Soil degradation and restoration as affected by land use change in the semiarid Bashang area, northern China

CORC > 沈阳应用生态研究所 > 中国科学院沈阳应用生态研究所 > 沈阳应用生态研究所 > 期刊论文

	Soil degradation and restoration as affected by land use change in the semiarid Bashang area, northern China
	Zhao, WZ ; Xiao, HL ; Liu, ZM ; Li, J
刊名	CATENA
	2005
卷号	59 期号:2 页码:173-186
关键词	land use change cultivation degradation land abandonment restoration northern China
ISSN号	0341-8162
通讯作者	Zhao, WZ, Chinese Acad Sci, Cold & Arid Regions Environm & Engn Res Inst, Linze Inland River Comprehens Res Stn, 260 Donggang W Rd, Lanzhou 730000, Peoples R China
中文摘要	The Bashang area, located in the semiarid agropastoral zone, represents a typical degraded ecosystem under intensified human activities. This region has undergone profound land use changes during the past century. Natural grasslands had been progressively cultivated, and subsequently, part of cultivated lands had been abandoned by farmers due to severe desertification. In this study, we collected soil samples (0-20 cm depth) from four farmlands on both flat and gentle slope lands where cultivation had occurred for 0, 8, 30, and 50 years to assess the effects of grassland cultivation on soil degradation. In addition, soil samples were taken and plant species were investigated from eight sites in age sequence of 0- to 50- year-old abandoned field to assess natural restoration process following field abandonment. The results showed that cultivation of grassland result in a significant soil degradation which is manifested by the coarsening in soil texture and the losses in organic C and nutrients. After 50 years of cultivation, soil organic C, total N, and total P concentrations had declined 73-79%, 60-70%, and 67-68% in the 0-20 cm plough layer, respectively. Over half of these losses occurred during the first 8 years of cultivation, and subsequent was slow. After fields were abandoned, vegetation got self-restoration, and plant species composition moved toward that of the natural grassland community with time. Soil organic C, total N, and total P levels gradually improved with increasing years of land abandonment, with a faster restoration rate in the early vegetation recovery stage and a slower rate in the late succession stage. The results suggested that soil degradation may occurred drastically by inappropriate land use and management with a short time, while soil restoration for a degraded ecosystem may take long period of time, especially in this fragile ecosystem. From the perspective of soil resource management and desertification control, conservational tillage and management for farmlands and proper grazing management for recovered grassland should be taken into account in this area. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
学科主题	Geosciences, Multidisciplinary; Soil Science; Water Resources
收录类别	SCI
语种	英语
WOS记录号	WOS:000225679300004
公开日期	2011-09-23
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://210.72.129.5/handle/321005/55221]
专题	沈阳应用生态研究所_沈阳应用生态研究所_期刊论文
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Zhao, WZ,Xiao, HL,Liu, ZM,et al. Soil degradation and restoration as affected by land use change in the semiarid Bashang area, northern China[J]. CATENA,2005,59(2):173-186.
APA	Zhao, WZ,Xiao, HL,Liu, ZM,&Li, J.(2005).Soil degradation and restoration as affected by land use change in the semiarid Bashang area, northern China.CATENA,59(2),173-186.
MLA	Zhao, WZ,et al."Soil degradation and restoration as affected by land use change in the semiarid Bashang area, northern China".CATENA 59.2(2005):173-186.