Abstract
PurposeThe aim of the study was to present variability of content and quality of soil organic matter on the landslide surface. Attempts were made to demonstrate the progress of the process of soil cover restoration 7 years after the landslides and biochemical activity of soil associated with the restoration of soil cover.Materials and methodsThe landslide area was located in southern Poland, in the Sucha Forest District. The soil properties were studied on a regular grid of points, which covered the entire area of the landslide. In soil samples, particle size, soil aggregates content, pH, total carbon and nitrogen content, microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen and the activity of dehydrogenases were determined. Additionally, the fractions of soil organic matter were used in the study as an indicator of soil quality due to the many important interactions of these components in the soil system.Results and discussionThis study identified the landslide area as characterised by a stronger diversification of physical, chemical, and biological properties. The upper part of the landslide (in the area referred to as the landslide niche) is strongly eroded and characterised by the least advanced soil cover recovery. Additionally, low soil organic matter content was observed in the upper part of the landslide, which restricted biological activity of the studied soils. Soil microbial biomass carbon increased with restoration of landslide soils.ConclusionsThe soil organic matter plays a key role for the initial stage of soil formation on a landslide. The amount of soil organic matter on the studied landslide had a positive effect on the microbial biomasses C and N, dehydrogenases activity. Estimating the soil organic matter fraction can be utilised as an indicator of changes in soil.
Highlights
Geological structure, topography, rainfall and human activities contribute to the occurrence of landslides in the Polish conditions
The cluster analysis including the content of clay fraction, organic carbon content, pH, dehydrogenase activity and the amount of soil aggregates allowed the distinction between three areas coinciding with the components of the landslide distinguished by geomorphology
Fulvic acids dominate over humic acids in the fraction composition of soil organic matter in the accumulation zone (Z2), which is characteristic for forest soil humus (Guggenberger and Zech 1994)
Summary
Geological structure, topography, rainfall and human activities contribute to the occurrence of landslides in the Polish conditions. The landslides that take place in forest areas cause the destruction of trees, and they break the continuity of soil cover which results in different physical, chemical and biological properties (Shiels et al 2006; Shiels and Walker 2013). The contents of soil organic matter are often used as an indicator of soil quality, and it helps determine the physical (Masri and Ryan 2006), chemical (Sebastia et al 2007) and biological properties of soil (Valarini et al 2003; Arandá et al 2015). The microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen (Błońska et al 2016) and enzyme activity (Pająk et al 2016) are primary biological indicators of soil quality. The quantity and quality of soil organic matter can be
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