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

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Key Basic Research Special Foundation Project (2007CB106803), National Natural Science Foundation of China (40801111), and the West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. We thank anonymous reviewers and the editor, Prof. Per Ambus, of this paper for their useful suggestions and also Ir. Wim H. van de Putten from Centre for Terrestrial Ecology of NIOO-KNAW and Erika Marín-Spiotta from University of Wisconsin-Madison for their valuable comments that greatly improved this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwest A & F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China

    Xiaorong Wei & Mingan Shao

  2. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS & MWR, State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, China

    Xiaorong Wei, Mingan Shao & Xiaoli Fu

  3. Department of Agronomy, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, 50011, USA

    Robert Horton

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  1. Xiaorong Wei
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Correspondence to Xiaorong Wei.

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Responsible Editor: Per Ambus.

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Wei, X., Shao, M., Fu, X. et al. Changes in soil organic carbon and total nitrogen after 28 years grassland afforestation: effects of tree species, slope position, and soil order. Plant Soil 331, 165–179 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-0243-3

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