Correlation of alpine vegetation degradation and soil nutrient status of permafrost in the source regions of the Yangtze River, China

Yibo Wang,Long Tan,Fujun Niu,Liming Tian,Qingbai Wu

doi:10.1007/s12665-012-1567-5

Yibo Wang, Long Tan + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-012-1567-5

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Abstract

The impacts of alpine vegetation degradation on the main soil nutrients in the permafrost were studied by the comparative analysis of typical plots in the source regions of the Yangtze River. It is found that vegetation degradation has a severe effect on the content of the main soil nutrients, especially in the topsoil (0–10 cm) where the soil nutrients content were changed. There are good correlations between soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK) in alpine soil. The change to soil nutrients increases concomitantly with the increasing intensity of vegetation degradation. Soil nutrients change dramatically in the thermokarst lakes in the surrounding area where vegetation is severely degraded. The ratio of SOM, TN, TP and TK in different soil layers of the adjacent thermokarst lakes is 5.88, 5.14, 3.86 and 4.43, respectively. The vegetation degradation accelerates the degradation of alpine soil environment in alpine frozen soil.

Highlights

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the largest geomorphologic unit on the Eurasian continent, is an important part of the global terrestrial ecosystem, and the largest low-latitude permafrost region in the world
The results show that the variations of soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and TK are most closely related to the soil surface horizons, along with the change of soil environmental effect between each other
The above analysis illustrates that the interdependence among other components of soil nutrients is poor, apart from between SOM and TN, TP and TK in the topsoil of the permafrost region in an alpine cold environment

Summary

Introduction

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the largest geomorphologic unit on the Eurasian continent, is an important part of the global terrestrial ecosystem, and the largest low-latitude permafrost region in the world. The widely distributed alpine meadows, alpine steppes and alpine swamp meadows that cover most of the area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau are the naturally occurring vegetation ecotone and are representative of much of the land area in the Eurasian continent (Li and Zhou 1998). Being located in the interior of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, widespread permafrost exists naturally in the headwater regions of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. According to a recent report by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the QinghaiTibet Plateau will become 3.8°C warmer by the end of the twenty-first century and this will cause permafrost degradation. The active layers will deepen with the increased groundwater infiltration; the roots of native vegetation will not be able to reach the new aquifer and this area will suffer from drought, causing grassland degradation (WWF 2008)

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