm could recharge soil water at the 60-80 cm layer in the herb-dominated community. Our results imply that the expected forward succession of restored vegetation may be destined to deterioration after reaching the climax simply because of following two facts： （1） soil water is mainly retained at shallower layer and （2） plant fine roots mainly distribute in deeper layer in the herb-dominated community.展开更多
Soil water repellency （SWR） is one of the most important physical properties of soils found all over the world, and it may have significant effects on the eco-hydrological processes of land ecosystems. In this study...Soil water repellency （SWR） is one of the most important physical properties of soils found all over the world, and it may have significant effects on the eco-hydrological processes of land ecosystems. In this study, the Capillary Rise Method was used to measure the SWR in the artificial vegetation area in Shapotou, located in the southeast area of the Tengger Desert, Ningxia Prov- ince of western China. The variation of the soil water repellency among different minor topographies, different depths and differ- ent particle sizes was analyzed. The results of the study indicate that the SWR shows distinct changes with vegetation restoration, and it increases with an increase in the period of dune stabilization. In the same vegetation area, the SWR of soils in inter-dune depressions or windward slopes is slightly greater than that in crest or leeward slopes. The SWR of 0-3 cm topsoil is significantly greater than that in the 3-6 cm soil layer. The SWR decreases with an increase in grain size and the differences among the SWRs of different sieved soil fractions are found to be significant. There is also a significantly positive correlation between the SWR and the proportion of soils with grain sizes of 0-0.05, 0.05-0.01 and 0.01-0.15 mm, and a significantly negative correlation between the SWR and the propotion of soils with grain sizes exceeding 0.15 mm. The increase of SWR in revegetation areas may depend on the continuous depositing of atmospheric dust on the stabilized dune surface as well as the formation of biological soil crusts, especially on the formation of algal and lichen crusts. Enhanced SWR influences the effectiveness of water use of sand plants in- habiting the sand dunes.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41130640,41321001,31470402)the Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University(IRT1108)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(2012CXQT07)
文摘The arid and semi-arid northwestern China has been undergoing ecological degradation and the efforts to reverse the ecological degradation have been undertaken for many years. Some shifting dunes have been fixed and the vegetation has been partially recovered in certain areas and the Mu Us Sandy Land in the Ordos Plateau is an example of the success. The present study attempts to reveal the relationships between the vegetation restoration and ecohydrology in the Mu Us Sandy Land. We continuously measured soil water content at 10-min intervals under three vegetation types （i.e., shifting dune, shrub-dominated community, and herb-dominated community） in the Mu Us Sandy Land from April 2012 to October 2013. The results show the infiltration coefficient increased with increased rainfall amount and eventually reached a stable value. Infiltration coefficients were 0.91, 0.64, and 0.74 in the shifting dune, in the shrub-dominated community, and in the herb-dominated community, respectively. Cumulative infiltration and soil texture are two vital factors affecting the depths of rainfall penetration. Only rainfall events larger than 35.0 mm could recharge soil water at the 60-80 cm layer in the herb-dominated community. Our results imply that the expected forward succession of restored vegetation may be destined to deterioration after reaching the climax simply because of following two facts： （1） soil water is mainly retained at shallower layer and （2） plant fine roots mainly distribute in deeper layer in the herb-dominated community.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No.2009CB421303)the National Natural Sciences Foundation(Grant Nos.40971031,40701002)
文摘Soil water repellency （SWR） is one of the most important physical properties of soils found all over the world, and it may have significant effects on the eco-hydrological processes of land ecosystems. In this study, the Capillary Rise Method was used to measure the SWR in the artificial vegetation area in Shapotou, located in the southeast area of the Tengger Desert, Ningxia Prov- ince of western China. The variation of the soil water repellency among different minor topographies, different depths and differ- ent particle sizes was analyzed. The results of the study indicate that the SWR shows distinct changes with vegetation restoration, and it increases with an increase in the period of dune stabilization. In the same vegetation area, the SWR of soils in inter-dune depressions or windward slopes is slightly greater than that in crest or leeward slopes. The SWR of 0-3 cm topsoil is significantly greater than that in the 3-6 cm soil layer. The SWR decreases with an increase in grain size and the differences among the SWRs of different sieved soil fractions are found to be significant. There is also a significantly positive correlation between the SWR and the proportion of soils with grain sizes of 0-0.05, 0.05-0.01 and 0.01-0.15 mm, and a significantly negative correlation between the SWR and the propotion of soils with grain sizes exceeding 0.15 mm. The increase of SWR in revegetation areas may depend on the continuous depositing of atmospheric dust on the stabilized dune surface as well as the formation of biological soil crusts, especially on the formation of algal and lichen crusts. Enhanced SWR influences the effectiveness of water use of sand plants in- habiting the sand dunes.
