Estimation of soil organic carbon storage and its fractions in a small karst watershed

With few available soil organic carbon(SOC)profiles and the heterogeneity of those that do exist, the estimation of SOC pools in karst areas is highly uncertain.Based on the spatial heterogeneity of SOC content of 23,536 samples in a karst watershed, a modified estimation method was determined for SOC storage that exclusively applies to karst areas. The method is a "soil-type method" based on revised calculation indexes for SOC storage. In the present study, the organic carbon contents of different soil types varied greatly, but generally decreased with increasing soil depth. The organic carbon content decreased nearly linearly to a depth of 0–50 cm and then varied at depths of 50–100 cm. Because of the large spatial variability in the karst area, we were able to determine that influences of the different indexes on the estimation of SOC storage decreased as follows: soil thickness > boulder content > rock fragment content > SOC content > bulk density. Using the modified formula, the SOC content in the Houzhai watershed in Puding was estimated to range from 3.53 to 5.44 kg m^(-2), with an average value of 1.24 kg m^(-2) to a depth of 20 cm, and from 4.44 to 14.50 kg m^(-2), with an average value of 12.12 kg m^(-2) to a depth of 100 cm. The total SOC content was estimated at 5.39*10^(5) t.

Responses of soil aggregate stability and soil erosion resistance to different bedrock strata dip and land use types in the karst trough valley of Southwest China

Soil aggregate stability is an important index that reflects soil quality and anti-erosion ability and strongly affects soil processes and functions.Bedrock strata dips(dip and anti-dip slopes)and land use types primarily influence soil aggregate stability,whereas the detailed mechanisms are unclear in karst trough valley.Therefore,to explore the effects of bedrock strata dip and land use type on soil aggregate stability in karst trough valleys,soils were collected from five major land use types(abandoned land,grassland,pepper fields,corn fields and forest)on dip and anti-dip slopes.The soil was fractionated into macroaggregates and microaggrates using dry and wet sieving analysis.The soil particle size distribu-tions in the macroaggregates and microaggregates were measured in conventional laboratories.The results showed significant differences in soil aggregate stability among different bedrock strata dips,slope positions,and land use types(P<0.05).The variation ranges of macroaggregates and micro-aggregates in the pepper fields of the dip slope were higher than those on the anti-dip slope.Comparing all land use types,the forest of the anti-dip slope had>0.25 mm water-stable aggregates(85.31%)and mean weight diameter(2.67 mm)on the upper slope compared to that in the other slope positions of the dip slope.In addition,the dip slope had a higher percentage of aggregate destruction(35.57%)than the anti-dip slope(29.81%),and the soil erodibility factor value of the natural forest of the dip/anti-dip slope was significantly lower than that of the other land use types(P<0.05).When the content of large macroaggregates was larger,the soil macroaggregate weight was greater.When the failure rate of the soil aggregates was lower,the stability of the soil structure was better.Overall,these results suggest that natural forests can significantly improve the stability of soil aggregates,thereby improving soil erosion resistance.Therefore,natural recovery measures should be implemented on dip/anti-dip slopes of karst trough valleys.