Erosion effects on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics on cultivated slopes: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Soil carbon (C) redistribution within cultivated landscapes is strongly controlled by soil erosion and sedimentation and it is widely appreciated that C is preferentially transported during erosion. In contrast, it remains elusive whether erosion induced transport of C and N is coupled although changes in the balance between C and N strongly affect soil C and N dynamics. We therefore reviewed the literature on carbon and nitrogen redistribution by erosion.Twenty-nine studies reported results on C and N enrichment of freshly eroded sediments after erosion events. Thirty-nine studies reported results on C and N contents and stocks along eroded slopes.Eroded sediments were enriched in C and N by 51.3% and 50.6% indicating that both elements are stored in soil fractions that are preferentially eroded. Slope gradient and soil texture strongly affected C and N enrichment. Decreasing C and N enrichment in fine-textured soils was counterbalanced by increasing erosion rates in these soils. This suggests similar SOM losses independent of textural class. The C/N ratio increased by 9.9%, pointing to preferential movement of C-rich particulate organic matter (POM) compared to N-rich mineral associated organic matter (MAOM). Breakdown of aggregates by rainfall energy possibly released POM which is then preferentially eroded. Soil C and N contents and total stocks showed similar percentage increases from upslope to depositional sites, indicating that downslope C and N stocks were largely driven by enrichment, rather by than increases in depth or bulk density.Altogether, our findings confirm that quantification of soil loss alone is not sufficient to estimate erosion-induced changes in soil fertility, because soil organic matter and plant nutrients are selectively moved during erosion. This leads to a shift in C and N dynamics in different slope positions and thus to an increase in the spatial variability of the C and N along the slope.