Xiaorong Wei

Global pattern of soil carbon losses due to the conversion of forests to agricultural land

Several reviews have analyzed the factors that affect the change in soil organic C (SOC) when forest is converted to agricultural land; however, the effects of forest type and cultivation stage on these changes have generally been overlooked. We collated observations from 453 paired or chronosequential sites where forests have been converted to agricultural land and then assessed the effects of forest type, cultivation stage, climate factors, and soil properties on the change in the SOC stock and the SOC turnover rate constant (k). The percent decrease in SOC stocks and the turnover rate constants both varied significantly according to forest type and cultivation stage. The largest decrease in SOC stocks was observed in temperate regions (52% decrease), followed by tropical regions (41% decrease) and boreal regions (31% decrease). Climate and soil factors affected the decrease in SOC stocks. The SOC turnover rate constant after the conversion of forests to agricultural land increased with the mean annual precipitation and temperature. To our knowledge, this is the first time that original forest type was considered when evaluating changes in SOC after being converted to agricultural land. The differences between forest types should be considered when calculating global changes in SOC stocks.

Changes in soil organic carbon and total nitrogen after 28 years grassland afforestation: effects of tree species, slope position, and soil order

The effect of conversion of grassland to woodland on organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (TN) has significance for global change, land resource use and ecosystem management. However, these effects are always variable. Here, we show results of a study in an arid area in China on profile distribution of OC and TN in soils covered by two different woody tree canopies and outer canopy space (grassland between woody plant canopies). The soils were at various slope positions (upper, middle and lower slopes) for Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) and Korshrinsk peashrub (Caragana korshinskii) lands, and of different soil orders (Castanozems, Skeletal, Loessial and Aeolian soils). The objectives were to relate the effects of land use change on OC and TN to slope position and soil order. Soil OC and TN were significantly larger at Korshrinsk peashrub slope locations than at Chinese pine slope locations. Soil OC and TN were small at the lower slope position for Korshrinsk peashrub, however, they were largest at the middle slope for Chinese pine. Korshrinsk peashrub always increased soil OC and TN under brush canopy at the three slope positions, while Chinese pine increased them at lower slopes and decreased them at upper slopes. For the soil types, OC and TN in Korshrinsk peashrub land were in the order of Castanozems > Skeletal > Loessial > Aeolian soils. Korshrinsk peashrub also increased OC and TN under brush canopy in the four soils. Our results indicated that soil OC and TN in canopy soils differed greatly from associated values in the outer canopy soils, and the effects of grassland afforestation varied significantly with tree species, slope position, and soil type. Therefore, we suggest that differentiating such factors can be an effective approach for explaining variances in OC and N changes caused by land use conversion.

Ecosystem carbon and nitrogen accumulation after grazing exclusion in semiarid grassland.

The grazing exclusion in degraded grassland has been extensively used to prevent the loss of grassland resources and to improve grassland services. The effects of grazing exclusion on C and N balance, however, have not been well addressed but are essential for assessing grassland C sinks, the sustainable use of grassland resources and the support of grassland services. To understand the response of ecosystem C and N to grazing exclusion in semiarid grassland, we determined the C and N in litter, aboveground biomass, roots and soils from ungrazed grassland fenced at different times in northwest China. Our results showed that the aboveground biomass, root biomass and plant litter were 70–92%, 56–151% and 59–141% higher, respectively, in grazer excluded grassland than in grazed grassland. Grazing exclusion significantly increased C and N stored in plant biomass and litter and increased the concentrations and stocks of C and N in soils. Grazing exclusion thus significantly increased the C and N stored in grassland ecosystems. The increase in C and N stored in soil contributed to more than 95% and 97% of the increases in ecosystem C and N storage. The highest C and N stocks in ecosystems were observed in 17-year grazer excluded grassland. The results from this study indicate that grazing exclusion has the potential to increase C and N storage in degraded semiarid grassland and that the recovery of ecosystem C and N was mainly due to the accumulation of C and N in soils.

The Accumulation of Organic Carbon in Mineral Soils by Afforestation of Abandoned Farmland

The afforestation of abandoned farmland significantly influences soil organic carbon (OC). However, the dynamics between OC inputs after afforestation and the original OC are not well understood. To learn more about soil OC dynamics after afforestation of farmland, we measured the soil OC content in paired forest and farmland plots in Shaanxi Province, China. The forest plots had been established on farmland 18, 24, 48, 100, and 200 yr previously. The natural 13C abundance of soil organic matter was also analyzed to distinguish between crop- and forest-derived C in the afforested soils. We observed a nonlinear accumulation of total OC in the 0–80 cm depth of the mineral soil across time. Total soil OC accumulated more rapidly under forest stands aged 18 to 48 yr than under forest stands aged 100 or 200 yrs. The rate of OC accumulation was also greater in the 0–10 cm depth than in the 10–80 cm depth. Forest-derived OC in afforested soils also accumulated nonlinearly across time, with the greatest increase in the 0–20 cm depth. Forest-derived OC in afforest soils accounted for 52–86% of the total OC in the 0–10 cm depth, 36–61% of the total OC in the 10–20 cm depth, and 11–50% of the total OC in the 20–80 cm depth. Crop-derived OC concentrations in the 0–20 cm depth decreased slightly after afforestation, but there was no change in crop-derived OC concentrations in the 20–80 cm depth. The results of our study support the claim that afforestation of farmland can sequester atmospheric CO2 by increasing soil OC stocks. Changes in the OC stocks of mineral soils after afforestation appear to be influenced mainly by the input of forest-derived C rather than by the loss of original OC.

Accumulation of soil organic carbon in aggregates after afforestation on abandoned farmland

To understand how organic C (OC) accumulates in afforested soils and to quantify the contribution of aggregate-associated OC to OC accumulation, we investigated the changes in soil structure, total soil OC, and aggregate-associated OC from 0- to 10- and 10- to 20-cm depths in afforested forests and adjacent farmlands of northwestern China. We assessed the contribution of macroaggregate-associated OC increase to total soil OC accumulation. Afforestation increased macroaggregate amount, mean weight diameter, and mean geometric diameter but decreased the amount of microaggregate and silt + clay-sized fractions. The improvement of soil structure was greater in surface than subsurface soils and was greater in soils afforested with white birch than in soils afforested with other tree species. Fifty years after afforestation, total soil OC concentrations and stocks and aggregate-associated OC concentrations increased depending on soil depth and tree species. Afforestation increased macroaggregate-associated OC stocks but decreased microaggregate- and silt + clay-associated OC stocks. Soil OC stocks and changes in OC stocks after afforestation mainly depended on macroaggregate-associated OC stocks and their changes. The results from this study suggest that OC accumulation in afforested soils is due to the accumulation of OC in macroaggregates and the redistribution of OC from fine particles to coarser fractions.

Humic acid transport in saturated porous media: Influence of flow velocity and influent concentration

Understanding the transport of humic acids (HAs) in porous media can provide important and practical evidence needed for accurate prediction of organic/inorganic contaminant transport in different environmental media and interfaces. A series of column transport experiments was conducted to evaluate the transport of HA in different porous media at different flow velocities and influent HA concentrations. Low flow velocity and influent concentration were found to favor the adsorption and deposition of HA onto sand grains packed into columns and to give higher equilibrium distribution coefficients and deposition rate coefficients, which resulted in an increased fraction of HA being retained in columns. Consequently, retardation factors were increased and the transport of HA through the columns was delayed. These results suggest that the transport of HA in porous media is primarily controlled by the attachment of HA to the solid matrix. Accordingly, this attachment should be considered in studies of HA behavior in porous media.

Effects of Monovegetation Restoration Types on Soil Water Distribution and Balance on a Hillslope in Northern Loess Plateau of China

In the Loess Plateau of China, mosaic-vegetation restoration by converting cropland into fallow (to regenerate natural vegetations) and perennials performs well in soil erosion control. However, soil desiccation caused by the planted perennials threatens the sustainability of vegetation restoration. Understanding of soil water distribution and balance in monovegetation systems at hillslope scale is crucial for building a constructive mosaic-vegetation restoration pattern in the Northern Loess Plateau. The objectives in this study were to investigate effects of monovegetation restoration types on soil water distribution and balance and discuss the possible implications of the monovegetation hydrological properties for mosaic-vegetation pattern establishment at hillslope scale. In 2004, the authors chose a one-piece waste hillslope with uniform slope of 12 degrees and established four monovegetation plots subjected to shrub, grass, fallow, and cropland. Shrub, grass, and fallow are the typical vegetation restoration types, whereas cropland presents the traditional land use. Soil water content profiles, down to 400-600 cm depth, along the hillslope were measured with a neutron moisture meter from May-October in 2004, 2008, and 2009. Results showed that the rainfall infiltration depth was approximately 100 cm for shrub and grass but exceeded 300 cm for fallow and cropland. Six growth years later, shrub, grass, and fallow depleted more soil water than cropland, in the amount of 288, 313, and 62 mm, respectively. Soil water depletion in shrub and grass resulted in dried soil layers at the depth of 100-260 cm and 100-360 cm. Water balance results indicated that soil water deficit occurred in June during the rain season. The authors observed that downhill-accumulation of soil water storage, down to 400 cm depth, existed for fallow and cropland in 2004 and 2009. However, 6 growth years of shrub and grass substantially weakened such soil water downhill-accumulation tendency. This fact alone suggests that a mosaic vegetation system of planting shrub/grass downhill and setting fallow uphill would be appropriate from a standpoint of maintaining the sustainable development of vegetation restoration in the study area. Further experiments should be performed to develop the mosaic-vegetation patterns meeting the interests of both erosion control and sustainability of vegetation restoration. DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0000628

Soil iron fractionation and availability at selected landscape positions in a loessial gully region of northwestern China

Abstract Soil Fe fractions and availability vary with landscape positions, because landscape position affects soil chemical properties and water conditions. In the present study, we investigated Fe fractions and availability at selected landscape positions in the loessial gully region of northwestern China. Four landscape positions, plateau, slope, terrace, and gully bottom were investigated. For each landscape position, soil samples were collected at 20-cm increments to a depth of 80 cm. Iron in the soil samples was fractionated by a modified sequential extraction method. Available Fe was assessed by diethylene thiamine pentacetic acid (DTPA) extraction procedure. The results showed that soil profile distributions of DTPA-Fe varied greatly with landscape position in the study area. The largest content of DTPA-Fe content was observed in the plateau soils, while the smallest content was observed in the gully bottom soils. Iron in soils existed mainly in the mineral bound fraction, which accounted for about 73 to 96% of the total Fe. The content of Fe in soil fractions varied greatly with landscape position. Exchangeable Fe and organic matter bound Fe were direct sources of available Fe, but exchangeable Fe contributed little to the total available Fe due to its low content in the soils. Oxides bound Fe was an indirect source of available Fe. The results of the present study indicate that landscape position strongly influences soil profile distribution and capacity of available Fe by influencing soil Fe fractions and organic matter distributions.

Soil respiration as affected by vegetation types in a semiarid region of China

Abstract There are variations in soil respiration across vegetation types; however, it is unclear which factors are mainly responsible for the variations. A field experiment was conducted in 2008 and 2009 in a semiarid region of China to investigate the daytime and monthly variation of soil respiration across vegetation types and to determine the factors controlling the variation. An automated portable soil carbon dioxide (CO2) flux measurement system was used to measure the soil respiration in shrubland, grassland, fallow land, and cropland during the growing periods. The results showed that the relative daytime variation amplitude of soil respiration in the fallow land and cropland was as small as that of shrubland and grassland during July, but greater than that of shrubland and grassland during August and October. A hysteresis effect for the relationship between the daytime soil respiration and daytime soil temperature was observed for all four vegetation types. There was also a hysteresis effect for the relationship between the daytime soil respiration and daytime air temperature for the grassland. Over the study period, the monthly soil respiration rates of the fallow land and cropland were statistically comparable and significantly lower than those of the shrubland and grassland, with the exception of August, during which the monthly soil respiration of the cropland was as great as that of shrubland and grassland. The factors responsible for the monthly soil respiration variation across the vegetation types differed from month to month. In general, the soil temperature and soil water content were mainly responsible in August and September; however, the root biomass predominated in July and October. The results are valuable for accurately estimating regional carbon fluxes by considering the temporal variability of the soil respiration variation across vegetation types in the Loess Plateau of China.

Relationship of Climatic and Forest Factors to Drought- and Heat-Induced Tree Mortality

Tree mortality due to warming and drought is a critical aspect of forest ecosystem in responding to climate change. Spatial patterns of tree mortality induced by drought and its influencing factors, however, have yet to be documented at the global scale. We collected observations from 248 sites globally where trees have died due to drought and then assessed the effects of climatic and forest factors on the rate of tree mortality. The global mean annual mortality rate was 5.5%. The rate of tree mortality was significantly and negatively correlated with mean annual precipitation (P < 0.01). Tree mortality was lowest in tropical rainforests with mean annual precipitation >2000 mm and was severe in regions with mean annual precipitation <1000 mm. Mortality rates varied amongst species. The global annual rate of mortality was much higher for gymnosperms (7.1%) than angiosperms (4.8%) but did not differ significantly between evergreen (6.2%) and deciduous (6.1%) species. Stand age and wood density affected the mortality rate. Saplings (4.6%) had a higher mortality rate than mature trees (3.2%), and mortality rates significantly decreased with increasing wood density for all species (P < 0.01). We therefore concluded that the tree mortality around the globe varied with climatic and forest factors. The differences between tree species, wood density, stand density, and stand age should be considered when evaluating tree mortality at a large spatial scale during future climatic extremes.