Desertification Reversion in Relation to Land Use Change and Climate in Naiman County, Inner-Mongolia, China

Analyses of desertified land and land use change in Naiman County of Inner-Mongolia showed that there was a fluctuated in-crease of rain-fed cropland in the period from 1951 to 1960, then decreased until the middle of the 1990's, then increased again, while irrigated cropland consistently increased. The woodland and build-up land consistently increased while grassland area de-creased. The area of water body increased from 1975 to 1995 and then decreased while river beach decreased. Wetland change fluctuated with a maximum of 303.53km2 in 1995 and a minimum of 62.08 km2 in 2002. Invasion of cropland into river beach does not only change land coverage on the beach, but also the hydrological process of the river systems and deeply influence wa-ter availability. The correlation between cropland and underground water table is negative and significant. Increase of irrigated cropland is the primary cause of water availability reduction. Water table reduction is negatively correlated to cropland. The total desertified land has decreased since 1975. A rapid increase occurred before 1959, but it is difficult to assess the change of deserti-fication due to lack of data from 1959 to 1975. Changes of different types of desertified lands were different. There is no signifi-cant correlation between land use and different types of desertified land, but there is a significant negative correlation between woodland and total desertified land. The correlation between grassland and total desertified land is positive and significant. There is a significant correlation between different land cover and key factors such as water body and annual precipitation, river beach and runoff, area of shifting dune and annual precipitation, and cropland and underground water table. Desertification reversion in Naiman County is fragile and will be even much more fragile due to population growth, rapid land use and climate change. This will lead to continued invasion of irrigated cropland into more fragile ecosystems and reduction of water availability.

Toward sustainable desertification reversion:A case study in Horqin Sandy Land of northern China

Desertification reversion is an interactive process involving climate, land use change, and water processes. In order to reveal the relationship between desertification reversion and these factors, we analyzed historical data on precipitation, air temperature, desertified land changes, underground water tables, and water body changes in Naiman County in the central part of Horqin Sandy Land. Our analysis showed that during 1961-2010 the annual precipitation fluctuated dramatically and has decreased fairly consistently in recent years. The air temperature increased by 0.50-1.25 °C, and the minimum temperature increased more obviously. The desertified land area increased from 42,300 km2 in 1959 to 62,000 km2 in 1985, and then declined to about 50,000 km2 in 2010. The underground water tables have been lowered by about 10 m in the past 30 years, and declined more rapidly in recent years. Desertified land is significantly related to the amount of total cropland, and underground water tables are significantly correlated with annual precipitation and the amount of irrigated cropland. Therefore, it is necessary to pursue sustainable desertification reversion without compromising the capacity for local development and restoration of degraded land, through application of appropriate management measures for improving water availability in this region.

Afforestation effects on soil microbial abundance, microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activity in dunes of Horqin Sandy Land, northeastern China

In order to investigate the effects of afforestation on soil microbial abundance, microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activity in sandy dunes, 20-year-old Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv. (PSM) and Populus simonii Carrière (PSC) mature forests were selected in Horqin Sandy Land, and mobile dunes was set as a control (CK). Results show that PSM and PSC plantations can improve soil physicochemical properties and significantly increase microbiological activity in mobile dunes. Soil microbial abundance, microbial biomass carbon and enzyme activity show an order of PS>PSM>CK. Total soil microbial abundance in PSM and PSC was respectively 50.16 and 72.48 times more than that in CK, and the differences were significant among PSM, PSC and CK. Soil microbial biomass carbon in PSM and PSC was respectively 23.67 and 33.34 times more than that in CK, and the difference was insignificant between PSM and PSC. Soil enzyme activity, including dehydrogenase (DEH), peroxidase (PER), protease (PRO), urease (URE) and cellobiohydrolase (CEL) in PSM and PSC were respectively 19.00 and 27.54, 4.78 and 9.89, 4.05 and 8.67, 29.93 and 37.46, and 9.66 and 13.42 times of that in CK. P. sylvestris and P. simonii can effectively improve soil physicochemical and microbiological properties in sandy dunes and fix mobile dunes in Horqin Sandy Land. The C mic :C ratio is an applicable indicator to estimate soil stability and soil water availability, and based on an overall consideration of plantation stability and sustainability, P. sylvestris is better than P. simonii in fixing mobile dunes in sandy land.

The particular species determining spatial heterogeneity in shady and terrace on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,China

Spatial patterns of plant species and patchy community are important properties in grasslands.However,research regarding spatial patterns of formed patches with various species has not fully advanced until now.Our purpose is to clarify differences in spatial pattern formed by species and community constructed under shady and terrace habitats.The three common Kobresia-Carex patches(Size 1,0.6–0.9 m^(2);Size 2,3.0–3.8 m^(2) and Size 3,6.5–8.8 m^(2))were selected in shady and terrace on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau,and corresponding quadrats of 1m1m,2m2m and 3m3m were placed for S1,S2 and S3 patches,respectively.The surveyed quadrats were divided into 20cm20cm large cells(L-cells),and further divided into four 10cm10cm small cells(S-cells).We used the binary occurrence system(presence/absence data)to record occurrences of all species in S-cells.The analysis shows that the power law model was well able to determine the spatial distribution pattern of species or patchy community in shady and terrace.All species and patches show aggregated distribution in shady and terrace habitats.In the shady habitat,the relative spatial heterogeneity(ε)of individual plant species was lowest at presence frequency(P)of 0.1–0.3,whereas in the terrace habitatεwas lowest at P<0.1,andεincreased monotonically with increasing P.For most dominant species,P andεvalues were higher in terrace than those in shady.We concluded that the dominant species largely determine spatial heterogeneity of the Kobresia-Carex patches,while companion and rare species have weak influence on the community-level heterogeneity in shady and terrace habitats.

N and P resorption in a pioneer shrub(Artemisia halodendron) inhabiting severely desertified lands of Northern China

Nutrient resorption is an important conservation mechanism for plants to overcome nutrient limitation in the less fertile area of desertified land.In the semi-arid Horqin Sandy Land of Northern China,the shrub Artemisia halodendron usually colonizes into the bare ground of severely desertified land as a pioneer species.It is,therefore,expected that A.halodendron will be less dependent on current nutrient uptake through efficient and proficient resorption of nutrients.In this study,we found that averaged nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)concentrations in senesced leaves significantly varied from 12.3 and 1.2 mg/g in the shifting sand dune to 15.9 and 1.9 mg/g in the fixed sand dune,respectively,suggesting that foliar N and P resorption of A.halodendron were more proficient in the shifting sand dune.In particular,positive relationships between nutrient concentrations in senesced leaves and soil nutrient availability indicate that A.halodendron in infertile habitats is more likely to manage with a low level of nutrients in senesced leaves,giving this species an advantage in infertile soil.Moreover,foliar N-and P-resorption efficiencies and proficiencies showed limited inter-annual variability although annual precipitation varied greatly among 2007–2009.However,N and P resorption of A.halodendron were not more efficient and proficient than those previously reported for other shrubs,indicating that the pioneer shrub in sand dune environments does not rely more heavily than other plants on the process of resorption to conserve nutrients.Incomplete resorption of nutrients in A.halodendron suggests that senesced-leaf fall would return litter with high quality to the soil,and thereby would indirectly improve soil nutrient availability.The restoration of desertified land,therefore,may be accelerated after A.halodendron pioneers into shifting sand dunes.

Scale dependence of plant species richness and vegetation-environment relationship along a gradient of dune stabilization in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China

Ecological patterns and processes in dune ecosystems have been a research focus in recent years, however the information on how dune stabilization influences the spatial scale dependence of plant diversity is still lacking. In this study, we measured the plant species richness, soil properties and altitude across four spatial scales(1, 10, 100 and 1,000 m2) at three different dune stabilization stages(mobile dune, semi-fixed dune and fixed dune) in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China. We also examined the relationships between plant species richness, community composition and environmental factors along the gradient of dune stabilization. Our results showed that plant species richness increased with the increase of spatial scales in each dune stabilization stage, as well as with the increase of dune stabilization degrees. Canonical correspondence analysis(CCA) showed that plant distribu- tions in the processes of dune stabilization were determined by the combined environmental gradient in relation to soil organic carbon(SOC), total nitrogen(TN), carbon/nitrogen(C/N), pH, electrical conductivity(EC), soil water content(SWC), fine sand(FS), very fine sand(VFS), silt and clay(SC), and altitude. Plant species richness was significantly and positively correlated to SOC and TN in mobile dune, and significantly and positively correlated to SOC, TN, C/N, VFS and SC in semi-fixed dune. However, no significant correlation between plant species richness and environmental factors was observed in fixed dune. In addition, plant species richness in different dune stabili- zation stages was also determined by the combined gradient of soil properties and altitude. These results suggest that plant species richness has obvious scale dependence along the gradient of dune stabilization. Soil resources depending on dune habitats and environmental gradients caused by dune stabilization are important factors to de- termine the scale dependence of species diversity in sand dune ecosystems.

Soil Organic Matter Fractions under Different Vegetation Types in Permafrost Regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway, North of Kunlun Mountains, China

As a key attribute of soil quality, soil organic matter(SOM) and its different fractions play an important role in regulating soil nutrient cycling and soil properties.This study evaluated the soil carbon(C) and nitrogen(N) concentrations in different SOM fractions(light– and heavy fractions,microbial biomass) under different vegetation types and analyzed their influencing factors in continuous permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway in the North of Kunlun Mountains, China.Soil samples were collected in pits under four vegetation types — Alpine swamp meadow(ASM), Alpine meadow(AM), Alpine steppe(AS) and Alpine desert(AD) — at the depth of 0-50 cm.The vegetation coverage was the highest at ASM and AM, followed byAS and AD.The results indicated that the concentrations of light fraction carbon(LFC) and nitrogen(LFN), and microbial biomass carbon(MBC)and nitrogen(MBN) decreased as follows: ASM > AM >AS > AD, with the relatively stronger decrease of LFC,whereas the heavy fraction carbon(HFC) and nitrogen(HFN) concentrations were lower in AS soils than in the AD soils.The relatively higher proportions of LFC/SOC and MBC/SOC in the 0-10 cm depth under the ASM soils are mainly resulted from its higher substrate input and soil moisture content.Correlation analysis demonstrated that aboveground biomass, soil moisture content, soil organic carbon(SOC) and total nitrogen(TN) positively correlated to LFC, LFN, HFC, HFN, MBC and MBN, while p H negatively correlated to LFC, LFN, HFC, HFN, MBC and MBN.There was no relationship between active layer thickness and SOM fractions, except for the LFC.Results suggested that vegetation cover, soil moisture content, and SOC and TN concentrations were significantly correlated with the amount and availability of SOM fractions, while permafrost had less impact on SOM fractions in permafrost regions of the central Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

Effect of spatial scale and topography on spatial heterogeneity of soil seed banks under grazing disturbance in a sandy grassland of Horqin Sand Land, Northern China

Soil seed banks play an important role in the distribution and composition of plant communities in semiarid grassland ecosystems.However,information on how spatial scale influences the spatial heterogeneity of soil seed banks in a grassland under grazing disturbance is still lacking.Based on field sampling and greenhouse germination,we measured the species composition and seed density of soil seed banks at different spatial scales (30 m×30 m,30 m×60 m and 30 m×90 m)along a topographical gradient in a sandy grassland in Horqin Sand Land, Northern China.By applying geostatistical methods,we examined how spatial scale and topography affected the spatial distribution of soil seed banks in the study area.Our results showed that the total number of species in soil seed banks,as well as the number of dominant annuals,increased with the increase of spatial scales.Seed density in soil seed banks decreased with the increase of spatial scales due to an increase in the slopes and relative heights of the sampling points.Geostatistical analysis showed that the relative structural variance(C/(C0+C))of seed density and species richness were over 65%for all spatial scales,indicating that these variables had an obvious spatial autocorrelation and the spatial structured variance accounted for the largest proportion of the total sample variance.Spatial autocorrelation of seed density in soil seed banks increased with the increase of measured scales,while that of species richness showed a reverse trend.These results suggest that the total number of species in soil seed banks is spatial scale dependent and lower topography may accommodate more seeds.Spatial distribution of seed density in soil seed banks is also scale dependent due to topographic variation.Grassland management,therefore,needs to consider local grazing disturbance regime,spatial scale and topography.

Land cover changes and the effects of cultivation on soil properties in Shelihu wetland,Horqin Sandy Land,Northern China

Land cover change plays an essential role in the alternation of soils properties.By field investigation and applying satellite images,land cover information in the Shelihu wetland was carried out in an area of 2,819 hm 2 in 1985,1995,2000,2005,2010 and 2011,respectively,in Horqin Sandy Land.A total of 57 soil sampling sites across Shelihu were chosen in wet meadow(CL0),cropland(CL) and sandy land(SL) according to the spatial characteristics of water body change.Soil texture,organic carbon(SOC),total nitrogen(TN) and total phosphorus(TP) contents,electrical conductivity(EC) and pH were measured at the soil depths of 0-10,10-20 and 20-40 cm to examine the influence of agricultural conversion and continuous cultivation on soil properties.The results showed that the study area was covered by water body in 1985,which gradually declined afterwards and then reclaimed rapidly at a mean annual rate of 132.1 hm 2 /a from wet meadow to cropland since 1995.In 2011,water body was drained and the area was occupied by 10.8% of CL0,76.9% of CL and 12.3% of SL.Large amounts of SOC,TN and TP were accumulated in the above depths in CL0.Soil in CL0 also had higher EC and silt and clay fractions,lower pH than in SL and CL.Soil in SL was seriously degraded with lower contents of SOC,TN and TP than in CL and CL0.SOC,TN content and EC in CL decreased with the increase of cultivation age,while pH showed a reverse trend with significance at plough horizon.The agricultural conversion in Shelihu was driven by the comprehensive factors of precipitation reduction,economic development and intense competitions for irrigation water.Continuous cultivation in this process is not sustainable because of SOC degradation and nutrient content reduction.The key point is that conventional tillage and removal of residuals induced further land degradation.Wetland reclamation for immediate economic interests led to greater costs in the long-term environmental restoration in Horqin Sandy Land.

Characteristics of deep drainage and soil water in the mobile sandy lands of Inner Mongolia, northern China

Quantification of deep drainage and the response of soil water content to rainfall patterns are critical for an effective management strategy of soil water conservation and groundwater utilization. However, there has been little information on how rainfall characteristics influence soil water dynamics and deep drainage in mobile sandy lands. We used an underground chamber to examine the responses of deep drainage and soil water content in mobile sandy lands to rainfall characteristics in Inner Mongolia during the growing seasons of 2010, 2011 and 2012. Results showed that rainfall in this area was dominated by small events(≤5 mm), which increased soil water content in the surface soil layers(0–40 cm), but did not increase soil water content in the deeper soil layers(greater than 40 cm). Soil water content at the 0–100 cm depth increased significantly when the total amount of rain was >20 mm. Rainfall amount, intensity and the duration of dry intervals were significantly related to the soil water content in different soil layers. Deep drainage was significantly correlated with rainfall amount and intensity, but not with the duration of dry intervals. The coefficients of deep drainage in the mobile sandy lands ranged from 61.30% to 67.94% during the growing seasons. Our results suggested that rainfall infiltration in the mobile sandy lands had considerable potential to increase soil water storage while recharging the groundwater in this region.

Effects of Caragana microphylla plantations on organic carbon sequestration in total and labile soil organic carbon fractions in the Horqin Sandy Land, northern China

Afforestation is conducive to soil carbon(C) sequestration in semi-arid regions. However, little is known about the effects of afforestation on sequestrations of total and labile soil organic carbon(SOC) fractions in semi-arid sandy lands. In the present study, we examined the effects of Caragana microphylla Lam. plantations with different ages(12-and 25-year-old) on sequestrations of total SOC as well as labile SOC fractions such as light fraction organic carbon(LFOC) and microbial biomass carbon(MBC). The analyzed samples were taken from soil depths of 0–5 and 5–15 cm under two shrub-related scenarios: under shrubs and between shrubs with moving sand dunes as control sites in the Horqin Sandy Land of northern China. The results showed that the concentrations and storages of total SOC at soil depths of 0–5 and 5–15 cm were higher in 12-and 25-year-old C. microphylla plantations than in moving sand dunes(i.e., control sites), with the highest value observed under shrubs in 25-year-old C. microphylla plantations. Furthermore, the concentrations and storages of LFOC and MBC showed similar patterns with those of total SOC at the same soil depth. The 12-year-old C. microphylla plantations had higher percentages of LFOC concentration to SOC concentration and MBC concentration to SOC concentration than the 25-year-old C. microphylla plantations and moving sand dunes at both soil depths. A significant positive correlation existed among SOC, LFOC, and MBC, implying that restoring the total and labile SOC fractions is possible by afforestation with C. microphylla shrubs in the Horqin Sandy Land. At soil depth of 0–15 cm, the accumulation rate of total SOC under shrubs was higher in young C. microphylla plantations(18.53 g C/(m^2·a); 0–12 years) than in old C. microphylla plantations(16.24 g C/(m^2·a); 12–25 years), and the accumulation rates of LFOC and MBC under shrubs and between shrubs were also higher in young C. microphylla plantations than in old C. microphylla plantations. It can be concluded that the establishment of C. microphylla in the Horqin Sandy Land may be a good mitigation strategy for SOC sequestration in the surface soils.

Allometric response of perennial Pennisetum centrasiaticum Tzvel to nutrient and water limitation in the Horqin Sand Land of China

Optimal partitioning theory(OPT)suggests that plants should allocate relatively more biomass to the organs that acquire the most limited resources.The assumption of this theory is that plants trade off the biomass allocation between leaves,stems and roots.However,variations in biomass allocation among plant parts can also occur as a plant grows in size.As an alternative approach,allometric biomass partitioning theory(APT)asserts that plants should trade off their biomass between roots,stems and leaves.This approach can minimize bias when comparing biomass allocation patterns by accounting for plant size in the analysis.We analyzed the biomass allocation strategy of perennial Pennisetum centrasiaticum Tzvel in the Horqin Sand Land of northern China by treating samples with different availabilities of soil nutrients and water,adding snow in winter and water in summer.We hypothesized that P.centrasiaticum alters its pattern of biomass allocation strategy in response to different levels of soil water content and soil nitrogen content.We used standardized major axis(SMA)to analyze the allometric relationship(slope)and intercept between biomass traits(root,stem,leaf and total biomass)of nitrogen/water treatments.Taking plant size into consideration,no allometric relationships between different organs were significantly affected by differing soil water and soil nitrogen levels,while the biomass allocation strategy of P.centrasiaticum was affected by soil water levels,but not by soil nitrogen levels.The plasticity of roots,leaves and root/shoot ratios was‘true’in response to fluctuations in soil water content,but the plasticity of stems was consistent for trade-offs between the effects of water and plant size.Plants allocated relatively more biomass to roots and less to leaves when snow was added in winter.A similar trend was observed when water was added in summer.The plasticity of roots,stems and leaves was a function of plant size,and remained unchanged in response to different soil nitrogen levels.

Characteristics of high arsenic groundwater in Hetao Basin,Inner Mongolia,northern China

It is well known that the Hetao Basin is one of the most seriously arsenic-affected groundwater areas in China. In order to understand the characteristics of high arsenic(As) groundwater in the Basin, a brief overview of arsenic in groundwater follows. High arsenic in the Basin commonly occurs in shallow groundwater and the total arsenic concentrations range from 0.58 to 572 μg/L(average 99.73 μg/L), exceeding the maximum mandated value of 10 μg/L for drinking water in China; As(Ш) is the predominant species. The regional distribution pattern of arsenic in the groundwater increases from south/southeast to north/northwest. Hangjinhouqi and Wuyuan counties are considered as the most seriously affected areas, with high incidences of endemic arsenicosic diseases in the Hetao Basin. High groundwater arsenic correlates with the increase of well depth. Previous studies proposed that groundwater arsenic in the Basin is mainly originated from desorption of some natural solid materials in the sediments, under reducing condition. Generally, reducing condition is believed to be the primary factor for arsenic releasing from the sediment to groundwater in the region. Under inorganic or bacterial processes, Fe2O3 changes to Fe S and arsenic adsorbed to Fe(OH)3 dissolves into groundwater, and As(V) is reduced to As(Ш). Besides, reducing environments, groundwater hydraulic gradients, organic matter, p H, evapotranspiration, and soil texture are presumed to be the predominant factors that control arsenic mobilization.

Photosynthesis of Digitaria ciliaris during repeated soil drought and rewatering

The ability of psammophyte photosynthesis to withstand and recover from severe droughts is crucial for vegetation stability in semi-arid sandy lands. The responses of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence of an annual grass, Digitaria ciliaris, were measured through three soil drought and rewatering cycles. Results showed that the net photosynthesis rate(P n) decreased by 92%, 95%, and 63% at end of the three drought periods, respectively, water use efficiency(WUE) decreased by 67%, 54%, and 48%, while the constant intercellular CO2 concentration(C i) increased by 1.08, 0.88, and 0.45 times. During those three cycles, the trapping probability with no dark adaptation(F v′/F m′) decreased by 55%, 51%, and 9%, the electron transport per cross section(ET0′/CS0′) decreased by 63%, 42%, and 18%, and the dissipation per cross section(DI0′/CS0′) increased by 97%, 96%, and 21%. These results indicated that D. ciliaris was subjected to photoinhibition and some non-stomatal limitation of photosynthesis under drought. However, after four days of rewatering, its photosynthetic characteristics were restored to control values. This capability to recover from drought may contribute to making the plant's use of water as efficient as possible. Furthermore, the photosynthesis decreased more slowly in the subsequent drought cycles than in the first cycle, allowing D. ciliaris to enhance its future drought tolerance after drought hardening. Thus, it acclimatizes itself to repeated soil drought.

Seasonal changes in the relationship between species richness and community biomass in grassland under grazing and exclosure, Horqin Sandy Land, northern China

How species diversity-productivity relationships respond to temporal dynamics and land use is still not clear in semi-arid grassland ecosystems. We analyzed seasonal changes of the relationships between vegetation cover, plant density, species richness, and above-ground biomass in grasslands under grazing and exclosure in the Horqin Sandy Land of northern China. Our results showed that in grazed and fenced grassland, vegetation cover, richness, and biomass were lower in April than in August, whereas plant density showed a reverse trend. Vegetation cover during the growing season and biomass in June and August were higher in fenced grassland than in grazed grassland, whereas plant density in April and June was lower in fenced grassland than in grazed grassland. A negative relationship between species richness and biomass was found in August in fenced grassland, and in grazed grassland the relationship between plant density and biomass changed from positive in April to negative in August. The relationship between the density of the dominant plant species and the total biomass also varied with seasonal changes and land use (grazing and exclosure). These results suggest that long-term grazing, seasonal changes, and their interaction significantly influence vegetation cover, plant density, and biomass in grasslands. Plant species competition in fenced grassland results in seasonal changes of the relationship between species richness and biomass. Long-term grazing also affects seasonal changes of the density and biomass of dominant plant species, which further affects the seasonal relationship between plant density and biomass in grasslands. Our study demonstrates the importance of temporal dynamics and land use in understanding the relationship between species richness and ecosystem function.

Impact of sand burial on maize(Zea mays L.)productivity and soil quality in Horqin sandy cropland,Inner Mongolia,China

Croplands are often suffering from sand burial in dry regions of northern China.For studying this phenomenon,we carried out a case study of field experiment including four sand burial levels,i.e.shallow(1–3 cm),moderate(8–12 cm)and deep(15–20 cm)sand burials,and no sand burial(control,CK),in a typical agro-pastoral transitional zone in Naiman Banner of eastern Inner Mongolia.The aim of this study was to assess the impacts of sand burial on maize(Zea mays L.)productivity and the soil quality along a gradient of burial depths.Results showed that there was a strong negative effect of sand burial on maize productivity and soil quality,which significantly declined(P<0.05)under moderate and deep sand burial treatments.In comparison with the CK,the maize yield and above-ground biomass reduced by 47.41% and 39.47%,respectively.The soil silt and clay,soil water,soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents under deep sand burial decreased by 67.85%,40.32%,86.52% and 82.11%,respectively,while microbial biomass carbon,microbial abundance and enzyme activity decreased by 89.78%,42.28%–79.66% and 69.51%–97.71%,respectively.There was no significant effect on crop productivity and soil quality with shallow sand burial treatment.The correlations analysis showed that there was significant positive correlations of both maize yield and above-ground biomass with soil silt and clay,soil organic carbon and total nitrogen contents,p H,electrical conductivity,soil water content,microbial abundance and biomass and all tested soil enzyme activities.Stepwise regression analysis indicated that soil water and total nitrogen contents,urease,cellobiohydrolase and peroxidase activities were key determining factors for maize productivity.This combination of factors explains reason of the decreased maize productivity with deep sand burial.We found that degradation of cropland as a result of sand burial changed soil physical-chemical properties and soil enzyme activities in the plow layer,and decreased overall maize productivity.Furthermore,decreased soil enzyme activity was a better indicator to predict sandy cropland degradation.

The response of Caragana microphylla seedlings to water table changes in Horqin Sandy Land,China

This paper focuses on the growth response of Caragana microphylla seedlings to changes of artificially controlled water table in Horqin Sandy Land, China. Monitoring results of soil water content shows that soil moisture is closely correlated to groundwater depths. Soil volumetric water increased rapidly when close to water sources and finally stabilized in a saturated state. The soil moisture trend of CK(control) increased gradually at 0–50 cm of soil depth then decreased to 4% below 50 cm soil depth. C. microphylla can adapt to different soil environments by changes in ecological and physiological characteristics. By comparing the ecological characteristics of C. microphylla seedlings at various water tables, we found that a shallow water table of 40 cm depth inhibited seedling growth because of weak ecological characteristics. A groundwater depth of 120 cm was more advantageous for plant height and canopy growth of C. microphylla seedlings. During the first two years, the most suitable water depth for root biomass was 120 cm, and 180 cm for root length. The growth of vertical roots is positively correlated with groundwater depth, and root thickness is the determinate factor for root biomass while the fine root is the determinate factor for root length. A thick root would grow much more in a natural drought environment while access to ground water promotes the growth of fine roots.

Concentrations,sources,and influential factors of water-soluble ions of atmospheric particles in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes,a world heritage site in China

Atmospheric particle pollution is one of the major factors leading to degradation of ancient wall paintings,particularly heritage sites in arid and semi-arid regions.However,current systematic research on the changes,sources,and influential factors of atmospheric particulate matter and its water-soluble ion concentrations is not sufficient.Thus,the major water-soluble ion concentrations,sources,and influential factors of atmospheric particles PM_(2.5) and PM_(10)(particulate matter with an aerodynamic equivalent diameter≤2.5 and 10.0μm,respectively,in ambient air)were collected from Cave 16 and its ambient exterior environment in the Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes,China,between April 2015 and March 2016.Results showed that the concentrations of PM_(2.5) and PM_(10) inside and outside the cave were the highest in March 2016 and the lowest in December 2015.The higher particle concentration from March to May was related to the frequent occurrence of sand and dust events,and the lower particle concentration from June to September was associated with good diffusion conditions,increased precipitation,and an established cave shelterbelt.The concentration of particulate matter inside the cave was affected by the concentration of particles in the air outside the cave.Ca2+,NH+4,Na+,Cl-,and SO2-4were the main components of the total ions of PM_(2.5) and PM_(10) both inside and outside the cave.The total ions inside the cave were frequently affected by the disturbance of tourists'activities during the peak tourist season from May to August.Under the influence of dust,the total concentrations of Cl-,SO2-4,Na+,NH+4,and Ca2+in particles of different sizes inside and outside the cave increased,and the concentrations of Cl-,SO2-4,Na+,and Ca2+decreased during precipitation period.Backward air mass trajectory analysis suggested that the pollutants were mainly from Xinjiang,China.The pollutant sources of air particulates are straw burning,secondary pollution sources,soil dust,dry spring rivers,and tourist activities.

Comparison of sampling schemes for spatial predictionof soil organic carbon in Northern China

Determining an optimal sample size is a key step in designing field surveys,and is particularly important for detecting the spatial pattern of highly variable properties such as soil organic carbon(SOC).Based on 550 soil sampling points in the nearsurface layer(0 to 20 cm)in a representative region of northern China's agro-pastoral ecotone,we studied effects of four interpolation methods such as ordinary kriging(OK),universal kriging(UK),inverse distance weighting(IDW)and radial basis function(RBF)and random subsampling(50,100,200,300,400,and 500)on the prediction accuracy of SOC estimation.When the Shannon's Diversity Index(SHDI)and Shannon's Evenness Index(SHEI)was 2.01 and 0.67,the OK method appeared to be a superior method,which had the smallest root mean square error(RMSE)and the mean error(ME)nearest to zero.On the contrary,the UK method performed poorly for the interpolation of SOC in the present study.The sample size of 200 had the most accurate prediction;50 sampling points produced the worst prediction accuracy.Thus,we used 200 samples to estimate the study area's soil organic carbon density(SOCD)by the OK method.The total SOC storage to a depth of 20 cm in the study area was 117.94 Mt,and its mean SOCD was 2.40 kg/m2.The SOCD kg/(C⋅m2)of different land use types were in the following order:woodland(3.29)>grassland(2.35)>cropland(2.19)>sandy land(1.55).

Variation of Zn content in soils under different land-use types in the Hetao oasis,Inner Mongolia of China

Understanding the status and distribution of the micronutrient Zn in soils is important for managing plant growth and preventing soil pollution for agricultural irrigation systems in arid and semi-arid regions.In this study,a total of 195 soil samples from five soil layers(0–20,20–40,40–60,60–80 and 80–100 cm) in the three land-use types(wasteland,forestland and cropland) after long-term agricultural fertilization and irrigation with Yellow River water were collected in the middle of the Hetao oasis,i.e.the Yongji irrigation sub-oasis.We analyzed the vertical and spatial distributions of Zn content and its relationship with soil properties to determine whether differences of Zn content existed in the soil profiles.The results revealed that the mean content of Zn was 107 mg/kg,1.9 times higher than the background value(55.7 mg/kg) of the Hetao oasis and much lower than the secondary standard value(300 mg/kg) of the Chinese Environmental Quality Standard for Soils when p H>7.5.Soil Zn contents were not significantly different and the coefficients of variation of Zn contents were less than 50% in the five soil layers.Soil Zn content was similar from southern to northern parts but increased from western to eastern parts in the sub-oasis.Soil Zn contents did not differ significantly among the three land-use types,but soil total nitrogen(TN) contents were significantly higher in the agriculturally managed forestland and cropland than in the wasteland(P<0.05).Zn was significantly and positively correlated with TN(F=36.6,P<0.001).The use of fertilizers may increase the content of Zn in soils,but flooding irrigation may minimize the differences in the spatial distribution of soil Zn content in the whole sub-oasis.This research is of important value for soil pollution control and sustainable land use management in arid and semi-arid regions.