Abstract
Analyzing the dynamics of soil particle size distribution (PSD) and erodibility is important for understanding the changes of soil texture and quality after cropland abandonment. This study aimed to determine how restoration age and latitude affect soil erodibility and the multifractal dimensions of PSD during natural recovery. We collected soil samples from grassland, shrubland, and forests with different restoration ages in the steppe zone (SZ), forest-steppe zone (FSZ), and forest zone (FZ). Various analyses were conducted on the samples, including multifractal analysis and erodibility analysis. Our results showed that restoration age had no significant effect on the multifractal dimensions of PSD (capacity dimension (D0), information dimension (D1), information dimension/capacity dimension ratio (D1/D0), correlation dimension (D2)), and soil erodibility. Multifractal dimensions tended to increase, while soil erodibility tended to decrease, with restoration age. Latitude was negatively correlated with fractal dimensions (D0, D2) and positively correlated with K and D1/D0. During vegetation restoration, restoration age, precipitation, and temperature affect the development of vegetation, resulting in differences in soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, soil texture, and soil enzyme activity, and by affecting soil structure to change the soil stability. This study revealed the impact of restoration age and latitude on soil erosion in the Loess Plateau.
Highlights
Excessive and unregulated land reclamation, intensive cultivation, and the loss of vegetation have led to the degradation of millions of hectares of arable land on the Loess Plateau of China
Vegetation restoration had a significant impact on the particle size distribution (PSD) of soil and the distribution of soil microaggregates following cropland abandonment (Figures 2 and 3)
Our results showed that there were significant differences in particle size distribution in steppe zone (SZ), forest-steppe zone (FSZ) and forest zone (FZ), and the comparison of contribution percentages indicated that the zonal change was greater than the change brought by vegetation restoration
Summary
Excessive and unregulated land reclamation, intensive cultivation, and the loss of vegetation have led to the degradation of millions of hectares of arable land on the Loess Plateau of China. Severe soil erosion has resulted in most of the topsoil being lost in many locations, leading to the degradation of vegetation and the deterioration of the ecological environment [1]. To restore the eco-environment, the Chinese government launched the state-funded “Grain to Green” project in 1999 [2], through which many cropland areas were converted back to forestland or grassland, or were abandoned to allow natural recovery. The large-scale implementation of returning farmland to forests over several years has brought the soil erosion problem under control in some areas of the Loess Plateau [3]. Public Health 2020, 17, 822; doi:10.3390/ijerph17030822 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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