Effects of soil characteristics on grassland productivity in long-term artificial grassland establishment

Abstract

The long-term establishment of artificial grasslands is considered one of the most rational management models for restoring the "Black Soil Beach, BSB" which promotes ecological succession characterized by increased biodiversity and improved soil health in the BSB. However, the relationship between grassland productivity recovery and soil stoichiometric balance during the long-term establishment process remains unclear. To elucidate this relationship, this study explored the impact mechanisms of soil nutrients, carbon and nitrogen sequestration, and soil stoichiometric features on grassland biomass across eight establishment periods (BSB, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, 6 years, 10 years, 11 years, and 20 years). The results indicated that compared to the baseline BSB conditions, the aboveground biomass in artificial grasslands showed an increase ranging from 237.48 % to 815.1 %. The soil organic carbon stocks (SOCS) for 1-year-old artificial grassland (AG1), 2-year-old artificial grassland (AG2), 5-year-old artificial grassland (AG5), 6-year-old artificial grassland (AG6), 10-year-old artificial grassland (AG10), 11-year-old artificial grassland (AG11), and 20-year-old artificial grassland (AG20) increased by 79.7 %, 62.8 %, 60.6 %, 59.9 %, 87.5 %, 38.5 %, and 59.3 %, respectively, and the soil nitrogen stocks significantly increased during the early and middle stages of establishment. Moreover, as the establishment period prolonged, the 0–30 cm soil stoichiometric ratios (C:N, C:P, C:K, N:K, and P:K) significantly improved. Structural equation modeling revealed that soil stoichiometric ratios did not directly affect biomass, while the establishment period influenced plant uptake of total and available soil nutrients by altering soil physical properties, ultimately affecting biomass. This study unveils the mechanisms by which soil carbon and nitrogen sequestration, soil nutrients, soil stoichiometric ratios, and plant characteristics affect the productivity of long-term established artificial grasslands. These findings contribute to the development of management strategies for the sustainable restoration and conservation of alpine meadow ecosystems.