Persistence of fertilization effects on soil organic carbon in degraded alpine wetlands in the Yellow River source region

In the restoration of degraded wetlands,fertilization can improve the vegetation-soil-microorganisms complex,thereby affecting the organic carbon content.However,it is currently unclear whether these effects are sustainable.This study employed Biolog-Eco surveys to investigate the changes in vegetation characteristics,soil physicochemical properties,and soil microbial functional diversity in degraded alpine wetlands of the source region of the Yellow River at 3 and 15 months after the application of nitrogen,phosphorus,and organic mixed fertilizer.The following results were obtained:The addition of nitrogen fertilizer and organic compost significantly affects the soil organic carbon content in degraded wetlands.Three months after fertilization,nitrogen addition increases soil organic carbon in both lightly and severely degraded wetlands,whereas after 15 months,organic compost enhanced the soil organic carbon level in severely degraded wetlands.Structural equation modeling indicates that fertilization decreases the soil pH and directly or indirectly influences the soil organic carbon levels through variations in the soil water content and the aboveground biomass of vegetation.Three months after fertilization,nitrogen fertilizer showed a direct positive effect on soil organic carbon.However,organic mixed fertilizer indirectly reduced soil organic carbon by increasing biomass and decreasing soil moisture.After 15 months,none of the fertilizers significantly affected the soil organic carbon level.In summary,it can be inferred that the addition of nitrogen fertilizer lacks sustainability in positively influencing the organic carbon content.

Isotopic evidence for soil water sources and reciprocal movement in a semi-arid degraded wetland:Implications for wetland restoration

Understanding water dynamics is a prerequisite for the restoration of degraded ecosystems in arid and semiarid regions.In this study,we carried out δD and δ^(18)O analyses of precipitation,unsaturated soil water,overland flow,surface runoff,and groundwater samples from a seasonally flooded wetland in the Momoge National Nature Reserve of the Songnen Plain,Northeast China,to identify the water sources and understand the mechanisms of unsaturated soil water movement.Unsaturated soil water content(W/W%)at every 20 cm along with a soil profile(0–100 cm)was collected during the growing season,and the HYDRUS-1D model was used to simulate temporal-spatial variations.The results showed that the local meteoric water line(δD=5.90δ18O-7.34,R2=0.95)had a smaller slope and intercept than the global meteoric water line because of strong evaporation at our study site under semi-arid climate.The groundwater was partly recharged by local precipitation via overland flow and unsaturated soil water infiltration.Unsaturated soil water was sourced from both precipitation and groundwater with variations at different depths.The upper soil layer at 0–15 cm was mainly sourced from limited precipitation,while the groundwater could move up to a 25 cm layer during the dry period.The unsaturated soil water content increased with soil depth in the top 40 cm,decreased at depths of 40 to 80 cm,and increased again at depths of 80 to 100 cm.The HYDRUS-1D model could simulate the unsaturated soil water dynamics well in the upper(0–40 cm)and lower(80–100 cm)sections,but poorly for depths of 40–80 cm due to the upward and downward flow.The bidirectional unsaturated soil water movement highlights the importance of capillary groundwater for wetland plants with similar climatic or hydrogeological conditions.

Growth and Physiological Response of Organs of Phragmites australis to Different Water Compensation in Degraded Wetlands

To study the effect of different water compensation on growth and physiology of reed in degraded wetlands,three water treatments in the field were conducted to test the height and photosynthesis of reed,the ions and soluble sugar contents of different organs.In the controls(without extra water compensation for 10 years),the height of reed was only 50 cm,the net photosynthetic rate,stomatal conductance,the intercellular CO2 concentration and transpiration rate were very low.The contents of Na + and Clin rhizome were higher than those in other organs.Discontinuous water compensation(continuous for 8 years,then stopped for 2 years)increased the height(2.1-fold),the net photosynthetic rate(41.8%),stomatal conductance(1.8-fold),transpiration rate(1.3-fold)of reed(Phragmites australis),and decreased the content of Na + (62.3%)and Cl- (71.1%)of rhizome significantly.Continuous water compensation(continuous for 10 years)increased the height(3.2-fold),the net photosynthetic rate(104%),stomatal conductance(2.4-fold),transpiration rate(1.5-fold)of reed,and decreased Na + (82.5%)and Cl - (64.7%)contents in rhizome, then accumulated the K+ ,H2PO4-,SO42- and soluble sugar contents significantly in rhizome.Interrupting water compensation led to the decrease of height(25.3%),the net photosynthetic rate(30.7%),stomatal conductance(17.3%) and increase of Na + (1.16-fold)in rhizome when comparing to the continuous water compensation.These results showed that recovering the degraded reed wetlands needed continuous water compensation yearly to promote reed growth.The organs of reed had corresponding physiological response characteristic to the different water compensation condition.Under long-time dry and waterlogging condition,the rhizomes both helped reed to adapt located environment,by enriching the ions such as Na+ ,Cl- ,and K+ ,H2PO4-,SO42- ,respectively.

Soil remediation of degraded coastal saline wetlands by irrigation with paper mill effluent and plowing

Combined with anti-waterlogging ditches, irrigation with treated paper mill effluent （TPME） and plowing were applied in this study to investigate the effects of remediation of degraded coastal sa- line-alkaline wetlands. Three treatments were employed, viz., control （CK）, irrigated with 10 cm depth of TPME （I）, and plowing to 20 cm deep before irrigating 10 cm depth ofTPME （IP）. Results show that both I-treatment and IP-treatment could improve soil structure by decreasing bulk density by 5% and 8%. Irrigation with TPME containing low salinity stimulated salts leaching instead of accumulating. With anti-waterlogging ditches, salts were drained out of soil. Irrigation with 10 cm depth of TPME lowered total soluble salts in soil and sodium adsorption ration by 33% and 8%, respective!y, but there was no significant difference compared with CK, indicating that this irrigation rate was not heavy enough to remarkably reduce so!l salinity and sodicity, Thus, in-i： gation rate should be enhanced in order to reach better effects of desalinization and desodication. Irrigation with TPME significantly increased soil organic matter, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and available phosphorus due to the abundant organic matter in TPME. Plowing increased soil air circulation, so as to enhance mineralization of organic matter and lead to the loss of organic matter; however, plowing significantly improvedsoil alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen and available phosphorus. Improvements of physicochemical properties in I-treatment and IP-treatment both boosted soil microbial population and activity. Microbial biomass carbon increased significantly by 327% （I-treatment） and 451% （IP-treatment）, while soil respiration increased significantly by 316% （I-treatment） and 386% （IP-treatment）. Urease and dehydrogenase activities in both I-treatment and IP-treatment were significantly higher than that in CK. Phosphatase in IP-treatment was significantly higher than that in CK. Compared to I-treatment, IP-treatment improved all of the soil properties except for soil organic matter. The key to remediation of degraded sa- line-alkaline wetlands is to decrease soil salinity and sodicity; thus, irri- gation plus plowing could be an ideal method of soil remediation.

Soil Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Concentrations and Stoichiometries Across a Chronosequence of Restored Inland Soda Saline-Alkali Wetlands, Western Songnen Plain, Northeast China

Soil carbon(C), nitrogen(N) and phosphorus(P) concentrations and stoichiometries can be used to evaluate the success indicators to the effects of wetland restoration and reflect ecosystem function. Restoration of inland soda saline-alkali wetlands is widespread, however, the soil nutrition changes that follow restoration are unclear. We quantified the recovery trajectories of soil physicochemical properties, including soil organic carbon(SOC), total nitrogen(TN), and total phosphorus(TP) pools, for a chronosequence of three restored wetlands(7 yr, 12 yr and 21 yr) and compared these properties to those of degraded and natural wetlands in the western Songnen Plain, Northeast China. Wetland degradation lead to the loss of soil nutrients. Relative to natural wetlands, the mean reductions of in SOC, TN, and TP concentrations were 89.6%, 65.5% and 52.5%, respectively. Nutrients recovered as years passed after restoration. The SOC, TN, and TP concentrations increased by 2.36 times, 1.15 times, and 0.83 times, respectively in degraded wetlands that had been restored for 21 yr, but remained 29.2%, 17.3%, and 12.8% lower, respectively, than those in natural wetlands. The soil C∶N(RC N), C∶P(R CP), and N∶P(R NP) ratios increased from 5.92 to 8.81, 45.36 to 79.19, and 7.67 to 8.71, respectively in the wetland that had been restored for 12 yr. These results were similar to those from the natural wetland and the wetland that had been restored for 21 yr(P > 0.05). Soil nutrients changes occurred mainly in the upper layers(≤ 30 cm), and no significant differences were found in deeper soils(> 30 cm). Based on this, we inferred that it would take at least 34 yr for SOC, TN, and TP concentrations and 12 yr for RC N, R CP, and RN P in the top soils of degraded wetlands to recover to levels of natural wetlands. Soil salinity negatively influenced SOC(r =-0.704, P < 0.01), TN(r =-0.722, P < 0.01), and TP(r =-0.882, P < 0.01) concentrations during wetland restoration, which indicates that reducing salinity is beneficial to SOC, TN, and TP recovery. Moreover, plants were an important source of soil nutrients and vegetation restoration was conducive to soil nutrient accumulation. In brief, wetland restoration increased the accumulation of soil biogenic elements, which indicated that positive ecosystem functions changes had occurred.

Effects of diet shift on the gut microbiota of the critically endangered Siberian Crane

Wetlands worldwide have suffered from serious degradation and transformation,leading to waterbirds increasingly dependent on agricultural fields for feeding.Although gut microbiota is an essential component of host health,the impacts of agricultural feeding on gut microbial community and pathogen transmission remain poorly understood.To fill this knowledge gap,we used 16S rRNA sequencing to characterize the fecal bacterial community of the Siberian Crane(Grus leucogeranus),a Critically Endangered species,that recently has shifted its foraging from largely Vallisneria tubers in Poyang Lake natural wetlands to crops(i.e.,rice seeds and lotus rhizomes) in agricultural fields.We compared the bacterial communities between tuber foraging cranes and crop foraging cranes.Our results indicate that diet shift greatly modified the gut microbiota diversity,composition and function.Crop foraging cranes had higher microbiota diversity than tuber foraging cranes.The alteration in microbiota composition and function were correlated with change in food nutrition.Tuber(i.e.,high in fiber)foraging cranes were enriched in Clostridiaceae with fiber digestion ability,and crop(i.e.,high in carbohydrate)foraging cranes were enriched in bacterial taxa and functions related to carbohydrate metabolism.The flexibility of gut microbiota might enhance Siberian Cranes’ ability to adapt to novel diet and environment.However,many enriched families in crop foraging cranes were pathogenic bacteria,which might increase the susceptibility of cranes to pathogenic infection.Special caution should be taken to agricultural feeding waterbirds in Asia,where the widespread poultry-keeping in over-harvested rice fields might increase the transmission probability of pathogenetic bacteria among wild birds,domestic poultry and humans.

Mapping and understanding degradation of alpine wetlands in the northern Maloti-Drakensberg, southern Africa

The alpine terrestrials of the Maloti-Drakensberg in southern Africa play crucial roles in ecosystem functions and livelihoods,yet they face escalating degradation from various factors including overgrazing and climate change.This study employs advanced Digital Soil Mapping(DSM)techniques coupled with remote sensing to map and assess wetland coverage and degradation in the northern Maloti-Drakensberg.The model achieved high accuracies of 96%and 92%for training and validation data,respectively,with Kappa statistics of 0.91 and 0.83,marking a pioneering automated attempt at wetland mapping in this region.Terrain attributes such as terrain wetness index(TWI)and valley depth(VD)exhibit significant positive correlations with wetland coverage and erosion gully density,Channel Network Depth and slope were negative correlated.Gully density analysis revealed terrain attributes as dominant factors driving degradation,highlighting the need to consider catchment-specific susceptibility to erosion.This challenge traditional assumptions which mainly attribute wetland degradation to external forces such as livestock overgrazing,ice rate activity and climate change.The sensitivity map produced could serve as a basis for Integrated Catchment Management(ICM)projects,facilitating tailored conservation strategies.Future research should expand on this work to include other highland areas,explore additional covariates,and categorize wetlands based on hydroperiod and sensitivity to degradation.This comprehensive study underscores the potential of DSM and remote sensing in accurately assessing and managing wetland ecosystems,crucial for sustainable resource management in alpine regions.

Re-recognition of the Dajiuhu Wetland in Shennongjia Mountains,Central China

The Dajiuhu wetland,a famous sub-alpine wetland located in the the Shennongjia Mountains,north-subtropical region of Central China,has suffered from adverse impacts of unsustainable human practices over the past 60 years.The Dajiuhu wetland reflects the development process that has been accompanied by human activities.Based on field survey data,high resolution remote sensing image and historical records,the present paper provided a review on exploitation and restoration of the wetland.The results showed that the Dajiuhu wetland degraded quickly from 1950 to 2005.During that time,bog shrinkage,lake disappearance,biodiversity decline,sphagnum reduction,and vegetation succession from wetland communities to terrestrial communities in the Dajiuhu wetland,which were the main manifestations of the wetland degradation.Human activities,such as agricultural reclamation and construction of drainage works,have been the main factors resulting in ecological degradation of the wetland since 1986.Poverty and the short-term economic benefits had been the driving forces for wetland drainage and reclamation over the past years.

Process analysis and mitigation strategies for wetland degradation caused by increasing agricultural water demand:an ecology-economy nexus perspective

Background Farmland expansion has played a major role in wetland degradation in Heilongjiang Province,China in recent decades.Farmland expansion increases the demands for water,thereby affecting wetland water cycles,and promoting the shrinkage of wetland areas and degradation of ecosystem functions.As an open system,agricultural production is limited by both ecological and socioeconomic conditions.However,our understanding of wetland degradation caused by farmland expansion from the perspective of the ecology-economy nexus is limited.Methods A correlation between farmland expansion and agricultural economic activities was established,and wetland degradation driven by agroeconomic activities was inversely derived using a multi-regional input-output(MRIO)analysis.We developed an ecology-economy nexus framework to explore the ecological process of the area and water demand tradeoffs between wetland degradation and farmland expansion,the economic process of wetland degradation driven by food consumption,and the nexus between the two processes.We finally explored strategies to mitigate wetland degradation due to increased agricultural water demand.Results Farmland expansion contributed to 93.76%of the total degraded wetland area.There was a significant negative correlation between wetland area and the water consumption for crop production,but no significant correlation between wetland area and the ecological footprint of croplands.The direct wetland degradation caused by local final demand accounted for 63.02%,while the indirect degradation caused by non-local final demand accounted for 36.98%.Hebei,Shandong,Liaoning,Inner Mongolia,and Shanghai were the top five provinces contributing to indirect wetland degradation in Heilongjiang.Our findings indicated that a mixed scenario combining water footprint reduction per unit yield with food export reduction could maximize wetland restoration while reducing local farmland-wetland competition for water.Conclusions Our research highlights the effects of economic processes in the agricultural sector on wetland degradation,and showed that the adjustment of food trade patterns can effectively promote wetland restoration.