Volume fractal dimension of soil particles and relationships with soil physical-chemical properties and plant species diversity in an alpine grassland under different disturbance degrees

Fractal geometry is an important method in soil science,and many studies have used fractal theory to examine soil properties and the relationships with other eco-environmental factors.However,there have been few studies examining soil particle volume fractal dimension in alpine grasslands.To study the volume fractal dimension of soil particles （D） and its relationships with soil salt,soil nutrient and plant species diversity,we conducted an experiment on an alpine grassland under different disturbance degrees：non-disturbance （N0）,light disturbance （L）,moderate disturbance （M） and heavy disturbance （H）.The results showed that （1） Ds varied from 2.573 to 2.635 among the different disturbance degrees and increased with increasing degrees of disturbance.（2） Shannon-Wiener diversity index,Pielou＇s evenness index and Margalef richness index reached their highest values at the M degree,indicating that moderate disturbance is beneficial to the increase of plant species diversity.（3） In the L and M degrees,there was a significant positive correlation between D and clay content and a significant negative correlation between D and soil organic matter （SOM）.In the H degree,D was significantly and positively correlated with total salt （TS）.The results suggested that to a certain extent,D can be used to characterize the uniformity of soil texture in addition to soil fertility characteristics.（4） For the L degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index; while for the M degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and Pielou＇s evenness index.

Fluxes of methane,carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide in an alpine wetland and an alpine grassland of the Tianshan Mountains,China

Methane （OH4）, carbon dioxide （CO2） and nitrous oxide （N2O） are known to be major greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. To identify the flux dynamics of these greenhouse gases is, therefore, of great significance. In this paper, we conducted a comparative study on an alpine grassland and alpine wetland at the Bayinbuluk Grassland Eco-system Research Station, Chinese Academy of Sciences. By using opaque, static, manual stainless steel chambers and gas chromatography, we measured the fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2 from the grassland and wetland through an in situ monitoring study from May 2010 to October 2012. The mean flux rates of CH4, N2O and CO2 for the experimental alpine wetland in the growing season （from May to October） were estimated at 322.4 μg/（m2.h）, 16.7 μg/（m2.h） and 76.7 mg/（m2.h）, respectively; and the values for the alpine grassland were -88.2 μg/（m2.h）, 12.7 μg/（m2.h）, 57.3 mg/（m2.h）, respectively. The gas fluxes showed large seasonal and annual variations, suggesting weak fluxes in the non-growing season. The relationships between these gas fluxes and environmental factors were analyzed for the two alpine ecosystems. The results showed that air temperature, precipitation, soil temperature and soil moisture can greatly influence the fluxes of CH4, N2O and CO2, but the alpine grassland and alpine wetland showed different feedback mechanisms under the same climate and environmental conditions.

Soil burial has a greater effect on litter decomposition rate than nitrogen enrichment in alpine grasslands

Aims Litter is frequently buried in the soil in alpine grasslands due to grassland degradation,serious rodent infestation and frequent strong winds.However,the effects of various litter positions on litter decomposition rates and nutrient dynamics under nitrogen(N)enrichment in such areas remain unknown.Methods A field experiment was performed in the alpine grasslands of northwest China to investigate the influence of litter position(surface,buried in the soil and standing)and N enrichment on litter decomposition,using data from two dominant grass species(Festuca ovina and Leymus tianschanicus)in control and N-enriched plots.Important Findings Litter decomposition rates were much faster in buried litter and slower in standing litter than in surface litter.N enrichment significantly affected litter quality and then influenced decomposition.But no significant differences in litter mass remaining were observed between control and N-enriched soil burial.These results indicated that N enrichment significantly affected litter decomposition by changes in litter quality.In addition,all litter exhibited net carbon(C)and phosphorus(P)release regardless of treatments.Litter exhibited net N accumulation for litter from the control plots but showed N release for litter from N enrichment plots.These suggested that litter decomposition can be limited by N and N enrichment influenced N cycling of litter.Current study presented direct evidence that soil buried litter exhibited faster mass loss and C release,and that soil burial can be a candidate explanation why litter decomposes faster than expected in dryland.